The Person Experience

Sarah's turn!

2009-03-16T20:33:00.007-05:00

Sarah was still getting over a cold (and the last of her 2 year molars) when I took those photos of the boys. So, as we played in the beautiful 65 degree unseasonably warm March twilight, I got a few fun shots.

Just a classic Sarah look.

She really doesn't look like a toddler anymore! She's all girl...

She hit herself on the head with the shaft of a golf club! I love that pout!

New photos of the boys

2009-03-14T11:41:00.004-05:00

Thomas was being so cute this morning. He's been sick all week and is finally starting to feel better. We were having some one on one time sharing a nectarine, when he announced, with head in hands "I really do like nectarines when they're not hard. They're really yummy when their soft and juicy like these!"

I agree : )

I'd just returned from a Lifestyle Kids 6 month photo session and had my camera handy, so I snapped this:

Then Jacob emerged from the basement, asking for chocolate cake. I bribed him (since he doesn't like to be photographed). Here's the fruit of the bribe... not too bad!

Unfortunately, the moment was ruined when I informed Jacob (who has had a fever for the last two nights) that he'd be taking a nap when his siblings nap. His pronouncement: "That's the worst thing I've ever heard!"

Oh well.

I am back! I promise.

2009-02-16T18:13:00.005-06:00

Without having an internet connection (I am 37,000 feet above the earth as I type this) I think the last time I blogged was November. Seriously, I think I’ve been too busy. I remember telling Brad at Thanksgiving that I just needed to make it to the second week of February and things would settle down. So, I began counting down the weeks…

Here I sit, on the way to Scottsdale, on the 15th of February. Back in November, I could never have anticipated what lay ahead of me. All of the busyness and business expansion happened, if not because of my efforts then in spite of them : ) But, adding to the life lessons we pick up along the way was a resounding sense of the Lord saying “not your plans, Mine.”

Today marks the first day of my third trimester of this pregnancy. I am amazed that I still battle nausea daily. It is not as debilitating as it was in the first weeks, but I am growing weary of it. Having said that, a friend of mine was so sick with her last baby that she had to have an IV line inserted so that she could receive fluids and anti-nausea meds throughout the duration of her gestation. So, really, I have nothing to complain about. I am functionally pretty normal (though I am guessing that those close to me are secretly really looking forward to me not being pregnant any more!). I am convinced that being pregnant at 30 is entirely different than being pregnant at 23. This has been a poignant reminder that my body is aging. I am so looking forward to meeting our little Joel Andrew in May. He certainly is a busy little guy.

Joel about 10 weeks ago. We think his profile looks like Tommy's did in utero.

The last time I put any of my thoughts here for you to see, I promised to talk about my Grandma’s visit with her dear friend, Beth. Grandma reminded me of this last week, though I hadn’t really ever forgotten. I just hadn’t found the time. When Grandma and Grandpa flew from New Mexico (actually, they flew from Texas but live in NM) to Minnesota for my birthday in October, I had the privilege of accompanying my Grandmother (dad’s mom) to visit her friend, Beth. Beth lives just outside the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and Grandma rarely sees her. I think the last time they saw each other was the weekend of my wedding, almost 10 years ago. They talk to each other by phone and email often. In fact, I think Beth and Grandma have a scheduled phone date just like Grandma and Grandpa and I do. Let me re-emphasize one thing here, my Grandmother, who is in her 80s, uses email to communicate with her friend between phone conversations. I was 13 when I got my first computer – a 486! - and Grandma sent me my very first email. This was not someone to reluctantly come to terms with the technological age, she blazed into it ready and willing. Most of you would envy the Macs that grace their desktops.

Since so many months have passed since their visit, I fear I cannot remember how many years Beth and Grandma have known each other. My Grandpa and Beth’s husband graduated from West Point together in the 40s. The women didn’t meet then, though. I seem to remember that they met at Fort Bliss after they were both married. This, however, could be mere construct on my part. Perhaps the funniest part of hearing their stories as they related them to one another and to me was Grandma’s admission that she didn’t like Beth at all when they first met. It had something to do with Beth’s earrings, I think. I am glad that mere pieces of metal did not end up getting in the way of this life-long friendship.

Two thinks struck me, as I sat with these two wonderful women. First, that they’d already been fast friends for 20 or more years at the time that I was born. Somehow, that gave a little more weight to my dad’s assertion that while we’re given our family, we have the privilege of adding to it with our friends. The second thing that really hit home that afternoon was this: we all have stories. Of course we will all tacitly nod at this statement, or even think to ourselves “of course we do, what a obvious thing to say.” But really, as we live our lives, day by day we’re building our legacies.

Each time a President leaves office, or a new administration begins, we hear talk of legacy building. It seems to reference the large things, the things about the presidency that will stand out on the landscape of history. I am not speaking here about events. What I took from this afternoon spent with my Grandmother and her friend was a sense of a joint legacy, a shared history that was more than mere shared experience. We all have that opportunity each day that we live. We can choose to just “get through the next few days/weeks/months” as I referred to at the beginning of this post, or we can live each of those days to do the best we can for those with whom we interact; not only the people we love but the people we don’t even know. The deep breath we take and the smile on our faces after waiting in a long line at a store with cranky kids, or the choice we make not to complain about the road construction or the $15 per bag fee when we check our luggage.

At the end of the day, my gut-check is this: Did I teach my children to love Jesus more in what I did and didn’t do, and in doing so do I love Him more? Sadly, too many days, I think my answer is “no”. As my story builds and I add to a shared history with those around me, I strive to have more days where my answer is “yes,” but only with His help, strength and grace.

Grandma is the one with the lovely white hair. I do hope I inherit this beautiful white (I seem to have inherited the other characteristics of her hair, why not that?).

