The Nanny Diaries

Just a Quick Post This Morning...

2009-08-14T08:53:00.003-04:00

I'm home editing photos this morning before heading out to meet Lindsay and Hannah (yes, they're in town for Hannah's first birthday party!) and wanted to share one of my new favorite photos with you:

It's photos like this one that keep me shooting and editing. Man, I LOVE photographing children!

Ok...off to see my two favorite ladies! Check back next week for photos of little miss Hannah's first birthday party :)

Positively Exhausted

2009-08-13T08:29:00.005-04:00

Oh my goodness gracious! The boys and I are positively exhausted from a week of fun (and it's only Thursday morning)!

If you follow me on Twitter (@allisonfowler), you know that on Monday we spent most of the day at the JCC pool, on Tuesday we went to the Carolinas Raptor Center and Historic Latta Plantation, and yesterday we went to Carowinds.

Today, the boys and I are going to Ray's Splash Planet. We've never been before but it seems like a really neat place. Here is what the website says about the site:

Built on the campus of Irwin Avenue Open Elementary School, Ray's Splash Planet is a joint venture between the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. This unique partnership allows the students at Irwin Avenue access to the splash park and other amenities during the school day for specific programs while Park and Recreation utilizes the school's gymnasium in the evening and on the weekends.

Ummm...why didn't MY elementary school have a waterpark on campus?! What a great idea!

Ok. We're off to have another full day of fun! Remember - you can keep up with us and view photos by reading our Twitter updates in the right-hand sidebar of this blog. Beware, though. You might become exhausted by just reading about what we're up to!

Coming up next week: the LYNX Lightrail, the Levine Museum of the New South, a tour of the Panthers Football Stadium, the Charlotte Nature Center, and the Tweetsie Railroad!

BIG Changes - Comin' Right Up!

2009-07-27T08:15:00.004-04:00

I know. I haven't been around much lately.

To be completely honest, between working 50 hours a week as a Nanny and trying to keep up with my ever-growing photography business in the evenings and on the weekends, life has been...well...just a wee bit crazy.

In addition to the everyday craziness around here, there are some BIG changes coming up that I've been processing and evaluating. I've been trying to find the right words to explain how I feel about it all, but there just aren't any. There are just lots of jumbled and mixed emotions, so I'll just give it to you straight.

The Wallers informed me last Monday that they won't be able to keep me on as their Nanny in the Fall. After crunching numbers over and over and over again, they just couldn't make it work with their budget for this coming year. Mike and Liz made it clear that their decision was completely professional and not personal. They're just in a different season of life and had to make the best decision for their family. And I respect that. But it still makes me more sad than words can express.

I was stunned when they gave me the news. I was prepared to meet with them about the boys' changing schedules for the coming year (since Sam will be starting Kindergarten and Toby will be starting some form of preschool), but I wasn't expecting to be laid off. Laid off. That sounds so weird.

To be honest, I was looking forward to working fewer than 50 hours as a Nanny each week because it would potentially give me time to schedule photo shoots and edit photos during the week instead of after work and on the weekends. I've been working so much over the past few months that I was starting to feel the strain...physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. In my heart of hearts I knew that I wanted something to change this coming fall, but I didn't know this was what the Lord had in mind.

In the past week, I've been contacted by 4 different moms who want to talk with me about a part-time Nanny position with their family (which would leave me the rest of my week to build my photography business). God is good!

I'm not yet positive what the next step for Aaron and me will be (as far as my career is concerned), but God is working in and providing for us...and that's enough for now.

My official "last day" with the Wallers will be Friday, August 28th. I already told Liz and Mike that they're stuck with me forever and they can expect me to come get the boys frequently on the weekends to go on fun adventures with Aaron and me. And, after all, Sam has already promised me a job in 25 years or so, remember?

The next 5 weeks will continue on just like the past 97 weeks have...making lots of memories, sharing lots of love, and having lots of fun :) This chapter of our lives isn't over quite yet...

We're Home!

2009-07-21T14:44:00.010-04:00

Aaron and I had a BLAST in Kansas with Lindsay, Joey, and Hannah last week! We slept, ate, and shopped a lot - all signs of a REAL vacation :)

I had the opportunity to do three photo shoots while in Kansas (thanks, Lindsay!) and came home with 1,586 photos to sift through. Yes, I'm SO serious. I promise to post some here when I get them edited :)

Check out this photo of me and my favorite little princess:

Very frameable, don't you think?!

I can't wait for the Smiths to come back to Charlotte for a visit in the middle of August. We'll celebrate Hannah's first birthday and complete her first year of photos :) Keep your eyes peeled for Hannah's 9 and 10 month photos coming soon!

Real Quick...

2009-07-16T03:44:00.003-04:00

If you'll notice the time stamp on this particular blog post, you'll see that it's 3:40-something in the morning. On a normal morning, being up at 3:40-something would bite the big one...but this is no normal morning. This is the morning we leave for KANSAS!

Our flight leaves from Charlotte at precisely 6:03am...so I should get a move on.

I've been tweeting a lot more often lately, so check the "Twitter" section in the right-hand column of the blog to read (or SEE!) what we're doing throughout the day. If you click on any "twitpic" link, a photo from the iPhone will pop up. Isn't that fun?!

Ok. Really. Gotta go!

Arden - 6 Months

2009-07-10T08:01:00.007-04:00

I love photographing ALL children, but those who range in age from 6 to 12 months are usually the most fun for me. Arden fit right in to that group and made my job very easy by being so darned CUTE!

Arden's mommy made her tiny purple tutu! So precious!

Don't you just LOVE her flower headband?

Taking a snack break :)

Thank you, Krystin, for giving me the opportunity to photograph your sweet, beautiful, laid-back baby girl :) I hope to see y'all again soon!

Ashlyn - 12 Months

2009-07-08T13:45:00.010-04:00

When I met Ashlyn's parents and Grandma at Freedom Park for her 1-year photo shoot last month, I thought I had died and gone to Heaven.

Not only is Ashlyn gorgeous, but her super-cute parents brought props with them to our shoot; a pink adirondack chair, bubbles, silk flowers, a birthday girl crown, and even a cake for Ashlyn to play in! I LOVE clients who know what they want out of our time together and go the extra mile to make it happen :)

I hope you had a fabulous 1st Birthday party, Sweet Ashlyn! Maybe I'll see you again soon :)

Check out the rest of Ashlyn's photo shoot here.

"Wedding Hangover"

2009-07-06T07:57:00.001-04:00

Have you ever heard of a "wedding hangover"?

Not the alcohol kind, you party animals.

The oh-I-just spent-12-hours-photographing-a-couple's-wedding-day-and-carrying-around-half-my-weight-in-camera-equipment-and-crawling-around-on-the-ground-in-the-name-of-awesome-photos-and-now-I-need-to-sleep-for-3-days-straight-to-recover kind. I have one of those today.

Usually my wedding hangovers only last through Sunday, but this one seems to be lasting a bit longer. Maybe it's because I photographed 10 children in the 3 days before the wedding. Maybe it's because I shot photos at the Night of Worship for the release of the new Elevation Worship CD, God With Us, last night. Hmmm.

Even though I'm exhausted, I'd take on a "wedding hangover" any day of the week for the opportunity to feel as creative as I've felt in the past 5 days.

So...you'd better watch out! Not only do I have 2 photo shoots to catch you up on from last month, but I'll have 7 new ones to share with you as soon as I can sit down at the computer and edit them all without falling asleep on the keyboard...

God Bless America!

2009-07-04T13:29:00.002-04:00

Happy 4th of July!

I'm in Columbia, SC shooting a wedding with Sean today but wanted to take a moment to share Sam and Toby's versions of "God Bless America" with you on this fabulously sunny, historic holiday :) Enjoy!

A Few Days "Off"

2009-07-01T11:36:00.003-04:00

The Wallers left on a plane headed to Iowa for vacation this morning...and I've spent the last 3 hours editing photos for clients, listening to my Robbie Seay radio station on Pandora, drinking coffee, and eating homemade chocolate chip pancakes :)

When I found out I'd have today through Friday off from my full-time job, I thought it might be beneficial to invest a little more time into my part-time photography business. When I offered a few weekday morning and evening spots to some of my clients, they jumped all over the {very rare} opportunity and my schedule for this week filled up FAST. I'm so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with so many opportunities to do what I love. SO THANKFUL.

