Stevie {6 months}

The sun was working overtime to warm the chilly winter day as I drove over the hills and through the woods to this charming little boy's home. Little Stevie celebrated his 6 month of life in this world and I was honored with the chance to document his chubby cheeks, adorable smile, and soft fuzzy hair. Stevie's latest skill was mastering the well balanced sitting position, so we put that to good use and got some adorable pictures! :) Doesn't he have the most squeezable cheeks ever?!

Jude {9.9.09}

Through a twist of events, I was attending her 15th birthday party even though we'd merely briefly met a few days prior. When she opened her gifts to reveal the newest craze in perfume, "Tommy Girl" and a bunch of cute clothes, I knew we were going to be great friends! Yes, I do judge a girl's personality by her clothes and the perfume she wears! Don't laugh, you do it too! Elizabeth and I did hit it off that day, despite the fact that I crashed her birthday party. We have now traveled many miles of our life roads together, and each milestone that comes has been hidden in my heart's keepsake box of memories. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding in 2003; then her wedding 2 years ago was one of the most original and beautiful weddings I've been to... not a detail overlooked! This September, Liz and her husband Andrew welcomed what is probably one of the biggest milestones in life can bring... a BABY! Jude Martin was a few days late, but only because he chose to make his appearance on one of the coolest dates around these days... 9.9.9!

When little Jude was 3 weeks old I spent some time with him and his beautiful mommy... what a sweet thing it is to hang out with such a tiny person! It was so special for me to watch my friend, no longer the cute 15 year old but now a beautiful mother, whisper sweet things in her small son's ear, hush his little cries, and look at him as only a mother could!

Li'l Jude did a fantastic job modeling for these pictures - I hope you enjoy them, because he worked it hard! :)





















ln~

Girlie Vacation & Conrad

I'm packing my scrapbooking stash, my laptop full of photos waiting to be processed, tanning oil, and snack foods... I am going out of town on a girlie vacation!!!

Some of my girlfriends from church planned a little mini vacation (we are renting a beautiful and quiet[!] house in Tahoe) and invited me to join them. Scott, being the most amazing husband in the world, was the first to say yes and calm my worries about leaving ALL 3 kids[!] with him for two and a half days! Can you tell by all the asterisks that I am hopping up and down inside with glee?! :) Two whole days of adult, girlie conversations sounds amazing to me.

I thought I'd leave you with something to bring a smile to your face today, to match the grin on mine. When I was in Tennessee a few weeks ago, I was introduced to this little munchkin, the son of an old friend of mine. Conrad is 9 months here... he and William are only 6 days apart. It was so hilarious to watch this little guy chomp that banana like it was going out of style! Isn't he just the sweetest thing?! :)





~len

Autumn Happenings

My little man turned 4 months old on Sunday! We spent the previous 3 days immersed in doing student/family portraits for my husband's martial arts school, New Man's Karate, so we jumped in a few times to get these images.

Life with three kids has been a change, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. William has been the easiest baby - yet again defying his father's precedent! Scott's mother says he cried from the day he was born 'til the day he went to Kindergarten, some due to colic as a baby. I breath a sigh of relief and gratefulness whenever I remember her words, that my three have been such angels by comparison!

Autumn 2008 has been a lovely time for us, and the weather has been absolutely scrumptious. The blessings that the Lord has given me in so many ways never ceases to astound me. A healthy, happy, loving little (and extended) family is not to be taken lightly. Scott and I are now at 5.5 years and are as happy as ever, if not more. A business that continues to provide our needs is also a blessing in this current economy. I continue to be reminded of that verse that speaks of how if the Lord even cares for the sparrows, how much more we are! Not one hair on our heads can be harmed without the Lord knowing and caring. It makes my outlook on the economy less stressful and filled with peace, knowing that we are loved so much.

I have a bunch of photos backing up that I've been meaning to post on here... I'll try to catch up in the next few days, so be sure to check back soon! :)

William's Labor Story

A few friends have asked for the details of William's arrival, so if you are not interested in such things, be forewarned!!


The small contractions that rolled through irregularly on and off all day Tuesday made me guess that our little man would be making his debut fairly soon.

Scott stayed home from work to help out and spend some time with the girls and I, and in the evening we went to Home Depot so he could get a few things for the house remodel. The thought of standing still while he picked out his items was too much for me as the contractions were getting more distracting and uncomfortable, so I spent the hour or more we were there walking around looking at everything from sinks and kitchen layouts to plants and flowers... pausing every 10 minutes or so for a contraction. It was a great way to distract myself, get an hour long walk, and help kick things in gear. I suppose starting things off at Home Depot was a perfectly rational thing to do since this was all for a boy! :)

After getting home and putting the girls to bed, we stayed up and watched a movie until midnight, which helped keep my mind off my belly some more... and then went to bed. Notice I did not choose the word 'sleep', as that would have been impossible! :) After an hour or so, I couldn't lie still any longer, so I rocked in the rocking chair and hummed songs during the contractions (which, btw, were still around 10 min. apart, and short... though they were getting harder).

By 3 am Scott noticed a change in the pattern of things and started loading the car with our bags... while I kept protesting that the contractions weren't strong enough or long enough to be serious yet. Around 3:50 am all of a sudden I was feeling the need to hurry up and get over to the cabin, so Scott called the midwives, who live an hour away, and we got the girls in the car and headed over to my parent's guest house, where we had already planned to have the baby (both of my other babies have been born there as well).

We arrived around 4:15 and straightway I got into the inflatable pool. It was such a welcome feeling, to be enveloped in warm water, and cushioned by air... no pressure points anywhere! The contractions started picking up steam and when the midwives arrived at 5 am, they were intense, but still short. I thought I had a long ways to go, since the longest contraction was only 45 seconds (with my other 2 births they were 60-90 seconds) but Marlene, one of the midwives checked and said he was ready to come out! I pushed 6 times, with 2 contractions, and William was born at 5:21! I was so amazed that he was out and it was over and done with, that I just cried and cried. I'm such an emotional sap... crying that labor was over and my baby was here so fast!

Here is William, minutes old, still in the birthing pool...



William, about 20 minutes old...


So there you have it! No drugs, no intervention, no tears, cuts, or stitches, no white walls and metal beds... though those most certainly have their time and place. I am so grateful to the Lord for such a stress free birth, and most of all, a healthy baby boy. William was born at 7 pounds, 10 ounces, and 20.75 inches.

~len