Thank you and Goodnight

2008-11-05T23:01:00.004-06:00

I was just turning off the local news, and for some reason held on to that phrase as I was about to close my computer and head to bed. "Thank you, and goodnight" I said to my computer. Seriously. Hmmm. I believe I am tired.

For the last two days, I have not taken a nap. This would be quite a feat for a two year old, but shouldn't seem like such a big deal to me. Except that it is. Have you noticed that I haven't posted since September? No, I didn't get tired of blogging. Just tired. Twelve weeks later, I am beginning to wake up. Do you see where this is going? This weekend will conclude my first trimester of my fifth pregnancy. We are happily (even more happily now that the morning sickness - really all day sickness - has tapered) expecting our FIFTH little person baby! Our kids are thrilled, even little Sarah seems to get it.

Brad and I were excited to meet our first little niece almost three weeks ago now. Little Mckenna was born to Brad's sister and her husband and she is a beautiful baby! I got to take her photos, of course. Though, I don't know how her mom and dad could have said "no," I didn't really give them much choice : )

Sarah thanks Jesus every night for "baby kenna," as she can't quite say "Mckenna" yet. She's quite in love with the cousin she's met only once. She will make a great big sister, of that we couldn't be more sure.

That's Tommy (age 3) and Sarah (2) with little Mckenna. Ironically, Jacob was behind the camera. Literally. He grabbed his uncle's point and shoot and started clicking. I bet they got some interesting photos.

I really do need to go to bed now, but wanted to get back into the habit of posting. So, here was a start. Next, I'll get to tell you about my visit with my Grandma Shannon and her dear friend, Beth. Stay tuned.

It's almost Eli's birthday

2008-09-03T23:02:00.002-05:00

I was about to head to bed and happened to glance over at the side of my computer screen where I have my email sorted into folders. I have a whole folder of emails from when we were anticipating Eli's birth. It was so amazing to sit and read some of them. I loved reading the words Brad wrote to others as he spoke about our son. He handled a good amount of the communication with our friends and family, and then with people who were friends of friends of friends... Wow. We were so blessed to not only have the privilege of carrying and meeting our beautiful first born son, but to have so many families come along side of us with prayers, with love and with their own stories. To all of you who walked along side of us during Eli's brief visit to this earth, thank you. This Saturday, September 6, 2008 will be his 6th birthday. Please know that as you carried us, we've been so humbled to be able to extend that to so many others. And the gift goes on...

Portland CityFest

2008-08-23T19:22:00.005-05:00

I am having a ball at the Portland CityFest with Luis Palau! I saw some cool extreme sports, BMX and FMX! That is clearly not my photography strength... Here are a couple, bmx and skateboarding!

It's so much fun to be here on site with the Palau organization. This is such an amazing team. Last night, I got to see Chris Tomlin and some really neat guests of the festival! I even saw the family from TLC's Little People Big World. According to the estimates from the park police, there were 75,000 people here yesterday. Wow.

Tonight Hawk Nelson, Mercy Me and Toby Mac will take the mainstage. Jacob and Tommy would love to see Toby Mac!

Here's a photo of Brad photographing Chris Tomlin... just doing what he does.

I get to go shoot with Brad!

2008-08-17T23:19:00.001-05:00

I've posted before about Brad's work with the Luis Palau Association. This time, I get to join him and I am so excited! Portland Fest is this week... I'll post more : )

My kids, again!

2008-08-05T21:50:00.008-05:00

We went to Como Zoo today. I grew up going to Como - It was wonderful! It's so much more kid friendly than the MN Zoo (of which we are members... so no Zoo bashing here), partly because it's smaller, so it's easier for little legs. I didn't have to carry anyone out of the park! We had a ball. Here is Jacob, in charge of his siblings, headed toward the entrance. He managed to get them turned around to indulge his mom's desire to snap a photo. Sarah really is there underneath that baseball cap. She wanted to wear one, since her brothers were, but all I had for her was my MN Gopher Hockey cap. She couldn't really see well at all ; )

We had fun looking at the HUGE Gorillas in the primates building. When we walked out of the building, Jacob and Tommy began singing a favorite Veggie Tales Silly Song, the lyric is this "If it doesn't have a tail it's not a monkey - even if it has a monkey kind of shape - if it doesn't have a tail it's not a monkey, if it doesn't have a tail it's not a monkey it's an ape!"

So, the natural follow up question from Mom: "was the Gorilla a monkey or an ape?" They considered it for a moment - and with a good amount of confidence announced that it was an ape. Good job, boys. Thanks Veggie Tales : )

I was just musing about technology with my dad. He told me that when my Grandmother was born, commercial radio was not even on the air yet. And here are my kids, fewer than 90 years later, playing on a computer together. Jacob told me today, "my game isn't loading. Maybe if we turn it off and turn it back on again, it will work." Of course, it did. We'd expect that of a kid in this generation. My first computer was a IBM 486. It had just about enough power to type a letter. I thought I was pretty cool! It didn't have spell check, and I typed a whole paper about education and spelled it "edjucation." The irony.

We go to the pool a bit in the summer (yes, it really is warm enough for that in MN) and while the kids LOVE the water, I think sometimes they love the snack bar more!

A man of many dimples : )

2008-07-28T20:49:00.013-05:00

I had trouble choosing which of these to pick... this was such a fun session! I photographed this little guy for the first time about 3 months ago, when it was cold and we were stuck inside. I don't think I've ever seen dimples like this little guy has. Amazing!

Baby JD

2008-07-27T22:51:00.009-05:00

This little guy was out cold for most of his session. He shut his eyes just as I walked in his front door. He was about 3 weeks old here and just adorable! I had the privilege of photographing his whole family about 2 months ago when I came to do his mom's maternity session. It always such a treat to see the little person who was growing inside : ) Oh, and thanks to his parents' sense of adventure - we took a few in the long grass of their backyard. Truly a backdrop I never considered for a newborn!