I have one family photo shoot this evening, one in the morning, one tomorrow evening, and three on Friday morning. To top it all off, Sean and I are shooting a wedding in Columbia, SC this weekend! If the next 4 days don't make me sick of photography, I don't know what will!

Now...I'm off to upload a batch of photos to my website, clean "man land" (our tv room/office space), and prepare a spot for the new computer my fabulously geeky husband custom built and bought for me from Newegg.com so we can stop battling over the one computer we both need to use so often. Ahem.

Off to work...

Grayson - 9 Months

2009-07-01T08:19:00.003-04:00

I'm so far behind on blogging photos of clients it's not even funny. And what's even more not funny is that I have 6 photo shoots in the next 3 days...and that will put me even more behind.

But, hey. Business is booming...and I can't really complain about that!

I know you remember sweet Grayson from his 6-month photo shoot in April, right? Well...I took his 9-month photos a few weeks ago and, let me tell you, it was the easiest photo shoot I've done in the past 4 months. Seriously. The child never stopped smiling! We breezed through 3 outfit changes and 4 gigabytes of memory in less than 35 minutes. Simply amazing!

When Grayson's mom, Lindsay, e-mailed me last week to ask if I would photograph Grayson's first birthday party, I was so honored! Faithful clients really do start to feel like family after a while...and it's so nice to be invited to capture such a fun, sentimental, important moment in a child's life :)

Speaking of first birthdays, just wait until you see my next photo post about little miss Ashlyn. Just. You. Wait.

Better-Than-Takeout Veggies

2009-06-30T08:15:00.001-04:00

Ok.

I know I haven't posted many recipes lately...but that's because I haven't been baking much in the past few months. I've been making an honest effort to eat less junk and more, well, good stuff. Like fresh fruits and veggies (from our local farmer's market!). And homemade hummus. And rice & beans. And trail mix. And stuff like that.

I know, I know. That sounds like rabbit food, you say.

That might be true, but it makes my body feel oh, so good! You should try it sometime!

Here is the {super simple} recipe I created for lunch last week and have eaten almost a dozen times since then:

Better-Than-Takeout Veggies

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 handful of fresh green beans, ends snapped off
2 handfuls of fresh broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
dash of black pepper
1 Tbsp. Ken's Lite Asian Sesame with Ginger & Soy salad dressing

Heat the oil to medium-high heat in a frying pan. Add the broccoli and saute for 3 minutes. Add the green beans and pepper and saute for another 2-3 minutes until the beans are cooked but still crisp. Remove the pan from the heat and add the salad dressing, making sure to coat all of the veggies. Pour into a bowl and enjoy!

I made these veggies again for lunch yesterday and threw in some fresh asparagus. Get creative and add your favorite veggies! Let me know what you think!

Hannah - 8 Months

2009-06-29T13:58:00.001-04:00

Would you believe me if I told you that my favorite blue-eyed beauty recently moved to Kansas City, KS with her Mommy and Daddy?

Her Daddy got an AWESOME job there...

...and Hannah seems very happy about it, dontchathink?

One of the best things about moving to Kansas City is that Hannah will only be a short drive away from Nana (and Papa) in St. Louis!

One of the worst things about these beautiful ladies moving to Kansas City is that...well...they're all the way in Kansas City (instead of here with me!).

But, fear not, my favorite blue-eyed beauty! Aaron and I will see you, your Mommy, and your Daddy in less than 3 weeks when we fly to Kansas City to see you :) We're counting down the days!

The Food Chain

2009-06-25T16:40:00.002-04:00

While Sam and I were outside playing with bubbles this afternoon, he spotted a bug trapped in a spider web.

"Oh no!" he said. "The nice bug is going to get eaten by the mean spider! Help him, Mrs. Allison! Heeeeeelp hiiiiiim!"

I saw enough bugs on the Appalachian Trail two weeks ago to last me a lifetime (and still have the bites to prove it). I was really okay with letting the pest be eaten by the spider. Since I had no intention of rescuing the bug from its inevitable fate, I seized the opportunity to teach Sam a little bit about the food chain.

"Have you ever heard of the food chain?" I asked Sam. "Yep," he replied. "Daddy taught me about it. It's a big chain of food."

Hmmm.

"Well..." I said. "The food chain is when, say, a spider eats a bug...and then a bird eats the spider...and so on. So now it's your turn. What animal eats birds?" I asked.

"A cat!" he exclaimed, happy to be understanding my little game.

"Right!" I said. "And what eats cats?"

"Hmmm...(tapping his chin with his pointer finger)...A DOG!" he said, proud of himself.

"Well..." I said, thinking about my cute, cuddly, orange tabby back at home.

"Wait!" he said. "Dogs don't eat cats. They just chase them!"

I liked that answer better.

"Ok, let's try another one," I prompted. "What animal eats grass?"

"A cow!" he said.

"And what eats cows?" I continued.

Sam had a genuinely confused look on his face...like he couldn't imagine what animal would eat a grass-eating, milk-giving, moo-ing cow.

"I don't know," he said.

"People eat cows," I said, unsure of whether I should have started this little "food chain" conversation.

"People eat cows?" Sam said in disbelief.

"Yep. You know those yummy hamburgers that Daddy makes on the grill? That's meat from a cow," I explained.

"Oh," he said solemnly. "Well, I guess that's the end of him, huh, Mrs. Allison?"

Hmmmm. Maybe I should have just saved the stupid bug...

Yes, We ARE Alive.

2009-06-23T16:49:00.012-04:00

Oh gosh.

Getting back to blogging after not posting for almost 2 weeks is one of my least favorite tasks to tackle...but I'll do it anyway. Here's the Cliff's Notes version of our week o' vacation:

Saturday, 6/13 - Sean and Tonia (and Asher and Cooper!) dropped us at Fontana Dam and left us to be eaten alive by bugs, ahem, I mean...enjoy our time in the Great Outdoors. By the end of our first (half)day of hiking, we went 6 miles and I had the beginning of what would turn out to be massive blisters on my heels.

Sunday, 6/14 - Aaron and I hiked from campsite 113 to Spence Field Shelter. The (not-so-accurate) trail map said our hike that day was 11 miles. The Ranger said it was 12(ish). The trail signs said it was 13. We think it was actually closer to 14. When I finally got to take my boots off that evening, this is what my feet looked like:

Oh...and somehow during the day I managed to get a bunch of chigger bites on my lower back and legs. Ugh.

Monday, 6/15 - Aaron and I survived our first night in a shelter...but not without being woken up at 2am by turkeys "gobbling" and mice chasing each other. We started the day's hike at 9:30am feeling refreshed and optimistic...but that only lasted for the first 8 miles or so. When we arrived at a sign at 3pm that told us we had another 5.2 miles to hike (instead of 2.5 miles like we thought) before we reached our shelter, I melted down. Tears flowed and frustration took over. My feet hurt. I had new, painful blisters forming on my shoulders and hips. I twisted my knee earlier in the day and I was trying to pretend like it didn't hurt. My back felt like it might crack in half from the 33 pounds of stuff I was carrying in my pack. But, somehow, Aaron talked me through the entire 5.2 miles and we made it to Siler's Bald Shelter. After inspecting my blisters, chigger bites, swollen right knee, and other hiking wounds, Aaron suggested that we bail out at Clingman's Dome the next day. I, of course, didn't even want to entertain that idea. I didn't want to quit...and I wanted to hike the entire 70 miles...even if I had no feet to walk on by the time I got there. My stubbornness was overruled by my husband's better judgement and he decided that we would, in fact, end our trip at Clingman's Dome the next afternoon for the benefit of my health (and his sanity, I'm sure).

Tuesday, 6/16 - Aaron and I made the leisurely hike (only 5 miles!) from Siler's Bald to Clingman's Dome. It was (by far) the most beautiful day of hiking during our trip and it was nice to see something other than, well, trees while we walked. We made it to Clingman's Dome (a total of approximately 35 miles of hiking in 3 days!) by 3pm and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening watching tourists pass by as we played Phase 10 and watched the sun fall on the horizon. Aaron's Dad arrived at 8pm to pick us up and he shuttled us to our 4Runner that we had dropped off at a ranger station near Davenport Gap the previous Saturday. Aaron and I went back to his parents' house in Simpsonville, SC for the best shower I've had in my entire life and an evening of uninterrupted sleep in a bed.

