Beautiful Girls{Childrens Portraits}

It doesn't seem possible that I've been photographing these little beauties for more than 3 years!

They are growing up & were such great little models. Beautiful!

They were such fun too; there were no tears or fits, everyone cooperated & we laughed a lot. It was such a joy to photograph them again.

We were going to get a new family portrait in as well, but dad came up sick, so we just did a few with their pretty momma.

Thank you for a great session! Can't wait to show you the rest of your images.

It's a Give-a-way!! {Promo}

What type of session would you like to schedule with Amanda Pratt Photography??

Comment on this post for a chance to win it. Become a fan on Facebook & comment on that post as well for an additional entry.

1 lucky winner will receive a Portrait Session! Some travel restrictions apply.

Entries will be accepted until midnight, PST, June 10th, 2010. I will then pick a random winner from all the entries.

Good Luck!!!!

Officially on Facebook {Promo}

Amanda Pratt Photography officially has it's own fan page on Facebook.

Check it out! "Like" us! There will be a promo & give-a-way early next week. Also some special offers...lots of goodness. Until then have a great & blessed weekend.

Congrats Class of 2010!

I'm still here... {My Life}

Yes I'm still here...just a bit busy with life. I've had blogging on my to-do list for several days, I just got to some photos & such to post though.

...just a typcial morning at our house, the girls want to hold Brody, but then get occupied doing other things, like getting "Sleeps out" & 'toe jams"

Although busy, there's not much new to post about.

Anna talks ALOT about EVERYTHING to ANYONE who will listen, Grace is our little Bully beating up her brother & big sister & Brody is growing & getting stronger everyday.

...thinking, & actually not talking for a moment...

...getting some loves from Daddy after throwing a toy into the toy box, only to have it bounce back at her, splitting her face open. The same day she deceided to throw a piece of plastic tubing at Brody which left a similar wound to his opposite cheek...

...our little big guy, he's growing so fast, 2 months already...

Now it's time to get ready for another weekend, they come & go so quickly. Housecleaning, laundry, errands....same drill different week.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

A quiet week {My Life}

Whew! It seems like the last 7 weeks have been packed with lots of going. Going to doctors appointments, car appointments, life appointments, & a little fun thrown in as well. I'm really glad that we actually have NO appointments or must dos on the calendar this week.

It's been very enjoyable to just hang out with the kiddos, enjoy the sunshine streaming through the house, getting a few things done. I'm getting the new specials lined out, the newsletter organized, some scrapping, scheduling & planning in order (see the side bar for the Child Baby Contest special & a Senior portrait special)

Well we had nothing on the calendar, but both girls have had a cold & finally over the weekend it turned...so we did make a visit to the doctors office, got some antibiotics & now they are on the mend.

This trip however, was nothing like the adventure that little Brody took us on a week or so ago. He'd been visiting the doctor weekly for weight gain, then got a cold, so was asked to come back in 2 days, which ended up being a 3 night stay at UC Davis, where he was poked, poked some more, & finally sent home.

Orginally they were concerned with some of his chemistrys, but all the tests they ran came back negative & we ended up being discharged with a diagnosis: virus. We are so thankful & very greatful for all the friends & family we've got, & for all those who prayed, sent good thoughts, & best wishes for our little boy. Being at the childrens hospital was heartbreaking. An accumulation of our own worries, missing our girls, but even more than that, seeing all the other children there who had even bigger issues. It's hard to even put it into words the feelings that we left with.

In an attempt to become healthier & lower my chances of diabetes (I had gestational with all 3 babies) I'm determined to lose weight. My current goal is -65 lbs by December 15th, which equates to about 2lbs lost per week. I am also going to start the C2-5k program, once I figure out how to take all 3 kiddos without having to pack 1 or wait for another. So until I get that worked out we are walking, Anna can keep up on her bike & the little kidlets get to ride in the stroller, 1.2 miles is about all the little legs can take right now, and even that is a stretch.

As part of this journey I'm participating in an online challenge with some other wonderful ladies & every Sunday we post photos & our current weight. My sweet hubby gets the chore of taking photos for me. Although I don't think he considers it a chore, as he enjoys some photography as well...I have him to thank for this new portrait of me, which I happen to love right now, but I'm sure as things change, I will decide I don't really like it much. :)

Off to enjoy some quiet time & accomplish a little organization while the little babies sleep. I'll be back Friday with another post & the newsletter will be coming out then as well.

Have a great Cinco de Mayo!!! We'll be enjoying the evening at home with something new from the kitchen: chicken empanadas, mango & avacado salad, with some baked tortillas & salsa. YUM!

It's A week {My Life}

We're starting a little 'pre-school' work with Anna & this week is A Week.

Monday, Wednesday & Friday we will have school time, & Thursdays we will do Project time. I haven't got all the kinks or details worked out yet, but I was needing some sort of structure to our day & that is one thing on the want to accomplish list.
Even our dinner on those days are planned to have something with "A" in them. Monday night was Alfredo, Asparagus & Apricots... we've had apples, learned about ants & practiced writing both uppercase & lowercase "A", & even choosen our movie of the day to be Aladdin, because of the A.