Look what I found in my inbox today

2008-07-16T23:15:00.002-05:00

I opened my email this evening, after teaching all night and missing my kids' bedtime. In it was 9 email notifications that I'd received an e-card. I'd received 9 e-cards from my son, Jacob. Jacob is 4 and has access to a laptop set up for the kids. Apparently, he asked Brad this morning for my email address, written on a piece of paper. He did this all by himself, and I am a proud mom.

Connor's Slideshow

2008-07-07T00:18:00.003-05:00

I met Connor and his family when I did his newborn photos. One month later they invited me into their home to do a Lifestyle Kids session and capture how much he'd grown, as well as some wonderful photos of his beautiful big sister. He's so blessed to have her! I had so much fun with them. Enjoy!

Oh, and by the way, I am home in Minnesota now!

Getting ready to head home

2008-06-28T02:08:00.004-05:00

Well, since arriving in Arizona 7 weeks ago, I've been largely silent on my blog... working 13 hour days will do that. But, things are up and running here - thanks to my amazing team of photographers - and we're looking at heading home next week. I've learned lots of amazing things here, not the least of which is that 85 degrees in the dark with no humidity is actually pretty cool. And by "cool" I mean "chilly," as opposed "neat," although that adjective also applies. This comment is largely for the Midwesterners reading this blog, who have long made fun of people from the south/southwest. The other thing I learned is that it takes a lemon a really long time to ripen on a tree. We have a lemon tree in our back patio area at the house in which we are staying. The kids and I have been watching the same lemon ripen since we got here. It's just about ready!

Yesterday I killed my first (and hopefully last) scorpion. I really have no issues with bugs, I am usually the appointed bug-handler in our house. But, I must admit, that was a bit much for me. Tommy got into a tussle with some fire ants about a week ago. At first, they had the upper hand (and have left the bites to prove it), but then Tommy introduced them to the fountain he was playing in - and they lost. All of that said, I've not seen one mosquito! ; )

Our team here consists of four amazing women, I am so blessed to have them in our world. Heather, Laura, Jacqueline and Michelle make up the photographic talent of First Day Photo Arizona, and are a wonderful team to build on! Laura had us come to a favorite photo spot the other day to do some family photos a la Arizona. Here are just a few. THANK YOU LAURA! Jacob was in his typical "I hate pictures" form (at least he wasn't asking her to erase them... sometimes that's the direction he goes), so we had to get creative! Enjoy - and think of us next week with our little ones - ROADTRIP!

The boys

2008-06-01T19:01:00.002-05:00

Here's a rare photo of our boys. They have to have equal time, you see. The last post was a photo of their sister : )

A new photo of Sarah and Mom

2008-05-29T19:00:00.003-05:00

I think this is my favorite photo of me and Sarah Joy since she was about 3 weeks old! She's 19 months old now, and, to quote her big brother Jacob, she's "extremely happy!" and so are we : )

I can't believe that we don't have babies in our house anymore. She's clearly a little girl now, and so very much a GIRL! She loves shoes, dresses, dolls (only her favorites will do). But, she also loves to do anything her brothers will include her in. Right now, she's rather fond of throwing herself on the floor and having a tantrum if you tell her "no" to something she wants to do. It doesn't happen often, but it really does happen. Yikes.

Maddie's Eyelashes

2008-05-25T00:40:00.004-05:00

Check these out!

It's cold in Arizona

2008-05-25T00:14:00.004-05:00

Two weeks ago I had a root canal - OUCH! Hat's off to my endodontist, though. I feel much better. The next day we got in the car and drove 1600 miles with our kids. We've been in Arizona for the last couple weeks starting a new contract with a health system. Last week, the temperature reached 113 degrees, admittedly hot (especially for a girl raised in Minnesota). Yesterday, I think the high was 58. Brad was in Wisconsin shooting a wedding and I think the weather was nicer there than here. Yes, I know that this isn't a weather blog : ) Although it does seem to me that people from colder climes have a bit of an obsession with the topic. What I find really funny is that my kids thought that 60 degree weather was chilly and they didn't want to go outside. Just 2 weeks ago (at home in MN), that would have felt wonderful to them. I will say that I'll take 100 in AZ over 100 in MN any day of the year. It's supposed to be hot again over the weekend.

Erin (the Erin in the wedding photos in a former post) asked me whether there were cactus or palm trees here. The answer: both. And citrus trees (there's a lemon tree in our back yard!), and other really beautiful deciduous trees I've never seen before. I've also never seen cactus in bloom, or pink cactus, for that matter. Obviously, this is really only interesting to those who have not been to Arizona - like me.

I've been getting a wonderful response from the hospital staff in our new sites. They are really excited by what we offer and are such a pleasure to work with. We're really pleased to be here in AZ, but we miss our friends at home : )

Our new logo!

2008-05-25T00:10:00.005-05:00

Introducing the new "face" (or would that be flower) of First Day Photo. We've needed a redesign for sometime, and a great collaboration from some talented designers brought us this! Thank you so much Em and Erin... I love it, and so do our clients!

Happy Birthday Maddie!

2008-04-28T22:34:00.004-05:00

Today was Maddie's first birthday! We took her photos in the hospital, and I took her 6 month photos, too. Today, I got to meet Maddie and her Mom and Dad and Grandma to take her 1 year photos. Here are a few cute ones:

Two Cuddly Cuties

2008-04-27T23:52:00.002-05:00

Take a look at these two cuddly cuties! These sisters were almost exactly the same weight at birth (within a fraction of an ounce) and were so much fun to photograph. Thanks, mom and dad of these girls, for letting me share your daughters with our First Day Photo world : )

Austin's Slideshow

2008-04-26T23:02:00.004-05:00

Finally! Here is is. I know it's only been three weeks, but that's a long time for me : )

Here's your slideshow, Austin. There are many more than these to see, but here is a taste!