Wednesday, 6/17 - We slept. All day. Seriously. We woke up to eat at 10am, went back to sleep at 11am, and woke up to eat again at 2pm. Now that's what I call vacation!

Thursday, 6/18 - Aaron and I left Simpsonville and were home by noon. We relaxed at our house for most of the day and decided that we would take a spontaneous trip to Asheville, NC the next day.

Friday, 6/19 - Aaron purchased (online) 1 night in a super-cheap hotel in Asheville, I threw some clothes in a bag, and we left our house at noon. We got to Asheville by 1:30 and ate lunch at Doc Chey's Noodle House. We walked around the city, visited some really weird stores, listened to the community band play for a bit, and then went to eat hummus and have a drink at the Jerusalem Garden Cafe. Before we headed back to our hotel for the evening, we visited the French Broad Chocolate Lounge for some South American dark chocolate truffles, a homemade citrus agave and ginger soda, and a beer float (Pisgah a-la-mode)!

Saturday, 6/20 - We checked out of our hotel at 11am and went downtown to eat at the Mellow Mushroom (one of our favorite restaurants EVER!). Aaron likes the Mellow Mushroom for its snobbish beer menu. I like it for its hummus and salads. We left for home at 2:30pm and spent the rest of the weekend doing laundry and preparing to go back to work on Monday.

SO. There you have it. Our vacation didn't go exactly as planned, but we had a blast and enjoyed each other's company for a solid 9 days straight. It's just what I needed before kicking off a busy summer with the boys!

Stay tuned for some photos of a few cuties I photographed before leaving for vacation last week! You'll want to kiss their faces and pinch their cheeks...I promise!

Week o' Vacation 2009

2009-06-10T13:25:00.001-04:00

Last year, Aaron and I took an incredible 10-day-long vacation to Oregon.

This year, we decided that we wanted to go backpacking in the wilderness for 7 days. We were thinking Yellowstone, Grand Teton, or the Grand Canyon...but it didn't take us long to abandon the idea of visiting those places when we discovered that airfare would cost us at least an arm and a leg (maybe two).

Then it hit us: Why go across the country to backpack when the longest foot-trail in the world is right in our back yard (ok...not quite...but almost)? Aaron and I have hiked 12-15 mile sections of the Appalachian Trail before, but never as far as what we're planning for next week's trip: 73 miles of backpacking through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

I know, I know. You, along with everyone else we've unveiled our plan to, think we've gone completely nutso.

But...we haven't, I assure you (although, the guys and gals who take 6 or 7 months out of their life to hike all 2,175 miles of the AT from Maine to Georgia must be somewhat out of their gourds!). Aaron and I have spent at least 6 weeks planning, researching, studying, packing, preparing, and talking to park Rangers about the area we're adventuring to and the special precautions we need to take while we're there. Aaron has even encouraged me to read specific sections from his SAS Survival Guide Handbook :)

For those of you interested in tracking us on our 7-day hike across the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (ahem, our parents), here is our intenerary (and here is a map):

Saturday, June 13: Hike from Fontana Dam (southwest corner of the Great Smokies) to campsite 113 (5 miles)
Sunday, June 14: Campsite 113 to Spence Field Shelter (11 miles)
Monday, June 15: Spence Field Shelter to Siler's Bald Shelter (10.5 miles)
Tuesday, June 16: Siler's Bald Shelter to Mt. Collins Shelter (8 miles)
Wednesday, June 17: Mt. Collins Shelter to mile marker 210 (11 miles)
Thursday, June 18: mile marker 210 to Tri-Corner Knob Shelter (9 miles)
Friday, June 19: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter to mile 230 (11 miles)
Saturday, June 20: mile 230 to Davenport Gap (northeast corner of the Great Smokies) (5 miles)

Because the AT is not a loop trail, we're having some friends meet us at Davenport Gap on Saturday, June 13 and take us from Davenport Gap to Fontana Dam to begin our hike. That way, we'll have a car sitting at the Ranger Station for us when we finish our week of hiking.

Since we have to carry everything we need for an entire week in our backpacks, Aaron and I are going to start packing tonight. We have purchased all of our food, mapped out our daily hiking plan, obtained a permit number from the Park Ranger, and prepared ourselves the best way we know how. All that's left to do is pack up and head out bright and early on Saturday morning!

Blair - 6 Months

2009-06-08T16:54:00.000-04:00

One evening last week, after a long, exhausting day with Sam and Toby, I went to a client's house for a photo shoot. I almost died when I laid eyes on little miss Blair and saw what she was wearing:

Yes! A tutu! I'm not sure if you knew this, but I LOVE photographing little girls in tutus. It doesn't get much cuter than this, does it?!

Love. It.

Blair and Mommy

I had so much fun photographing Blair and her sweet Mommy, Denise! I hope to see you again soon, beautiful ladies!

Yes, I'm Blogging at 1:30am

2009-06-05T01:25:00.006-04:00

I had a wonderful late-afternoon nap today...but now I'm wide awake.

What's a girl to do when she can't sleep? Edit photos, of course!

I took a break from editing photos for clients to work on one of myself, Aaron, Bryn, and Tiffany from Rebecca's wedding 2 weekends ago:

Needless to say, it's my new favorite. AND it's going in a frame. AND I hope to be taking this photo again someday with that lovely lady on the left standing next to my brother in a white wedding dress.

Ahem.

We love you guys!

Busy Week!

2009-06-04T08:54:00.004-04:00

Since Sam finished preschool last week, I wanted to plan lots of activities to keep the boys extra-busy until he starts camp on June 22nd. And, boy, have I succeeded this week!

On Monday, I took Sam and Toby to the Sprayground at Latta Park in Dilworth. The boys played in the water, had a great time on the playground, and enjoyed a picnic in the shade.

On Tuesday, Tonia and I took all 4 boys to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia! It was an early morning and an exhausting day, but we all had a great time. Sam's favorite part of the zoo was the lions and Toby's favorite part was the elephants :)

Yesterday, I took the boys to ImaginOn for Family Fun Time and freeplay. They've changed their story schedule for the summer, so check out the new one here!

Today, Tonia and I are taking the boys to deliver meals provided by Friendship Trays. Tonia, Asher, Toby, and I delivered meals once every few weeks while Sam and Cooper were in preschool, but now they get to join us on our route! What a great way to teach the boys about helping others and sharing :)

Tomorrow, I'm taking the boys to Pump It Up! We like Pump It Up better than Monkey Joe's because it's a lot less crowded. In fact, the last 3 times I've taken the boys to Pump It Up, we've been the only ones there! Sam and Toby climb, jump, and run their little hearts out all morning and then they crash after lunch. It's the perfect activity for a rainy or super-hot day!

On top of planning activities for the boys, Aaron and I have been planning our week-long summer vacation trip. It's a doozie...and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

The boys and I are off to pick up the meals for this morning's Friendship Trays route. I promise to post some new photos of the Sam and Toby from our activities this week...as soon as I can get them all edited :)

Ahhhhh...

2009-05-28T08:20:00.004-04:00

That's the sound of me being refreshed and refocused after a long, relaxing weekend spent in Charleston with my family! I'm so refreshed, in fact, that I've had a hard time jumping back on the blogging bandwagon this week.

Anywho, I'm baaaaaack...and have lots to share!

I haven't updated much on the boys lately, so here's what's going on with them:

Toby has been officially potty-trained since our little "potty party" almost 6 weeks ago! Who knew it would be so easy (knock on wood)?!
Sam had his last day of preschool yesterday! He'll start kindergarten in the fall and neither Liz nor I are ready for that. Heck...we had a hard time processing Sam's last day of preschool. How in the world will me make it through his first day of Kindergarten?! Oh, boy...I need to change the subject...
The boys got the movie Toy Story a few weeks ago and it's all we've been watching during TV time. I love that movie, but it might have to mysteriously disappear for a while if they ask to watch it again (just kidding...sort of...).

