Pumpkin Patch & a lil' Pumpkin {My LIfe}

This past weekend we took our girls to the pumpkin patch to pick out their Halloween pumpkins. It was a great day & fun adventure. Although, we still haven't done anything with the pumpkins, hopefully before Saturday evening we'll have them either carved or painted.

...Miss A posing for the camera, she wasn't feeling 100%...

...Gracie girl hanging out in the dirt, happy as can be....

And our newest little pumpkin, arriving in mid-March, will be a little boy.

...waving to the world out here ♥...

Enjoy a safe Halloween. We're having the girls' favorite cousin over for a Halloween feast. We'll be having some Pumpkin Pockets, Mummys, Black Widow Dip, Strawberry Ghosts & Blood Thirsty punch before heading out to do some trick-or-treating, the first for both kiddos. I'm not sure who's joining us, but we'll be in the company of Cinderella & one of her mice, and a big ol' pumpkin. It's possible that Fred Flintstone or a Farmer will join.

Family of Four {Family Session}

This morning I got to photograph a good friend & her family. The boys are adorable & things went pretty smoothly. We had to shoot in between bicycles & walkers, little did we know, that where we were scheduled to shoot was the cross country bike race course for the day.

...the whole family...

...they brought their wagon, & I'm so glad, I ♥ this...

...enjoying the fall leaves...

...♥...

...the littlest man was VERY busy...

...and the little man, was a very good smiler today...

Thank you for a wonderful morning. The rest of your proofs will be up by the end of the week.

Miss Jamie , YHS 2010 {Senior}

Miss Jamie & I had a 2nd session yesterday afternoon. We went to a couple different places. My lil' ones were with us for the 1st half, so we hung out around her house & visited the pastures & fences that were around. Then headed for a local park that has some nice fall colors blooming.

...is she whole or in a hole?!?!...

...the 2nd image here is a 'reinactment' of an image I took of Jamie when she was about 10...

We had lots of fun & looking forward to our last session, a little more 'city' since today was all about 'country'.

A Mouth Full, Some Jam, & A Sunset {My Life}

Oh how time is flying by these days. Seems like we're super busy, still getting things in order from our move (that's a never ending process), hopefully this weekend we can get it together.

Miss Grace is now 8 months & she officially has 1 tooth for every month, a full mouth! She's also started standing up on her own, without the assistance of toys/furniture/people. Still speed crawling & will walk with assistance of the walker toys. OH BOY are we in trouble soon!
Her personality is so different than her sister, yet similar. She has an assortment of faces & 'pretend' crys & pouts. She babbles a few things, 'dada, nnnnana, maaammaaaaaa' & we're working on a few signs, which she only does in desperation if we're not paying attention to her.

...posing for the camera at breakfast...

Anna is quite the big helper. She enjoys being the little mommy & bossing EVERYONE around. When she's not bossing, she's asking 1,000,000,000,000 questions, which are usually, "What? Why? How Come?", over & over & over. She must do everything, "ALL BY MYSELF".

When she's not asking questions, she's serenading us with songs with half the lyrics her own creation, in varying tones, from loud shrilly, to quiet & somewhat pleasant. Her favorite, is "Twinkle, Twinkle" mixed with a little "Calliou" (a show from Sprout), throw in a little "ABC".

When she's not singing, she's correcting everything we say. Daddy drives a 'pickup, not a truck', and the morning he took my car to work, someone might as well have ended her day. We are to call Grace, baby Grace, not anything else. And she is sure to let us know if we use the wrong nickname for her that her name is Anna Bugs.

...a proud helper, with some of our Jam...

Our neighbors brought us some peaches & I thought we would make some jam, my favorite kind. Little did I know just how many peaches we had. It was a small box & the fruit were only about the size of apricots...we ended up making 4 batches, 16 pints. It was my first experience making jam & enjoyed it. It reminded me of my Granny, she used to can everything. We'll be experimenting with some other flavors in the coming months, Candy Apple Jelly, is next on the list. Our goal for Christmas giving this year is to do all homemade gifts for everyone except the little children.

...so pretty, & super delicious...

Next on the project list was Halloween costumes & treat bags. I've gotten Anna's costume completed, she's going as Cinderella, or as she calls her "Cinderelly, Nite & Day". Grace will be going as one of the little girl mice from the movie as well. I finished up the treat bags yesterday also. Simple little project, 2 pieces of felt, cut into 9" squares, a 5x5 piece of orange fabric for the pumpkin, a sliver of green for the stem, & some ribbon.