This session was so much fun for me to edit, because I giggled at every image. What a cute little man.

Family Fun in Florida

2008-04-19T22:46:00.014-05:00

We've been in Florida for the last week, visiting family and having fun. When real life hits again tomorrow, I am sure I'll be silent for awhile as I catch up. I've got a few sessions to fininsh editing... so here are a few vacation photos. If I don't post these tonight, it'll be a few weeks. This excellent photography is all my husband's work : ) Awesome job, honey. It was hard to choose what to share!

Early in the week Sarah Joy got her first haircut by none other than her Auntie Morgan. With the extra weight out of the back of her hair, her curls got even curlier! My sister is a cosmetologist, among her many talents, and she gave the boys their first cuts (at about 7 months of age for each boy), as well. Sarah did a beautiful job... I think she felt pampered.

Sarah was a little tenative as she looked at the Ocean for the first time. She had to have her dollies and her pacifier with her to go check it out. It wasn't long before she was playing in the surf!

All three kiddos had a great time playing on, in and around the lifeguard's chair. These three photos really capture their individuality. Jacob must have jumped off the ladder 30 times.

The boys had a great day... this picnic table was a great place to grab some shade. Of course, Daddy couldn't miss this photo op!

This photo just about says it all. Jacob was in heaven in the sand!

Here's Austin!

2008-04-11T23:26:00.006-05:00

Here are just a few of Austin's 3 month session. The hockey game is over (we won!) and I have to go to bed! I have to leave for work really early tomorrow. If I let myself, I'd stay up editing these for too long : ) Austin, you are positively the squirmiest three month old I've ever photographed - but I truly had a ball. You are just adorable! Stay tuned... I'll have the slideshow up soon.

Minnesota Wild, Wild Minnesota (weather)

2008-04-11T22:33:00.002-05:00

Ahhh. Crisp, cold air. Snow just starting to accumulate on the ground. It's beautiful, the air smells like the first days of winter. But that's how it is tonight - It's not November! It's APRIL!!!!! I know I am a Minnesotan through and through (truth be told, I was born in Dallas, TX), but this is getting a little bit old.

I sat down to edit a really fun session with a three month old little guy... as I told his mom as I walked out the door, "I just can't let a photo session sit on a memory card, I just have to see them as soon as I can. So, I'll probably edit while I watch the hockey game." (For those of you who don't know, our Minnesota Wild is playing game 2 of a series with the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.) So, here I sit watching hockey. No photos yet. It's been really long week. Ok. I am opening the file now. Oh... I am excited. I'll post a few in a couple minutes. The Wild game just went into overtime, so I am not going to bed now anyway.

Erin and Matt's wedding!

2008-04-06T00:28:00.006-05:00

I just got back from Erin and Matt's wedding. Erin is one of my AMAZING First Day Photo photographers. Ginger Murray shot the wedding with Steph Bloom, but I can't attend a wedding without a camera! It was a gorgeous wedding and a gorgeous bride, no detail was missed.

The wedding was at Nazareth Chapel at Northwestern College - this is a beautiful place for a wedding, but very hard to book.

A couple of Ginger and Steph doing their thing...

What a classic image! The kiss is timeless...

I got to have fun shooting from interesting angles, since I was just a guest!

Ginger and Steph let me horn in on their space every so often, so I could get some details. Check out Erin's earings and the ornamentation in her hair.

One more cool Ginger photo:

The flower girl dresses are seriously the cutest I've ever seen! Of course, the flower girls and junior bridesmaid were really cute too : )

Ladies, thanks for letting me shoot with you today. What a great wedding. It was really fun to meet your families, Erin and Matt! Congratulations!

Caleb's Slideshow

2008-04-01T00:33:00.003-05:00

Here it is! It's about 12:30 am, but I just couldn't go to bed without seeing the finished product. Caleb, it was so much fun to get to meet you and your mom! Enjoy your show. Oh, turn on the sound on your computer, it has cool music.

Caleb's slideshow coming soon

2008-03-31T17:09:00.002-05:00

It's snowing snowballs, so tonight I am going to grab a seat on my couch, a cup of hot cocoa and Caleb's images and edit until they're done. I can't wait to see the final product! I am always so excited to get to my computer after a session, so I can relive the fun and see how it unfolds : ) So, come back tomorrow to see Caleb's slideshow.

I think I'll just ramble

2008-03-30T22:29:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I don't blog because I just have no idea where to begin. So, rather than not blog at all, I guess I'll just ramble. Happy Sunday everyone! Here we are, about to enter April, and the beautiful MN weather forecast says we could have 8-10 inches of snow on the ground by Tuesday morning. Most of the ground is clear now, the weather has been in the 40's. I was just telling my sister (who lives in Florida) that I wish it would just rain so that all the SNIRT would wash away. For those of your who don't know what "snirt" is, it's quite simply a snow and dirt combination most famously found at the side of the road in snowbank remnants. Mall parking lots are a common place for late-spring snirt, because the 20 to 30 foot tall piles of snirt from clearing the lots takes a long time to melt. I think the fire department should come in and spray it with their hoses and make it all go away. That really wouldn't be the best use of their resources, though. Oh well. Spring will eventually come to Minnesota.

I am sitting next to Brad, both of us catching up on our computer work, listening to Sixpence None The Richer Collage. It is a hits album, and something I haven't listened to in a long time. Great tunes.

