Evangeline

She giggled and said, "I want you to take my picture with silly faces!"... and who was I to refuse? Both my girlies are becoming quite used to a big black thing crowding their vision, and love to ask to see the image preview on the back of the camera when I've taken their mug shot! I know I'm biased, but I do think that God gave this little Pixie Princess a seriously beautiful face to shine for Him! There is a reason that their Daddy is a Martial Arts instructor! :)

~len

Mother's Day Special

As I observe my tummy expand yet more and more with each passing day, I am made poignantly aware of Mother's Day this year. We all have a Mommy who loved us enough to endure nine months of blimp-like state, not to mention conquering D-Day. After all that, they still loved us enough to take care of our helpless little infant state, changing diaper after diaper and losing countless hours of sleep... sacrificing all just for us.

For someone who has given so much, a day dedicated in their honor is worth the notice. I am grateful to my own amazing mother, who not only birthed and raised me, but more importantly loves me. More astounding is that she has repeated the process successfully a whole NINE times! :)

In honor of Mothers everywhere, I am offering 25% off on all portrait sessions from now until April 15th (session must take place by then, so that we have time to process and deliver the portraits before Mother's Day). If you would like to give your mother something special that will last, e-mail me at: LNphotography @ juno.com (no spaces between the words) for more information and to set up your session!

~len

The Belly Bump

Okay, since I've been asked by so many friends to share some belly shots, I am finally getting around to posting some... I had these grandiose plans of taking one shot a week, same position, same background, to make a very cool collage type thing in the end. What was I thinking? I'm so not that disciplined (unfortunately). I have week 10, 12, 20, and 24, and only the first two are the same background/position. Yes, I know. I'm greatly inept at keeping myself accountable. Oh well, maybe next time (haha)... when I have a remote for my camera instead of the two options now: either wait for the 10 second delay (over and over to get the belly framed and in focus) or the ghetto option of standing in front of a mirror for an image with the camera as a nice decoration. (Look! I'm taking a picture! With a camera!)

With no further ado, here is our little man firmly ensconced in this bulging bump!

Week 20

Week 24 (current status)

~len

Back from the world's best Bed & Breakfast!

Elizabeth, Evangeline, and Rehn (ages 3, 2, 1) had a blast these past few days... getting to spend so much time together really bonded the cousins together. I was surprised at how well they got along, playing for hours on end with all of Rehn's toys; he is a very generous little guy, I don't think I saw any jealous "mine" streaks of attitude in him the whole time! Grandma Helen came up the hill for a few hours one morning to help break up the time for Rehn. She read to the kiddos, as Scott kept busy building "castles" (according to Elizabeth) while the girls watched over the process and kept Rehn at bay until it was ready and then they'd beckon him to come knock it over. They all squealed with giggles at the crash!

In the late afternoons before dinner, when the energy emitting from their little bodies was reaching dangerous levels, I'd turn on Rehn's favorite baby programs and all three would become so silent you could hear a pin drop. Rehn liked to back into Evangeline to watch; at first she complained that he was "squishing" her, but when I explained that snuggling was nice, and it wasn't considered squishing, she accepted that and put her arms around him for the rest of the 5 minute program. I caught it on my camera - no prompting or "modeling" involved! :)

The time away was a sweet little break from routine, but it's nice to be home tonight in our own beds... and I'm sure Edde & Robin agree! (Thanks guys, for trusting us with Rehn's longest time away from you yet! :) )



~len

Laura: Senior 2008

The warm spring afternoon shone with joy this past Friday as I met up with Laura V and her girlfriend who came to be my assistant, and moral support for Laura. I finally got to do a session in a location I've been wanting to shoot for quite awhile now since Laura wanted an urban feel to her senior photos; with her beautiful looks, great flair for style, not to mention the perfect lighting, we ended up spending twice the amount of time we'd planned! It was all worth it though, as most of my favorite images from the entire session came from the last 20 minutes! I love it when everything dances together so smoothly and comes out better than I'd dare hope for. It's like eating off a silver spoon in moments like these, and getting to share it with someone else!