In other news, Aaron and I had a fabulous time at my best friend's wedding in Charleston this past Memorial Day weekend. I had the honor of standing next to Rebecca (in my favorite color blue, nonetheless!) as she married her best friend on Saturday. We partied like rockstars and danced like fools at the reception (photos coming soon!) and have lots of memories to look back on forever :) Thanks for inviting us to be a part of your special day, Beccaboo! We love you and Ryan!

And, to round out this smorgishboard of a blog post, may I present to you my 4 favorite photos from my marathon weekend of photography (from 2 weeks ago):

1-year-old twins, Abbey & Sadie and their 4-year-old brother, Jake. Most photographers would label this photograph a "failure." I, however, think it's hilarious and super-cute. I did end up getting some group photos with no tears (click here to see them), but I still like this one better :)

5-month-old Gracen with her generous, coffee-providing, super-sweet Mommy and Daddy. Little Miss G still has the most fabulous baby hair I've ever photographed...and I hope it stays that way for a looooong time :) Don't you just want to kiss all over that cute little face?!

Beautiful, icy blue-eyed, 1-year-old Miss Katy. Enough said :)

And, as if you had any doubt she would work the camera yet again, here's Katy's 5-year-old big sister, Natalie. So dramatic. So modelesque. So...FABULOUS! Will someone please book this child as a model?!

So...there you have it, folks. You're all caught up! I'm looking forward to starting Summer activities with the boys (going to the pool, the zoo, the park, etc.) and I'll be sure to take lots of photos to share with you!

Blogger's Block

2009-05-20T13:57:00.003-04:00

I've started 4 different posts in the past few days but haven't been able to finish any of them. I guess I have a bit of blogger's block. Blah!

When all else fails, I'm still good at making lists! Here's what's coming up soon:

Photos from a photo shoot of 1-year-old twins, Sadie & Abbey, and their 4-year-old brother, Jake
5 month photos of little miss crazy-haried Gracen
Spring photos of sassy sisters Natalie and Katy

In the meantime, Aaron and I will be in Charleston for a 4-day weekend to celebrate my best friend's wedding and Memorial Day with my family. I'm super-excited about having an entire 4 days off from children and photography and I'm hoping to come back home refreshed and refocused.

YIPPEE for VACATION!

Strawberries!

2009-05-15T08:11:00.013-04:00

I feel like most of my recent blogs have contained LOTS of photos...and I'm okay with that! I didn't think you'd mind, either :)

Last weekend, Aaron and I had the pleasure of keeping our friends Cooper and Asher at our house while their mommy and daddy had a weekend to themselves! I can't tell you how blessed we feel to have such wonderful friends like Tonia and Sean. Their boys put a sparkle in our eyes and we love them to pieces!

As a fun activity on Saturday afternoon, we decided to take the boys to our favorite park in Fort Mill...and then to the Springs Strawberry Farm down the street from our house!

Here are a few photos of our fun-filled day (and PLEASE excuse the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad 3pm lighting!):

(Below): Here's a funny little sequence for you:

Picking

Looking

Tasting

Stuffing

INHALING!

I'm SO GLAD there was not a "choking" picture at the end of that! Ha! Oh...and just in case you were wondering...Asher contributed not one strawberry to either of our buckets. He ate every single one he picked!

And, in case you didn't know, most 5-year-old boys (ahem, SAM) despise my camera. I tried to get some photos of Cooper! I really did! But...he wasn't having it. So...I snuck this photo of Cooper as he snacked on a strawberry from the bucket.

Can you tell that Asher wasn't excited about leaving the strawberry patch? I LOVE his grumpy faces :)

When we got home, Aaron and I washed and cut the strawberries while we watched the boys play with Aaron's old G.I. Joe and Ninja Turtle figurines. Does it surprise you that my husband has 20-year-old toys from his childhood sitting around our house? I didn't think so.

And this...

...was how Aaron and I ended our Saturday :) I couldn't think of a better way to reward ourselves after a long, hot, sweaty, (strawberry) juicy, FUN day of parenting!

Lanie and Jacob

2009-05-14T13:50:00.008-04:00

Have I ever mentioned that I love photographing sassy little girls?

AND their precious little brothers?

I have no idea how I score the cutest clients. Seriously. Aren't Lanie and Jacob two of the sweetest little monkeys you've ever seen?!

I always enjoy meeting new clients, but it was a pure joy to meet Lanie, Jacob, and their sweet mommy, Heather. I hope to see you you all again soon!

Our Favorite Furry Friend

2009-05-13T14:13:00.006-04:00

Hobbes LOVES going to my parents' house in Charleston. He has lots of other animals (three cats and a dog) to play with there and plenty of space to roam.

Here are a few moments I captured as he lounged around the house on our mini-vacation a few weeks ago:

Oh, how I LOVE that furry little guy (but I could do without his long, orange hair all over everything I own)!

Gorgeous Garden

2009-05-12T13:37:00.003-04:00

What do you do when your daughter gets married and your son goes off to college? Plant a garden!

When Aaron and I arrived at my parents' house in Charleston, SC a few Thursdays ago, my Dad started telling us about a garden he had planted a few weeks before. When he walked us outside (at 10pm!) to show off his hard work, Aaron and I were blown away. I always knew my dad liked to work in the yard...but THIS was incredible!

The first thought that popped into my head was, "Wow! I can't wait to take pictures in the morning!" SO...on my only day to sleep late in the past 3 months, unable to keep my brain from turning on at 7am and anxious to see what was growing in the garden, I got out of bed, crept downstairs in my pink pajama pants, and trudged through the muddy aisles of vegetables with my freshly-pedicured feet.

Beets

Radishes

Marigolds are planted throughout the garden to attract ladybugs. Ladybugs are beneficial to a garden because they eat the aphids that are responsible for destroying crops. Remember the story of The Grouchy Ladybug? :)

My dad built the fence around his garden with his own two hands for a little more than $100.

One of the many things I love about my dad is that when he decides to do something, he does it with excellence. He spent 2 weeks digging up a 35'x20' plot of THICK St. Augustine grass with a shovel. The rows in his garden are PERFECT. There isn't a weed to be found. He even lined the fence with rocks that he dug out of a nearby flower bed.

And this, folks, is what a cat looks like when she sniffs your fisheye lens. So cute! (This is Angel, one of my parents' 3 cats).

So, anyway, after seeing my dad's garden, I told Aaron that I wanted a garden.

It only took him three tenths of a second to say "no"...and to be completely honest, I can't really blame him. I definitely didn't inherit my parents' green thumbs and it seems like every plant I touch turns to dust. Or sticks. Or whatever. (Remember this little disaster???).

I guess I'll just have to live vicariously through my dad and his beautiful garden. I can't wait until the vegetables are ready to harvest! I may not be able to grow vegetables, but I sure know how to eat them!

Coming Down the Pipe

2009-05-11T08:46:00.004-04:00

I seriously have no idea how I let myself get so behind on blogging. Ahhhh!

Here's what's coming down the pipe this week:

Photos of my dad's AWESOME backyard garden that will provide vegetables for the entire neighborhood for the rest of the year (just kidding...sort of...)
Updated photos of our sweet (but spoiled rotten) kitty, Hobbes, while he was on vacation with us in Charleston a few weekends ago
A post about the precious children I took photos of this past Saturday morning. Just wait until you see how stunning (and photogenic) sweet 4-year-old Lanie is!
A summary of this past weekend spent with our favorite little Lyons (complete with photos from our trip to the Springs Strawberry Farm!)

Oh boy. I have a lot of photo-editing (and blogging) to do in the next few days! Stay tuned...

Olivia - 3 Months

2009-05-09T08:34:00.000-04:00

Check out this little CUTIE! Olivia's Mommy and Daddy had me over to take some photos of her 2 weekends ago and we had tons of fun together.

Olivia has more bows, shoes, and clothes in her closet than I've had in my entire lifetime! LOVE it!

And...GIRL...with a pout like that, you'll have lots of people (like, ahem, ME) wrapped around your teeny-tiny finger in NO TIME! Check out the rest of Olivia's 3-month photo shoot here.