I've had a lot of joy this week, as I've found out from several of my NILMDTS families that they are expecting new babies come fall and winter. It's always such a gift to hear that, to be included in the follow up of their lives. Every photographer does things differently, but I really like to give a free newborn session to these families as their baby gift when their new babies arrive. In each case, it was such a privilege to get to meet their babies that the world didn't get to meet, to help create memories for them so that they could share the photographs of their babies with their world. It seems to make sense to me that in the spirit of offering what is referred to in the medical world as "continuity of care," I should enable them to have a happy, healing photo experience with the babies who are the younger siblings of those whom they held for too short a time.

OK, rambling done. It's getting too late and I have to sleep. I have a really full week! One of our photographers, Erin, is getting married on Saturday! YAY Erin and Matt! So, she's not working this week and Ginger Murray is coming back to pinch-hit and I'll take a couple days as well. I have an important meeting regarding several hospital accounts this week, and have to follow up on some other pending accounts and conversations. Watch in the next week or two for our new logo and added FDP web content. By late spring, we'll be offering birth announcements, too! Such fun! Now, off to bed. Good night.

Amazing Caleb

2008-03-28T21:55:00.003-05:00

Check out this little guy! He's 19 months old and I got to spend an hour "playing" with him with my camera this morning. We shot until he showed me the door, literally. I'll have a slideshow up in a few days. Until then, here's a taste of what's to come!

I don't believe in coincidence

2008-03-25T18:57:00.005-05:00

Last night I was going to post a link to a great story on Perinatal Hospice that appeared on MSNBC.com, but I got tired and thought "I'll just do it tomorrow." The story features a family who carried their baby to term and had 29 days with him, and extensively quotes a friend of mine, Amy Kuebelbeck, an author and speaker on Perinatal Hospice. Amy chronicled her journey with her son, Gabriel (who had hypoplastic left heart syndrome), in Waiting with Gabriel: A Story of Cherishing a Baby's Brief Life - a wonderful, hope-filled book. Since her son's brith and death, she has become a sought-after speaker on the topic. She's also co-authoring a new book with Deborah Davis called The Gift of Time: Continuing Your Pregnancy with a Terminal Prenatal Diagnosis (to be published in 2010). Our son, Eli, will be one of many children in the new book.

Today, Amy emailed me to tell me that since I first looked at the article yesterday, the Today Show piece was placed in the article as a video-link. So - here's the link to the article and, by default, another path to the Today Show piece. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23682263/

Amy's work is educating so many health care providers about how to best care for families. Great work, Amy! I am so proud to know you! You can see more of what Amy is doing at www.perinatalhospice.org

WCCO News

2008-03-22T23:03:00.004-05:00

This morning I was interviewed by John Reger on WCCO 4 news (the local CBS affiliate) for a little over three minutes! I had a great time talking about First Day Photo, and showing off some of the work we do every day. Here's a link to the story... it's web quality, but at least you'll get the general idea.

http://www.wcco.com/video/?id=39649@wcco.dayport.com

Happy Easter, Happy Spring, Happy Snow?

2008-03-21T14:49:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we welcomed spring, the snow had mostly melted - just the snowbanks remained. Jacob was getting so excited that he could see grass. And yet, the whole snowy winter had passed without "the perfect snowman snow." (Actually, we had one weekend of perfect snow, but the kids were sick and didn't get to play outside).

We woke up this morning intent on the task of coloring Easter Eggs, all the while talking about the true reason for Easter. Then, we built a miniature snowman! What? Yes, it began snowing in the wee hours of the morning. March snow is PERFECT for snowmen. And, better yet, it doesn't stay around long. I do have to say that this is truly my first Easter snowman.

All eyes on me!

2008-03-20T23:45:00.009-05:00

Newborn babies sleep all the time. Actually, about 20 hours per day. So, very often, the photos we take are of a peacefully slumbering newborn. Today, though, all the babies I photographed were wide-eyed and wonderful! Here are photos of two cuties whose parents gave me permission to use their images. Stephanie is out of town at WPPI, so I was covering one of our hospitals.

about crying babies

2008-03-18T14:22:00.003-05:00

I love crying babies! Ok, I should probably qualify that statement. I love photographing a good pout, scream or wail. Why? Well, mostly because it's real. Babies cry. I also like it because although a baby's look will change as she grows, the way she looks when she cries doesn't change that much because of the musculature of the face. This is a really cute little guy from today. Seriously, when else do we photograph our kids crying?

Twins! and Fox9

2008-03-16T22:44:00.005-05:00

I started my day with a 3 + minute interview on the Sunday morning news at the local Fox affiliate, KMSP channel 9. It was a live interview about First Day Photo and also about Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. Most of the interview was about FDP, which was great. Walking into the interview, I wasn't sure exactly where they were going to go with it. I walked out of the studio thinking that I hadn't exactly done what I came for in terms of sharing the First Day Photo vision, but I was pleased with how the part about NILMDTS went. When I got to work about 20 minutes later, I already had emails from all over Minneapolis/St. Paul asking about whether First Day Photo was available in their hospital, or inquiring about pricing and if we would come photograph their baby or grand baby. So, I must have gotten some of what I wanted to say out there. I did finally summon the courage to watch the piece this evening. It wasn't quite as bad as I thought ; )

In other news... I got to photograph some adorable twin boys today. We do twins with relative frequency, but they never cease to be a challenge. When the babies are close in size and weight, it is a bit easier because they usually lie in the same focal plane (if they're being reasonably still). These guys, though, were separated by a whole pound! This meant that their heads were also different sizes, and when lying on their backs one was always out of focus. The lesson here is that you have to play with your aperture and with the background of the babies (perhaps place them on pillows covered by a blanket, so that you can prop one up more than the other.) These guys broke the "simple patterns are best" rule, but look carefully - their blanket has puppies on it and the outfits have paw prints!

Sarah Joy's piggies!