~len

Bryson: Graduation Card

Last Fall I had the opportunity to take Bryson's senior photos. They wanted to get them done early to prevent stress this Spring, due to a major surgery Bryson had in January. Bryson's quiet, patient and joyful spirit just radiates everytime I see him at church. His choice to remain cheerful despite his physical discomfort has blessed many more than just me. I felt so honored that they asked me to document this important place in his life!



Bryson also chose to have a graduation announcement designed with his photos for a fun, modern take on the traditional card! Here is the final proof (front and back) he chose to go with.

~len

It is Sunny and I'm loving it!

The warm, bright sunshine filters through the window as I sit here in a comfy chair. Three toddlers are playing around the room on the myriad of toys they pulled from the bedroom, for the most part playing happily! I'm at my brother and sister in laws' home, house sitting/dogsittin/babysitting with the Girlies and their cousin Rehn. We are going to be splitting time between households for the next few days while Edde & Robin are at a pastor's retreat up in the mountains. While it does put life on hold in a way, it is a nice forced relaxation from regular household duties and other things that call out for attention when at home. Robin's homemaking and decorating skills are magazine worthy, and their home would definately rate 5 stars as a B&B, so the extra effort to care for a energetic dog and a toddler boy is worth it! :) I thought I'd be internet deprived, as they've switched to a laptop only household, but Edde was kind enough to set up my personal laptop to his network before they left. Hence the time to blog, FINALLY! :)

March has been a full month for us... I should take a photo of our calendar as proof - almost every single day has chicken scratch marking something important. Although we've been busy, I've actually felt almost "on top" of things lately - for a change! It probably has much to do with the gorgeous weather we've had almost the whole month. Every few days a little spring shower has blown through, but the sunshine and warm days have been plentiful, affording many days outside in the yard, gardening, and sunny walks down to the creek and strolls on Main Street.

Our little son is growing, and kicking more, but for the most part he is behaving quite perfectly, as we reach the 24 week mark today. Seriously, ever since I re-entered the world back at week 16 (almost 4 months), things have been a dream preggo-wise. I feel so spoiled when other moms tell tales of 9 whole months of horridness, some much worse than my own experience with "morning sickness". Pretty much makes me feel like a big baby for wailing about those 4 months, but it was sure awful for me on my own little scale of 1 - 10 (and my family - they exhisted on pizza and pbj's amidst a den of disaster). Speaking of all things maternity, I have to say that I LOVE my midwives! My previous midwife is no longer delivering home births (she's now onto other training...), so after many long hours of searching the internet and asking around for referrals, I found my dream team... Marlene and Kaleem (hah, it all ryhms!). I am so comfortable with them, and finally I feel completely trusted and encouraged to make our own personal decisions regarding our baby. They are very helpful to educate and cover all aspects of the different options (tests, blood tests, yadayada), but leave the decision to us - and I don't feel pressured or "judged" for what we choose! I understand this may not be the choice for every girl out there, but it fits perfectly for us! Having so much background in home birth (my mom birthed 7 of 9 children successfully at home, I attended 4 of them for part or the whole experience, as well as both of my girls at home and in the water), I appreciate that they recognize that, and don't discount my knowlege... like most medical profesionals are apt to do. I've enjoyed this pregnancy so much more than my previous two... not that I hated those, but you know. Honestly, I think it has much to do with three key things - a 3 year break between Evangeline and our little guy (anticipation rather than surprise!), my wonderful and encouraging midwifes, and my sister in law Robin's divine example of enjoying everything mommyhood has to bring. The anticipation and contentment she displayed when preggo with Rehn was so convicting to me... the girl who bemoaned the loss of energy, shape, fitness, and all the other woes that accompany the life changing 9 months it takes to bake a baby. This time I've made an effort to focus more on the positives and try to remember her joy. It has helped tide me over in the moments of stepping on the scale, bending over to pick up something, the endless backaches, etc.

Well, I need to get moving... time to go cook dinner (easy-peasy, Robin set us up with pizza!)

When I get another moment, I hope to post some photos from a fun senior photo session this past weekend! I haven't even gotten the images off the camera yet, but with all this time (!) it should be soon!

~len

Trevor & Della: Wedding Images

To view all of Trevor & Della's Wedding images, click here

hint: the password starts with a 'C' :)