Grace thinks that she has now outgrown her highchair, and found something new to climb...ugh...Occasionally I'll give in to her new found love of sitting in a big chair at the big table, but only if we're eating something not too disasterously messy. Like this breakfast...it wasn't too messy & she actually ate more than landed on the floor for once.

Grace has also decided that anytime the camera comes out, it's to take a photo of her & she instantly goes into "cheese" mode...

It seems like we've been on the go almost everyday this week...so it's only fitting that Brody's 1st photo is in his carseat, looking ever so intently...only moments before I grabbed my camera he was smiling at me...
Beyond our 1st week of structure...it seems to be the week that everything goes wonky. Waking up to snow in mid-April is unacceptable, especially after a weekend of warm sunshine. But we will trudge on & look forward to a hopfully accurate forecast of sunshine & warmer weather for the next few days.

Mr Brody, resting, his favorite thing to do this week. But I suppose it's a good thing, sleeping off the germs his sisters shared with him. :(

Off to get some much needed rest....we have a few more busy days this week & then it's a visiting type of weekend. My little brother will be coming home from college & he's bringing his girlfriend. It should be fantastic. Maybe I can sneak in a few new portraits....

Happy Easter {My Life}

I'm sneaking in a few moments while the baby is sleeping, the middle is content, & the eldest is coloring to post a couple new photos of the aformentioned wee-ones.

We had a nice Easter, although would have prefered todays weather as opposed to the wind, rain & snow we had yesterday.

Saturday evening we dyed our eggs. Anna loved seeing the colors, Grace only wanted to eat the colors (and pour the cups out onto the floor/table), Brody slept (seems to be a recurring theme with that boy!).

We started our Easter morning with something out of the ordinary...Ham & Cheese Omlette, Orange Sweet rolls, strawberries with fresh whipped cream & bacon...it was very yummy. After breakfast we went started the bathing & dressing & hairdos, trying to leave home before noon... Brody had his first bath, which he slept through & the girls gave the floor in their bathroom a bath.

Then it was time to attempt an Easter day portrait with a ready for a nap temper-tantrum, a hungry boy, & their bossy-est sister...it wasn't very successful, but at least it's documented.

We spent the glorious day over at my cousins, with a mixture of family & friends & had a great time.

& now it's Monday...definately a Monday. I've got a house that looks like a tornado visited & lots of chores to accomplish, so that we can have a late Easter dinner with my sister & her family before they move this week. :`(

..so I'm off to start by putting the middle down for her nap & take advantage of one less pair of 'helping' hands.

Hope you all enjoy the week. & maybe I'll be back with more photos & possibly a recipe or two this week.

Baby Boy {Newborn}

Life is great, we are adjusting, slowly, but we are adjusting. It's going a lot easier than I had anticipated, thank goodness!
I took a few moments this past weekend to capture the Little Mr's newborn portraits...here is a sneak peak at one of my favorites. Hopefully at some point this week I'll also be able to get our family Easter/spring portraits done as well.

A little sleepy baby...so sweet!

He's Here {My Life}

He's here!!! & we're finally home.

Brody James was born at 8:06am on March 16th.

He weighed in at 8lbs 11oz & is 20.5 inches long.

He's absolutely wonderful. He hardly cries *except for at night, when we'd like to be resting*, eats well, & loves to snuggle. & did I mention that he's incredibly adorable.

Everything went well & now we're on the making the big adjustment of 3 kids & getting back on our schedule.

The girls are pretty smitten with their little brother, especially Anna. Grace however, is having some jealousy issues (also known as I'm not going to look at, talk to, or even give loves to my mom).

Off to get some rest in...maybe we'll watch a movie.

Maternity Portrait {My Life}

I was in need of getting some belly shots for this pregnancy & waited until the almost last possible moment.

Yes it's huge, okay, beyond huge... yes there's only one... yes I'm ready...yes, yes, yes...

A month ago, he was on track to be a 9+ pounder & I'm pretty sure he won't disappoint...there's also lots of extra fluid. So not only am I packing around a 'toddler' who probably won't be coming out potty trained, I get to lug around this extended size swimming pool.

What could be more comfortable than that?!? Oh, did I mention that not even maternity clothes fully cover the belly? That makes it incredibly comfortable to go out in public...thankfully, there's only 36 hours left!

I have a wonderfully terriffic hubby who not only helped me out with this task, because I couldn't manage to get some self portraits, but he also got a few snaps in on Thursday evening to help capture my hot new do.

Me & My Girls (a rare photo for sure...mental note to self-get in more pics with the kids/hubby)

I hadn't had an official hair style change since Anna was born (which was 3 years ago) so it was time for a little change. She took about 5 inches off & it's mostly in a single layer. I love it, hubby loves it, which is the whole point of getting cute right?!?!

Off to relax a bit tonight, as the anxious, nervous, excited emotions all kick in & we get ready for our last 36 hours as a family of four!