2008-03-15T21:35:00.006-05:00

Since we found out that our fourth baby was a girl, Brad has talked about how cute it would be to see a litter person (or Person!) in pigtails (aka "piggies"). Yesterday, I gave it a try! They lasted about 2 minutes, but it was a fun two mintues.

Brad was not here to witness the fun, he's in Buenos Aires with Luis Palau. I was watching the webstream last night - I couldn't believe the sea of people. He said there were about 500,000 people in attendance last night, and they expected 800,000 today!

Finally catching up

2008-03-14T20:59:00.002-05:00

Well, I don't know if catching up is really possible... It's been a really busy week. I just got some really neat news! When I started my blog, I posted about a little girl named Maddy who met Jesus before her mom and dad got to hold her for the first time. I had the privilege of photographing her. Maddy's mom emailed her friends this week to announce that someone who had followed Maddy's story was placing her baby for adoption and wanted Maddy's mom and dad to adopt her. Can you imagine? The baby is due soon and Maddy will get to be a big sister from Heaven. Wow! I am so looking forward to photographing this new little one and I am THRILLED for these wonderful people!

Our road trip to Nebraska went well. No major driving issues and I had a great time getting to know Erin better. The meeting with the hospital was good. We'll just wait and see. On the way home, I got a phone call from a really large hospital system, who said we showed up first when he Googled hospital baby photography. I can't complain about that.

So, as I sit here on a Friday evening watching TLC and not folding the laundry sitting on the opposite couch (at least it's clean), I am feeling pretty good about my week. Boy, I am tired. Maybe I'll get that laundry folded tomorrow.

new headshot, sort of

2008-03-10T23:06:00.001-05:00

So, instead of actually taking a new photo... I cut myself out of one of our family photos. Hmmm. It sort of works.

Road Trip

2008-03-10T22:38:00.003-05:00

I have to admit, I don't really like road trips. I am not quite sure why. I'd much rather just get in a plane - I think it's an efficiency of time thing. I can read in a plane, but not in a car. I can edit photos in a plane, but not well in a car (too much screen glare). Oh well, this road trip will be great anyway. Erin (one of my amazing First Day Photo photographers) and I are headed to Nebraska to visit with a hospital who is interested in what we can provide for their birth center. I am really excited to show them how we are different than what they currently offer their patients! It's just a whole different experience than your standard hospital baby picture. No baby "mugshots" here!

Preparing to go tomorrow makes me think of my first business trip. I was working for a small Christian newspaper, and I was sent to a movie set in Toronto to interview Mr. T! Seriously! I assumed that he would speak with more normal cadence in person than on TV or film, but he didn't. It was interesting.

No Mr. T tomorrow, but it should be a great trip. However, I will miss Jacob's art fair at school. I am really kind of bummed about that... especially since Brad will be on a plane to another exotic location, so he'll miss it too. Thank God for Grandma!

I need a headshot

2008-03-07T23:02:00.002-06:00

In my last headshot I was VERY pregnant, and looked it. I was whining to my mom that I needed a new headshot - she laughed a me pretty hard and said "I think I know a photographer!" Hey, just because I happen to be married to an awesome photog, doesn't mean we can figure out how to parent, run our house, our business and still squeeze in a photo session of of ourselves! Ha ha ha. Since Brad has been reminding me of this need for days, we were going to do it today. Then, I got some type of food poisoning and was definately NOT photographable. Oh well. If someone really wants to see what I look like, they can look at my family photo. : )

Gunnar's slideshow is working again

2008-03-06T08:15:00.002-06:00

A couple weeks ago I had to remove Gunnar's slideshow from my blog because it wasn't working. It's back! Look for my post of Gunnar (called Gunnar's photo shoot)and enjoy. He's so cute : )

What a day!

2008-03-05T23:32:00.002-06:00

It's about 11:30 pm and I am exhausted! It's that good kind of exhaustion, when something has gone well, but been emotional and taken much out of you.

I can't believe the response that NILMDTS is getting! The exposure is wonderful, and as I am reading blogs I am seeing so many photogs saying they've been contemplating joining and now they're going to.

Thank you for all the great comments here. What an encouragement!

I have to say that I was so excited to see the story posted on Gary Fong's blog and Mike Colon's blog. Mike is a NILMDTS member, which is fabulous. He even linked to my First Day PHOTO website! Thanks, Mike!

Ok, I really think I am using too many exclaimation points now. It must be time for bed.

Oh, another really wonderful thing that happened today - I hired a new photographer for First Day PHOTO. That's never and easy task. Thank God.

In case you missed it - Today Show link

2008-03-05T13:25:00.004-06:00

In case you missed it, or want to see it again, here's the new link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23481435#23481435

You might want to have a kleenex on hand.

Wow

2008-03-05T09:14:00.004-06:00

I saw it! I know that it has yet to air in the mountain and pacific time zones, but wow! They did an awesome job with such difficult subject matter. I cried seeing baby Olivia again. Her family was so courageous to share their lives with the nation. Such amazing people. As with every family I serve, I am truly honored to have met their beautiful daughter.

They led the story with my work in the hospital with a normal newborn... that our business First Day PHOTO! I talk about in an earlier post, but you can see our site (and the beginnings of our new look) at www.firstdayphoto.com

Of course, there are links to Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep below too, but here it is again. www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org If you are a professional photographer, logon and join!

Nervous... and excited

2008-03-05T08:28:00.002-06:00

I am sitting here at the breakfast table with my kids eating waffles with jelly and yogurt on them (we're out of syrup!), and trying to ignore how nervous I am about seeing this piece. My sister and two best friends live in the eastern time zone, so they saw it already and called me in tears. They insisted that they we're the good kind of tears. : )

The Today Show

2008-03-04T20:28:00.003-06:00

It's finally going to air! Reporter Kerry Sanders was here in Minneapolis last October to film a story on Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep for NBC's Today Show. They followed me and a family expecting a baby with Trisomy 18 (the same condition our son Eli had). Unless the story is bumped by big news, it is scheduled to air in the 8:30 half-hour.