Thank you, Williams family, for inviting me into your home to photograph your beautiful daughter! I'm already looking forward to our next photo shoot together!

I LOVE My (Crazy) Hubby

2009-05-06T15:02:00.010-04:00

Getting e-mails from Aaron is one of my favorite things in the world.

Oh...you want to know why it's so fun?

I would say that today's e-mail is a perfect example:

_______________________

To: aafowler85@gmail.com

From: aaron.fowler@sunbeltrentals.com

Subject: Two pictures that make me smile

Yes, I am aware that my husband is a NUT and, no, I don't know where he finds these things (but I'm sure glad he does!).

I LOVE my (crazy) hubby because (in addition to a bazillion other reasons why...) he never fails to put a smile on my face :)

Guess Who's 7 Months Old!

2009-04-30T08:29:00.003-04:00

Yep! Sweet Hannah bear :)

Isn't she stunning? I could stare at her all day!

So sweet and innocent :)

Laughing at Mommy

Peek-a-boo!

Sucking that bottom lip...

Hannah's Mommy made her headband!

Hannah and Mommy

And...in true Hannah style...we MUST end the shoot with a grumpy face! I know it looks like she's laughing, but she's really "fake crying" :) Oh, sweet Hannah. You can't fool me!

"Wha's dat mean?"

2009-04-28T16:27:00.003-04:00

That's my least favorite phrase of all-time (ok...maybe just the past two weeks...).

I'll share my pain with you. Here is a conversation that Toby and I had earlier today:

Toby: Miss Saaaaaaasin?
Me: Yes, Toby?
Toby: Where we goin' today?
Me: We're going to the library after we drop Sam off at school.
Toby: Oh. Wha's dat mean?
Me: You know what that means. It means that we're going to the library to read books.
Toby: Oh. Wha's dat mean?
Me: What do you mean 'what does that mean?'?
Toby: Huh?
Me: Oh, boy...
Toby: I'm a boy, Miss Sassin! Wha's dat mean?
Me: {Praying silently to the Lord for PATIENCE to get me through the rest of the day...or at least through the car ride :)}

Toby has a fabulous vocabulary...but "wha's dat mean?" is (unfortunately) his favorite phrase to use right now. I can understand him asking that question about things he knows nothing about, but he always asks "wha's dat mean?" about something he definitely knows the answer to (or at least a question someone has just told him the answer to). It's like he just wants to hear me answer him (fifteen times in a row). It drives me bonkers.

On the way home from school this afternoon, it was Sam's turn to be tortured:

Toby: Wha did you do at schoo today, Sam?
Sam: We went to the FIRE STATION!
Toby: Oh. Wha's dat mean?
Sam: Well, it means that we went to the fire station to see the firetrucks and the firemen and...
Toby: Wha's dat mean, Sam? Wha's DAT mean???
Sam: It means that...well...that...I already told you what it means.
Toby: Wha's DAT mean, Sam?
Sam: Nevermind. Let's not talk about it right now, Toby.
Toby: Wha's dat mean?
Sam: I want to be quiet.
Toby: Sam?
ME: Toby, let's play the "quiet game"...

I unashamedly LOVE the quiet game (and I'm pretty sure the boys love it, too). Sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me sane in a world full of endless questions from a two-and-a-half-year-old, you know?

:)

Please Excuse Me...

2009-04-22T13:47:00.002-04:00

...but I need to rant and rave for a moment before I blow a gasket.

I've recently gotten back into taking photos on film (with a really cool "fisheye" camera that Hannah's Mommy gave me for my birthday). Film has been around for a LONG time and I assumed that taking my film to a drugstore would be not only cheap but fool-proof. Well...you know what happens when you assume...

I went by the drug store (that shall remain nameless) to pick up my roll of processed film and CD of scanned negatives and was appauled by what I found in my package.

I dropped off a 24-exposure roll of black and white film. There were only 14 negatives in my envelope. Of course there was no one at the photo counter for me to confront at the time...so I took my (14 out of 24) negatives, CD of scanned images, and receipt and left the store hoping that ALL of my images would be on the CD. No such luck.

When I put the CD into the computer, this is the first image that popped up:

Ummm...NO.

There are several things wrong with this photo: a) it's upside down, b) it's scanned into the computer backwards, and c) it's not framed correctly. Those would be some pretty cool photos...IF SOME MORON HADN'T CUT THEM THE NEGATIVES IN HALF AND SCANNED THEM WRONG! Uhhhhhh!!!

(Just in case you were wondering, this is what a fisheye photo SHOULD look like:

Much better, huh?)

Did I mention that I even left specific intructions on the package noting that, yes, the frames would be ROUND but that was normal...and, no, I didn't want any special treatment to the negatives (like CUTTING THEM IN HALF)?

That's enough ranting for today...but you can bet that I still have a bone to pick with the photo technician at the drugstore-that-shall-remain-nameless...and I WILL be getting my money back.

Ugh.

2009-04-21T08:46:00.001-04:00

Aaron sent me this photo as he was walking out the door to go to work this morning:

Yes, that's my Nikon D200...and my awesome SHOOTSAC that Hobbes decided to make a bed out of.

That'll teach me to leave my stuff lying around the house...

The Time Has Come...

2009-04-17T08:39:00.003-04:00

...to start potty-training Toby! Can you believe it?! Me neither.

We're throwing a "Potty Party" today! The morning started with lots of cheers and excitement, presents (a potty book and big boy underwear!), and 6 trips to the potty (so far).

After we take Sam to school, our day will continue with lots of juice, cupcake-baking, and more trips to the potty. I think we'll be camping out in the bathroom for most of the day.

I'll be updating our progress on Twitter from time to time for anyone who cares to keep up with how the party is going (LIZ!) :)

Here we go...

Hannah Elizabeth

2009-04-15T13:13:00.008-04:00

Six months ago, two of mine and Aaron's best friends were blessed with an incredible gift from God. I would like to introduce you to little miss Hannah Elizabeth:

I've been photographing Hannah since her very first days of life and am thrilled to (finally!) be able to share her story and photos with you.

I asked Hannah's Mommy (and one of my best friends in the entire world!), Lindsay, to write a special post about Hannah and the miracle that she is. Without further ado, I give you Lindsay's words:

“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

I have felt the power of God’s Word to me in this verse for many years. Some of my most vivid childhood memories include children; cousins, neighbors, kids I babysat, my brothers. When I was 13 years old, someone asked me the age-old question; what do you want to be when you grow up?

My answer? A Mom

When asked what kind of man I wanted to marry;

My answer? Someone like my dad

It’s funny, those answers weren’t received well very often; like they weren’t good enough. Want to know the other funny thing? God has blessed me in such a way that almost 3 years ago I married a man just like my dad. He’s a strong Christian, a man of integrity, a hard worker, and an incredibly supportive husband. And for an added bonus; he shared my passion for kids and my dream of having a family. Another bonus? He wanted me to be a stay-at-home mom!!

We prayed for God’s guidance as we began trying to start our family. We prayed for wisdom and patience with His timing and His plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11). We waited. And waited some more…

Well, maybe God had a different plan for us. That happens sometimes, ya know!?!? Quite often we think we know what’s best for us only to be proved wrong by our all-knowing Savior. I’ve started thinking that we are blessed. To have a Savior, a Creator, who cares so much about us to give us only the best… wow!

So after 2 years of prayer, frustration, and more prayer, God blew us away and blessed us abundantly; He gave us our daughter, Hannah.

The day we brought Hannah home is a day that will be forever etched in our minds. It hit us hard; God had been forming this precious life for us, shaping her, shaping us so that we could be prepared for each other; Jeremiah 1:5 says;

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…”

Man! How much does our Father love us? As we looked into our newborn daughter’s eyes, we knew that He loved us more than we will ever be able to imagine. As excited and as thankful as we were for God’s answer to our prayers, we were also hit with an overwhelming sense of responsibility. He was trusting us to guide her in His Word, to help her grow and become a godly woman, to support and encourage her, and to pray for her daily. What a privilege!

From the day she was born, Hannah was a testimony to more people than you or I could ever hope to impact. Hundreds of people including immediate and distant family, friends, and pastors prayed for us, for Hannah. They lifted us up with encouraging words, notes, voicemails, and emails. They celebrated with us the day she was born, cried with us when we brought her home, support us to this day, and love Hannah like she was their own.