...cut out the pumpkins, zig-zag stitch them on, add some ribbon, sew the felt pieces together, add some ribbon handles & the perfect little size treat bag for little ones...

We still LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our new home & our view. This weekend will be our first adventure feeding the mules, we got our instructions the other day, & Anna was thrilled. She even got to give them some apple treats. Grace thinks they are funny, we visit them at the fence & she just giggles & laughs. Daddy better decide he likes the 4 legged creatures (he doesn't think we need horses), because his girls are in LOVE with them!

...a "Mountian Shasta" sunset from the weekend...

Enjoy a great weekend.

Some Fun & lots of Laughs {Family Session}

My second session on Saturday was with a fun family. We had lots of laughs & little adventures. We visited a cute little 'forgotten' park, and it was beautiful out.

...we visited a couple different spots at the park, this was the first...

...everyone getting down to the little guy's level...

...so sweet...

...you'd never guess that there was some jumping over creeks & crawling through bushes to get this shot, and that the creek is running right below them...

Thank you for a great session & lots of laughs. The rest of your proofs will be ready by the end of the week.

Generations {Family Session}

It was a busy weekend around here. The weather ended up being really nice, considering the forcasters were calling for rain, rain, & rain.

My first session Saturday morning was for my brother-in-laws family. We originally scheduled for a different location, we opted for closer to home, because of the forecast, just in case. The fall colors are out & getting more beautiful by the day.

...Mommy's little girl is growing up & so beautiful...

...the whole family...

...just the kids...

...cousins...

...we managed to keep the stray dog that started following us out of the photo...

...my sister & brother-in-law...

...wild & crazy boy...

I will get your proofs up for you to view this week. Thanks for a great time!

A new view, A mover & A Sleeper {My Life}

We're all moved in, not unpacked, but moved in. Slowly but surely we are getting unpacked and organized. Moving is so tiring, but it was a move well worth it. We love our new home & especially love our view.

...the sunrise on our first morning at the new house...

...what I saw the morning of the 14th...

...the 15th...

...and this morning...

Our kids have adjusted well to the new place & we're pretty sure they LOVE it here. There is lots of room to play & they both have their own room. We're working on some new routines & habits, and hopefully in 2 weeks we'll be solid on them.
Miss Grace thinks that pouting is the answer to getting what she wants and has the most determination. Doesn't matter what's in her way, she's going to get to whatever it is she wants.

...the littlest miss & her pouty face...

When she's not pouting or trying to get into 1000000 things she shouldn't or eating leaves, grass & anything else she happens to find that we've missed; she's moving. Crawling or rather speed crawling, & learning to walk....

...on the go...

Anna's quite the helper these days. She's also quite the little mother & tries to discipline her sister. She likes doing everything "By Myself". She's VERY independant which has it's advantages. The attitude queen at our house. She also thinks that if I have my camera out it is for her to get her photo made and poses on her own.

...Hi MOM!...

The biggest wee-one has helped pack, move & unpack. Needless to say that the last week has been a whirlwind for everyone.

...moving is even tiresome for the wee-ones...

We're ready for some normalacy to set back in and get things back in order.

Balloon Fair {My LIfe}

The weekend of September 26th was the annual balloon fair. This year the weather was better than I remember it being for a long time, except for the smoke that had settled in from a fire up in Oregon.

...launching...

As always we got up early & headed out to watch them launch. This year was especially fun for a couple of reasons, Anna is talking like crazy & loves "Hot Boons" and we actually lived close enough to not have to get up at 5am.

...watching intently...

...not really interested in the balloons, it was a bit early for the little Fuzz Head...

...beautiful sunrise lighting, a proud big sister, a little sleepy head, & my love...

...smoke on the horizon...

...kissing balloons...

...Anna, her favorite cousin, auntie, & friend B enjoying the morning...

As a challenge to myself I only took 1 lens with me, so these were all taken with the 50mm.
After watching the balloons for about an hour and a half, we headed back to our house & I made breakfast (biscuits & gravy, bacon, sausage, eggs, fruit & fresh whipped cream) for our family before going to the Farmers Market & parade.