I am really excited and really nervous. It was hours and hours of tape that turned into a few minutes of story. I know that's their job, they do it every day. It was such a privielege to meet Kerry Sanders and Vicki Collins (the producer). They were such a pleasure to work with. The Cameraman and audio person were just fabulous, we hardly noticed they were there as we worked with baby Olivia after she was born.

I guess we'll all see how it goes...

Brad's work

2008-02-18T22:36:00.002-06:00

Brad is just returning from a week in the Dominican Republic, shooting for Mike Silva International. They have a cool photo gallery on their website, so you can see what Brad does when he travels www.mikesilva.org . According to their website, they had over 20,000 decisions for Christ during their festival! I can't imagine being able to witness, and document, that kind of ministry taking place. What an honor.

Most of the time he travels with Luis Palau www.palau.org and loves being a part of what they do. Many spouses find that their conversations end alright if they just say, "yes, dear..." In our house, it's "anything for LPA." He was with Luis at a festival 2 weeks before Sarah Joy was born and was in China with him 3 weeks before Tommy was born!

Truly, though, I love what he does with Palau and Silva and think it's really important work. So, though we all miss him when he travels, he's doing what he's supposed to be doing. Shouldn't we all strive for that?

Credit where credit is due

2008-02-18T22:24:00.004-06:00

Sometimes I get really frusturated by my husband not getting photo credit for the work he does when it gets published (he gets published quite a bit, and usually does get credit). Ok, my point here is this... I can't get frusturated when I am not giving credit myself. Ginger Murray took our family photo and endured the crazyness of that afternoon. I am so glad she knows us so well, or I don't know what in the world she would have thought! Seriously, if you'd been there, you'd wonder how in the world she got a picture at all. Thanks, Ging.

A photo of the day

2008-02-17T21:49:00.004-06:00

I take a lot of pictures of newborns - it's the bulk of what I do. And, believe it or not, it doesn't get boring. Sure, there are things I anticipate, but every baby and every family is different. There are some things that do get redundant: I take photos of every baby's hand and feet. Now don't get me wrong, NONE of them look the same and they are all beautiful. Today, though, I had two things happen that don't usually happen. First, I had to re-shoot. I was finished with the session and found that my hand shot was really oddly colored (the baby's dad was wearing a gold sweatshirt that was doing interesting things with the light). So, I had to get a new photo of that baby's hand. Second, I got really excited about a hand picture. So, with baby Lillianna's parents' permission, here it is!

Beautiful Brooklyn

2008-02-14T21:02:00.007-06:00

What is sweeter than a little girl and her daddy on Valentine's Day? Here is beautiful Brooklyn and her dad. I met Brooklyn and her mom and dad in the hospital when I took her newborn photos. I had the pleasure of seeing how she's grown when they invited me into their home to take some family photos while Grandma was in town. How I love watching families grow~ Keep an eye here for the slideshow... coming soon!

Family photo time

2008-02-11T19:14:00.002-06:00

Right now, Jacob is with Daddy at the Park at MOA (aka the Mall of America amusement park), riding rollercoasters to his heart's delight. Yes, the boy is tall enough for the BIG rollercoasters - but must be accompanied by an adult : ) He is reaping the benefits of a bribe. To wit: we've been trying to get a family portrait for a year, no exageration. . So, Daddy told him if he cooperated (he HATES having his picture taken, as referenced below), that he'd take him to do rollercoasters. As life with kids would have it, he cooperated pretty well, but little Sarah was having a tough day. Cutting three teeth at once would make anyone cranky. So, we didn't get much but here they are! As I look at them, I realize that this is what a family portrait is all about. It isn't a posed event, it's life. Memory making is not about how good we can look, smiling and sitting still. Memory making, and lifstyle portraiture, is about the moment. It's a glimpse into life. So, in my life today I have a beautiful teething daughter with a pacifer in her mouth and two rambunctious boys and their wonderful dad. What a blessing. I am humbled by God's grace; ever sufficient, ever abundant, ever amazing.

Snow Day

2008-02-05T10:13:00.000-06:00

It's finally warm enough AND snowy enough to have more than 5 minutes of fun outside. This photo is a huge victory for me, because Jacob (our 4 year old) does NOT like to have his picture taken. Yay Jacob!

Sarah is 15 months old!

2008-01-30T21:28:00.000-06:00

Time truly flies. Last week, our little Sarah Joy turned 15 months old! I took this photo of her in December on her Daddy's birthday. She's growing up so fast, getting so tall and saying a bunch of words. Her laugh is contagious, she loves to play with her brothers and we adore her.

What you can't see under the fuzzy sweater she was playing peek-a-boo with, is that she has a head full of soft ringlets. She must have gotten them from her Grandpa Bob (my dad).

What also occurs to me is that this is the longest stretch of time since 2001 that I have not been pregnant. I was pregnant for the first time in December of 2001. Eli was born on his due date in September of 2002. Six months later we found out we were expecting Jacob. When Jacob was 11 months old, we found out we were expecing Thomas. When Thomas was 7 months old, we found out Sarah Joy was on her way. Now, Sarah is 15 months old and we have no announcements to make to that end. A few months ago, I realized that the famed "mommy-brain" had all but dissapeared. I can think again! And, I think I adore my kids!

Ok, off to do taxes.