Allison and her husband, Aaron, are two people who have walked with us through our journey to starting our family. We met them 2 years ago in our small group at Elevation and have since walked through engagements, new jobs, weddings, and much more with them. They have laughed, cried, and prayed with us. When it came time for Hannah’s first photos, there was no doubt in my mind who we were going to name as Hannah’s official photographer!

If you haven’t met Hannah, let me give you a glimpse of the sweet girl who has and will continue to impact people. I cannot possibly convey to you the electric personality and sweet nature of this child but I am hoping that through Allison’s beautiful pictures and my few details, you will gain some insight into the specialness and uniqueness of this incredible 6 month old.

Hannah has a contagious smile. Actually, her whole body smiles! She wants nothing more than to make friends wherever she goes; restaurants, walks around the neighborhood, the grocery store, or church. If you don’t make eye contact with her, she will scream and yell happily until you do, and then you will be rewarded with her sparkly smile (I have yet to see someone who can keep from smiling back!).

At 6 months old, Hannah has a keen perception for emotion. She seems to know when someone is sad, happy, mad, or just tired. She is also, as her Papa would say, “very advanced!” She rolled over at 2 months old, sat up on her own at 4 months old, and now, at 6 months old is trying desperately to crawl! We’re going to have a busy one on our hands in the next few months, for sure!

Oh! One more thing; Hannah LOVES her daddy! My favorite time of the day is when he gets home from work and she hears the garage door open. She gets so excited and jumps and squeals until he comes in to pick her up and the look on his face… priceless!

We count every day with Hannah a blessing. Every time I start thinking that my plan is better than God’s, He reminds me in a very subtle way, that He always has my best in mind. All I have to do is look at our precious miracle daughter and I rest comfortably knowing that I am in good hands!

Thank you, Allison, for perfectly capturing Hannah’s lovable personality in every precious photo that you take of her! We love you more than you know, Aunt Allison! :)

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Five Months (couldn't choose just one!)

Six Months

Thank you, Joey and Lindsay, for sharing sweet Hannah with Aaron and me. She has brought so much joy to our lives and we're so honored to be a part of your family and watch her grow. You are amazing parents and we can't wait to see what a Godly woman she becomes. Here's to raising cute, smiley, drooly babies together (someday :) )! We love you.

P.S. - Watch Hannah grow here :)

Grayson: 6 Months

2009-04-10T08:22:00.004-04:00

Isn't he just the cutest little guy you've ever seen?!

I had the pleasure of photographing Grayson this past weekend. It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day and Grayson was SO happy to play with me. I still can't get over his insanely awesome eyes! Here are a few of my favorites from Grayson's shoot:

Grayson sure did make some funny faces during our time together! Here are my 2 "funny face" favorites:

Someone left a comment in Grayson's gallery on my SmugMug website that said, "Whatchutalkinboutwillis." HA! The perfect caption for a the perfect expression :)

Thanks, Lindsay and Ryan, for inviting me over to take photos of your precious baby boy! I'm already looking forward to our next photo shoot together in June!

Opening Day!

2009-04-09T14:10:00.001-04:00

The boys and I went to the Opening Day game at the Charlotte Knights stadium today!

Sam and Toby wore their Cubs jerzees and looked super-cute. I brought my camera with every intention of taking lots and lots of great photos, but I didn't anticipate every elementary and middle school child in the Fort Mill area attending the game, too :-/ Do you know how hard it was for me keep Sam and Toby from getting trampled on by teenage boys stuffing hotdogs into their mouths and teenage girls singing Hannah Montana and High School Musical songs? It was complete madness, let me tell you.

Here are a few highlights from our day at the ballpark:

The Knights' mascot is a dragon named Homer (and his girlfriend's name is Caroline). When Toby saw Homer and Caroline on the field, he latched on to my arm and said, "I don't wike da dwagons, Sassin! I don't WIKE dem!" I promised that I wouldn't let them get him and he eventually loosened up and had lots of fun.

Two minutes after we sat down in our (awesome) seats, Sam said, "Mrs. Allison, when are we going to take a break from sitting in the sun?"

Sam and Toby sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"...27 times. Instead of singing, "Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks...", Sam sang, "Buy me some peanuts and Apple Jacks..."

And this moment, captured right before we left to go home in the middle of the 5th inning (thank you, iPhone):

Both boys are currently fast asleep and worn out from a fun day at the ballpark :)

Tee-Ball!

2009-04-04T07:50:00.007-04:00

Tee-Ball season has officially begun...and I have the photographs to prove it :)

Sam's team is the youngest in the league, but also the luckiest. Their sponsor is Chick-Fil-A. OH YEAH :)

Toby wanted to be part of the action SO badly!

LOVE that face!

(above) This is Aaron's favorite. When he saw me editing this photo on the computer, he said, "What are they doing?!" I said, "I don't know what they're doing. They don't know what they're doing. That's the fun part of Tee-Ball. No one knows what anyone is doing for a full hour. It's great!"

And...just to prove that Toby knows no strangers (just like his big brother), I give you exhibit A. And B. And C. Just watch the sequence. It'll make you smile (...and it reminds me that I need to have him strapped to me at all times when we're in public so someone doesn't walk off with him...)

Toby and one of the other Tee-Ball players' moms peacefully watching the game...

"Heeeeeeey...HEEEEEEY!" he says, beating on the woman's purse.

All is well with the world when he has a hand to hold :)

Teachable Moments

2009-04-03T13:39:00.005-04:00

So...

Yesterday morning, on our way back from dropping Sam off at preschool in Uptown Charlotte, Toby and I experienced a good ol' fashioned "teachable moment" together.

Let me set the scene for you:

It's 9:40 in the morning and rain has been pouring down for days in Charlotte. I'm driving down the middle lane on 3rd street (one-way heading out of the city) and I'm super-focused on the cars in front of and around me.

Then, I see a light flicker above my head. It's the dome light in the 4-Runner. Which can only mean one thing: A door is open somewhere.

Did the lady who took Sam out of the car at carpool forget to close his door all the way?

Did I not close the trunk hard enough when I put my camera bag back there this morning?

Then I feel wind. And RAIN.

I turn around to see Toby's guilty face and the rear driver's side car door flung WIDE open. Water splashing everywhere, horns honking, Toby laughing.

I was not laughing.

Thankfully, I was able to pull over and close his door before anything catastrophic happened.

And then we had a talk about not touching car door handles.

And then I put the child safety lock on both back doors.

Needless to say, Toby and I both learned a lesson yesterday :)

Bryn & Tiffany: Sunrise at Folly Beach, SC

2009-03-31T13:43:00.002-04:00

Here they are! The long-awaited sunrise beach photos of my brother and his sweet, beautiful girlfriend:

(above) Look at that stance! Can you tell that Bryn has been attending The Citadel for almost two years? The way he stands drives me bonkers because he looks so stiff!

(above) My favorite! Finally got Bryn to loosen up in front of the camera :)

Thanks, Bryn and Tiff, for getting up SUPER early on a Sunday morning so I could experiment with sunrise lighting :) Love y'all!

Super LAME

2009-03-30T08:16:00.006-04:00

That's how I feel about my lack of blog posts lately.

I won't make excuses. I'll just fill you in on the last few weeks and hopefully do better at updating from here on out :)

In addition to my full-time 50 hour per week job, I've started scheduling family and kid photo shoots on Saturdays and Sundays. 'Are you CRAZY?!,' you ask. Yes. Most definitely, I am. I LOVE photographing children and building up my clientele...even if it means working 7 days (and close to 60 hours) a week sometimes. Wedding season is getting ready to kick into high gear soon, too (I shoot weddings with this guy, remember?). Our first wedding of the year is this coming Saturday. Yippee!
My family came to visit this past weekend! Bryn was on Spring Break from The Citadel...so he, Tiffany, Mama, and Daddy made their way up to our house to celebrate my birthday 2 weeks early (with a PUBLIX cake, nonetheless!), shop, eat, relax, and go to Elevation. We took the LYNX light rail into the city to Elevation's Uptown campus on Sunday and enjoyed lunch together before my family had to get back to Charleston yesterday afternoon.
Sam and Toby are growing like WEEDS! Toby is talking in complete sentences now and is most definitely too heavy for me to carry around on my hip like I used to. Sam is smart as a whip and has fabulous handwriting these days. He has started playing tee-ball, swims like a fish, and knows how to play more songs on the piano than I can count on both of my hands. Have I really been with Sam and Toby for more than a year-and-a-half?! Wow...