Gunnar's photo shoot

2008-01-30T21:11:00.004-06:00

This morning, I took a great drive up to Albertville, MN to photograph little Gunnar. One of the photographers who worked for me at First Day PHOTO!, Ginger Murray (read her blog about working with us! http://gingermurrayphotography.blogspot.com/2008/01/where-my-professional-journey-began.html), took Gunnar's newborn photos almost 7 months ago. They were beautiful, and I was so looking forward to seeing how this little guy had grown. We had such a fun shoot... what a happy baby with an amazing mom. Photos and a slideshow to come~

A busy week - Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

2008-01-23T21:10:00.001-06:00

Ok, so I haven't really gotten used to blogging yet. I've been so busy these last few days that I've collapsed into be around midnight and don't even remember falling asleep! I had to reschedule a 6 month session for a First Day PHOTO! "graduate," this morning because my kids are sick and I didn't want to get the little boy I was supposed to photograph sick. Oh well, I am looking forward to doing it next Wednesday. Check back for his slideshow!

Today I photographed a little boy on his way to Heaven. I have the privelege of volunteering for a great organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.com/ It's a 501(c)3 orgnization (that means non-profit) set up to provide volunteer professional photographers for babies who will not leave the hospital. I am one of about 40 members in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area - but it's an international organization. In the last 8 days, I've met three of these little angels and their parents and families. I don't usually do so many in one week, we all share the burden, but two of the three families I had relationships with so I was their photographer. On Sunday, I met Baby Maddy, who went to Heaven before her mommy and daddy got to hold her in their arms. I met them as their Childbirth Educator and then got to meet Maddy as her photographer. Maddy had Trisomy 18, just like our first little boy, Eli. (You can read Eli's story at http://www.prenatalpartnersforlife.com/Stories/StoriesTrisomy18-Eli.htm )

I am so humbled that these families invite me into their lives. There are so few people that get to meet their little ones, and to be one of them is a gift. The gift we give, then, is a tangible memory. We offer a photograph of something that would otherwise only be in their minds. Look for me in a piece on NILMDTS on NBC's Today Show sometime soon, probably Feb. '08.

What I do all day - First Day PHOTO!

2008-01-16T23:05:00.000-06:00

I have got to start going to bed earlier! I've been training new photographers for the last several weeks, and have had 2 days off since December 10. I am TIRED. I have the greatest job, though. Brad and I get to work and be with our kids alternately. He's with them when I am at work, and vice versa. Today, we really did just trade. I was at the hospital from 8am-4:30pm, and got home just in time for him to leave to shoot a couple Bethel University basketball games. We love it, though.

In 2003, Brad started our company, First Day PHOTO! www.firstdayphoto.com in a response to a request from a local hospital to provide newborn photography that was better than what they had (the other company just bought everyone except us, so they are in most U.S. hospitals). What he discovered was that he was able to do SO much more than that. With my knowledge about how the birth centers work and what is important to them and his business and photography expertise, he created a distinctive in-hospital portrait service for newborns that is unmatched in quality and service. The service to the family is fantastic because they are provided beautiful portrait-quality images in their hospital room. For the hospital, the advantages are so many.

So, where do I come in? Brad got so busy with his ministry work and sports work that I offered to help with First Day PHOTO!. That was almost three years ago (and two babies ago!) and I've been doing it ever since. I gently took over all the operations and now I do it full time, and parent full time. Our kiddos are 4 years old, 2 1/2 years old and 1 year old. So, with a growing family and a growing business we are both busy, but we couldn't be happier.

A quiet house

2008-01-13T22:09:00.000-06:00

My house is quiet, except for the hummmmm of my refrigerator and the clicking of my keyboard. Brad went to sleep a few minutes after the kids did and here I sit. I can't describe how rare this is in our household. I am simply never the last one up, so I really don't know what to do with the silence. At least at first. Then I start to compose my thoughts and dwell on my to-do list. I am bit overwhelmed by what I have to accomplish by the end of January, in addition to my already full schedule.

Last September, I completed all my training to be a Certified Childbirth Educator. Upon completion of the course, I was given several months to complete some required reading and submit comments (translation: book reports!). I have finished two of the three books and started reading the third one while I was working out tonight. It really slowed down my mile! The book I just finished, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin, is far and away the best book I've ever read on the topic. And, truly, I've read many.

Childbirth and family education is one of my passions. I've been teaching expectant families at Abbott Northwestern Hospital http://www.abbotnorthwestern.com/ for almost 2 years now and I love it. At first, it was a way for me to keep my head near maternal-fetal medicine (I had prepared to go to medical school before having so many children so quickly). Now, I just do it because it is fulfilling and I feel a sense of mission about it.

I do all the management for our company, First Day PHOTO! http://www.firstdayphoto.com/ and that means I have to get employees' tax forms in the mail. I've also got a filing deadline approaching with the IRS. I think I'd rather stick with the book reports.

So, here in the silence, I get a little overwhelmed and then pause. This was a great day. We got to go to church as a family for the second week in a row (yay!), we spent some unhurried time together, I worked while the kids were napping and now I remember what is important. My God is in control, I just have to rely on His strength and pay attention. Everything else is just details.

I think I'll leave you with a quote from Jacob, our four year old. This afternoon, as I was walking out the door for work, he said, "mom, the house would look beautiful if we cleaned all the rooms at the same time." Kissing him on the forehead, I said, "yes honey, it would."

There's always tomorrow.

My husband rocks!

2008-01-10T22:04:00.000-06:00

An interesting way to start a blog, I know. As I type, he is upstairs making me chicken soup and a peanut butter sandwich. Healthy, I know. I'm recovering from a stomach bug (two of the kids have it, too) and I haven't had much to eat in the last day so comfort food it is. Because we are both photographers and run our businesses both together and seperately, he has the kids in the morning when I go to work for a few hours. Thankfully, I had a really light day today and he let me sleep in and took care of the kids most of the day. They adore their dad and so do I!