Stay tuned for those beach photos of Bryn and Tiffany I've been promising to share for the past few weeks. Here's one of my favorites:

Leave it to me to pick a black and white photo as one of my favorites from a colorful sunrise shoot :)

Skylar and Cole

2009-03-23T08:28:00.012-04:00

I was invited over to take photos of these little munchkins on Sunday afternoon! Aren't they gorgeous?!

Skylar (almost 2) and Cole (3) were so much fun to photograph! Skylar would have much rather been watching The Jungle Book than posing for my camera (but who wouldn't?!). I definitely got my workout chasing Cole around and LOVED shooting in the Williams family's beautiful, completely shaded backyard. Here are a few of my favorite moments from my time spent with Skylar and Cole:

I hope to see you again soon, Williams family!

Red Birdie

2009-03-20T13:34:00.006-04:00

Today is the first day of SPRING! Yippee!

One of my favorite parts of Spring (besides the 70 degree weather!) is when the birds come out to sing and fly around. The boys and I love to go to the park and see how many different kinds of birds we can find.

I have lots of fond memories of my childhood, but one of my absolute favorites involves those cute little "red birdies" we've seen flying around a lot lately.

When my brother and I were little, we lived in a house with a huge picture window in the living room that overlooked our big, beautiful yard. He and I used to sit there for hours while we watched the birds play and listened to them sing. Every time Bryn saw a Cardinal out the window, he would point and scream, "My red birdie! My red birdie!"

Bryn honestly thought every time he saw a Cardinal at our house or around town that it was the same bird. Any time anyone in the family would see a Cardinal, we'd say, "Look, Bryn! It's your red birdie!" It made him so happy :)

Eighteen years later, I still think of my brother every single time I see a Cardinal fly by. I can't help but smile and think to myself: Look, Bryn! It's your red birdie!

The Half-Dozen and A Rubber Chicken

2009-03-18T13:39:00.004-04:00

Aaron and I had a great time with the "Half-Dozen" this past weekend! Apparently, our Nintendo Wii was the highlight of us coming to stay with the kids and they thought Aaron was the most fun babysitter EVER. Go figure. He still claims he's ready for kids any time now. He also told the "Half-Dozen" that six kids isn't enough. Eight or nine is his magic number.

Ummmm...absolutely NOT.

Here is a photo of three-year-old Annaliese hugging the rubber chicken I won at a photography seminar last week:

Sick

2009-03-12T08:14:00.003-04:00

Whew! Sorry for week-long blog break.

Aaron and I had a great time in Charleston this past weekend...but I caught some weird sickness on Saturday and am just now starting to feel like my normal self again. After my fever reached 103.8 degrees on Sunday night (my brain felt like it was frying!), I decided it was time to go to the doctor on Monday morning. The doctor diagnosed me with a "severe" sinus infection, prescribed me a Z-Pak, and sent me on my way. My fever persisted until last night and now all that remains is a nasty cough and some chest pain. I'll take a cough and chest pain over a chills, aches, and a fever ANY day.

I've spent most of my down time sleeping and resting this week, so I have lots of photo stuff to catch up on! Check back next week for:

Sunrise photos of Bryn and Tiffany at Folly Beach
Holden - 4 months

Aaron and I are looking forward to spending this weekend with the "Half Dozen"! Read about last year's adventures here and here :)

It's About Time!

2009-03-05T08:14:00.006-05:00

Last May was the first opportunity I had to see my brother (who attends The Citadel military college) march in a parade at school.

What made that particular parade more special than any other during the year was that it was the Graduation Parade honoring the 2008 Senior class and my brother had just completed Recognition Day a few days before. All of the cadets were in full dress (you know - grey pants, white shirt, jacket with tails, and a BIG, rediculous black hat with feathers on it) and they looked SHARP!

After 10 months of trying to "unzip" the photos from my brother's girlfriend's thumb drive, I finally got them off and decided that it was time to edit them.

I LOVE these photos. They're not the best photos I've ever taken, but they're very special because they never let me forget how hard my brother works and how proud we are of him.

My Mom took the photo above a few days before the Graduation Parade (on Recognition Day). I think I know who I got my gift of photography from :) Bryn is on the far left in the front row.

Aaron, Hobbes, and I are going home to Charleston this weekend and we're so excited to see my family. I have a few photo shoots lined up while we're there and I can't wait to share them with you when we return!

Snowed In

2009-03-02T12:29:00.017-05:00

There's nothing like stomping around in 4 inches of snow while dressed in pink pajamas and polka dot rain boots :)

It snowed in the Charlotte area last night (for the third time this winter!) and Aaron and I woke up to snow and lots of ice on the ground this morning. I have spent most of my "snow day" cleaning the house, doing laundry, and ironing...but I did take a few minutes to go outside and take some photos.

I know I've had lots of "photo blogs" lately, but I promise to tell some cute stories about the boys soon!

Cora Paige

2009-02-27T08:13:00.005-05:00

About a month ago, I began following a blog about a 10-month old little girl named Cora who had been diagnosed with cancer. Three weeks after her diagnosis, Cora went to be with Jesus.

I don't know Cora's parents, but through their blog I have learned that they have incredible faith in God and have trusted (and continue to trust) Him through their journey. Even in Cora's death, they praise Him. Now THAT'S the kind of faith I want to have.

Jess and Joel have started a project called "The Cora Playground" in memory of their sweet daughter. The playground will be an extention of the children's ministries department at their church in Kansas.

Cora's mom, Jess, has started an Etsy shop online to help raise money for the Cora Playground. Lots of other Etsy sellers are donating the proceeds from certain items to the Cora Playground, as well. Click on the links and check them out.

Most of the items on Etsy are very reasonably priced. Plus, they're handmade, unique, and super cute! What a perfect place to buy baby gifts!

Please keep Cora's family in your prayers. I can't imagine how difficult their journey is and will continue to be for a long time to come. May God bless you and bring you peace, Jess and Joel.

Little Miss Gracen: Two Months

2009-02-25T08:18:00.008-05:00

Gracen is 2 months old! Can you believe it?

Aaron and had a chance to hang out with Gracen's wonderful Mommy and Daddy this weekend...so I brought my camera along to document how much she has grown and changed in the past few weeks.

One of my favorite parts of photographing children is watching them grow. I look forward to watching Gracen grow for a long time to come :) Check out the rest of Gracen's 2 month photo shoot here.

Natalie and Katy

2009-02-24T08:36:00.006-05:00

Aren't they beautiful?!

Natalie (5 years) and Katy (10 months) were so fun to photograph. Poor little Katy was SO tired when I arrived at her house at 10am on Saturday...but she was a trooper and stayed awake the entire time I was there. Here are a few of my favorite photos of her:

Smiling at Daddy

Yawn!

Now. On to little miss Natalie. Hands down, she is the biggest ham I have ever photographed. The girl started walking in fashion shows when she was 3 and, needless to say, she knows how to pose. And pose. And pose again. She was dancing circles around me...and all I had to do was point and shoot. It doesn't get much easier than that!

Here is my favorite series of Natalie's "model poses":

Work.

It.

Girl.

Many thanks to the York family for having me over to their house to play! Check out the rest of their photo shoot on my SmugMug website.

Busy Saturday

2009-02-23T08:22:00.006-05:00

Oh. My. Goodness.

This past Saturday was crazy.

I completed 3 photo shoots before 3pm (and survived to tell about it)! Photography is very fun, but also very mentally and physically draining for me.

I'm not a "pose and shoot" kind of photographer. I think kids photograph best when they're comfortable...and they're most comfortable in their own environment doing what comes naturally to them.

Before I even take out my camera on a photo shoot, I get to know the child by talking with her, asking about her favorite things, and playing with her. Once she's comfortable with me, she lets me into her world and I'm able to capture her true personality in each photograph. This process is one of my favorite parts of photographing children.

I can't wait to blog this week. Here's what's on the agenda:

Sweet sisters: Natalie (5 years) and Katy (10 months)
Beautiful Miss Gracen (2 months)
The BIG REVEAL of one of my favorite little monkeys of all time (the one I told you about here)

Check back soon for some super cute photos of Natalie and Catie!

Toby-isms

2009-02-20T13:49:00.001-05:00

When I arrive at work each morning, I'm always amazed at how many new words Toby seems to come up with overnight. I think Sam reads the dictionary to him before bed :)

Here are a few silly things Toby has been saying lately that make laugh every time:

Toby walks through the house saying, "Miiiiiiiiiing Woooooong! Wiiiiiiiiiing Woooooooooooooong." When I ask him what he's doing he says, "Doobeaw, Sin! (Doorbell, Allison!) Miiiiiiiiiiing Woooooooooong!" Evidently the doorbell sounds like a Chinese guy's name.
Toby sings most of his words these days. When we're in the car, he looks out the window and sings, "Dare's no suuuuuuuuuun todaaaaaaaaay, Siiiiiiiiiin! Oh-ney coooooooooooouds!" (There's no sun today, Allison! Only clouds!). His little songs make me smile every time.
When Toby tries to get me to let him watch TV, he runs up to me, grabs the sleeve of my sweatshirt, puts his chin down on my arm, looks at me with puppy dog eyes, and says, "Pease pease pease pease pease pease pease peeeeeeeeeeeeeease?!" Where (and when) did he learn how to beg?
When Toby has something he wants to show me, he says, "Wait a min-ite, Sin. I be wite back..." (Wait a minute, Allison. I'll be right back...). Then he turns around and runs full speed into another room in search of whatever it is he wants to show me.
One of Toby's favorite books at the moment is this Winnie the Pooh sing-a-long thing. The microphone pops out of the front and he sings along with the button he chooses (always the "Eyore Likes to Walk Along" song). For some reason the song has been cutting off in the middle of Toby's solo and he gets a little angry. He sings, "Eyore wikes to wok-a-wong, wok-a-wong, wok-a-wong, Eyore wikes to...(song cuts off)...DANG IT! (He pushes the Eyore button again.) "Eyore wikes to wok-a-wong, wok-a-wong, wok...(song cuts off)...DANG IT!" I have NO IDEA where he learned the phrase "dang it" because no one around here says it. It's really hard to keep a straight face when I tell him that the phrase "dang it" is not nice to say.

On our way home from school today, Toby babbled on and on and on and on in the backseat next to Sam. Sam, the most talkative 5-year-old I've ever met, said, "Toby, are you ever going to be quiet? Why do you talk so much?"

The Mom Song

2009-02-19T08:33:00.002-05:00

This video is absolutely fabulous. I know I'm not a mom yet, but I sure do feel like one Monday through Friday!

Watch this video and enjoy all of the cliche phrases we've all heard (and sometimes still hear) our mothers say :)

Our Dear Friend Tom

2009-02-18T14:13:00.000-05:00

Our dear friend Tom is coming to stay with us for a few days this week! I have a great story that goes along with how Aaron and I met Tom and how much our friendship with him has grown over the past few years:

Five years ago, when Aaron and I had just begun dating, he took me to a small, intimate concert at a Christian coffee shop in Pineville, NC called "The Well." A singer/songwriter named Tom Conlon was performing and I had only heard his music on CDs that Aaron had let me borrow.

That night, I was blown away by Tom's incredible voice and talent on the guitar. Aaron still laughs when he reminds me of how I spent most of that evening: sitting on a couch in the front row, legs curled beneath me, eyes closed, swaying from side to side, singing along. Tom is one of the very few artists I've seen in concert that sound better live than they do on CD. It was that night that I became a die-hard Tom Conlon fan.

Over the next few years, Aaron and I went to almost every one of Tom's shows within a 200 mile radius of Rock Hill. We enjoyed getting to know him (and his dog "Roadie") and loved hearing stories about his life and how the songs he wrote came to be.

Fast forward to April 2007. Aaron and I were planning our wedding and trying to figure out what special elements we wanted in our ceremony. For years we had joked that we wanted Tom to play guitar and sing at our wedding, but the dream seemed so far-fetched that we never thought seriously about it. (You see, Tom is a pretty busy guy and we figured he would have more important things to do than sing in our little ol' wedding at a plantation in Charleston...). Just for kicks, I decided to look up his tour schedule and see where he would be on our wedding day (September 8th, 2007).

Now, God likes to do really awesome things...but this was almost creepy. Tom was scheduled to play a show in CHARLESTON on Thursday, September 6th and another on Sunday, September 9th. Whoa.

We ended up booking Tom for our wedding date and gave him free reign to pick all of the songs for our ceremony. Each of the songs he picked were special to us and they took on an entirely new meaning on our wedding day.

I'll never forget the feeling that came over me when Tom began playing "Sacred Things" as I walked down the aisle to meet my groom. Every bit of emotion that had been running though my body for the past few months managed to escape though the tears that streamed down my face.

Thankfully, I was able to compose myself and enjoy our wedding ceremony without blubbering through the entire thing like a complete emotional wreck (which is a miracle in itself!).

I still get teary-eyed when "Sacred Things" comes on my iPod. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, that song always takes me back to a time and place that is more special than words can describe. Aaron and I are SO thankful to have a friend who would take time out of his busy schedule to make our wedding day so unforgettable.

Tom is playing a show at "The Well" in Pineville this coming Saturday, February 21st at 8pm. We would love to see you there!

We love you, Tom! Aaron and I can't wait to visit with you this week (and kick your butt in some Wii boxing and Rock Band!)

Ahhhh...

2009-02-16T12:24:00.005-05:00

I'm currently sitting on the couch at work, enjoying a few moments of peace and quiet while the boys nap, sipping on a tall skinny vanilla latte in an effort to get rid of a killer headache, and reminiscing about the past three days.

Aaron and I were blessed with the opportunity to go to the North Carolina mountains for a romantic getaway this past weekend. We took Friday off from work, packed up the 4-Runner, and escaped to the most fabulous bed and breakfast we've ever seen. I can't remember the last time Aaron and I spent 3 solid days with each other and did nothing but sleep, eat, hike, watch movies, and enjoy each other's company. We had a fabulous time.

I did take some photos of the beautiful place we stayed...but I'll have to post those later this week. Editing the photos may take a few days because I'm still trying to ease my way out of vacation mode :)

More to come soon...

10 Reasons Why I Love My Husband:

2009-02-10T13:43:00.006-05:00

He rocks babies to sleep.
He looks GOOD while rocking babies to sleep :)
He gets up at 3am when a baby we're keeping for the weekend wakes up screaming and rocks him back to sleep.
He cleans the kitchen without me asking him to.
He excels at his job and works really hard to invest in our future.
He can fix almost anything.
He appreciates my love for cooking and baking.
He encourages me to follow my dreams and use my talents.
He's playful.
He loves me even when I'm unlovable.

Melt My Heart :)

2009-02-09T08:27:00.007-05:00

Aaron and I spent this past weekend with our favorite little Lyons. I'll tell you all about it later...but for now, I want to leave you with the sweetest sight I've ever seen:

There's no feeling in the world like seeing my husband snuggle a baby. Oh, what a wonderful Daddy he'll be one day!

Heeeeeey Baby!

2009-02-06T08:26:00.007-05:00

Yesterday, Aaron called and left a message on my phone while Toby and I were at ImaginOn for storytime. After storytime was over, I was trying to listen to Aaron's message but Toby was screaming, "TALK! TALK TO AANEN!"

I called Aaron back but got his voicemail. I left him a message and then handed the phone to Toby.

"Heeeeeeey Baby! I wuv you!" he said.

It doesn't get much cuter than that :)

Ok...maybe it does.

Here is a photo of Toby watching Sesame Street after lunch on Tuesday.

As soon as Elmo came on the TV, he picked up his Elmo costume, handed it to me, and demanded that I put it on him.

He didn't move from this spot for 20 minutes :)

Just A Few More Weeks...

2009-02-03T08:24:00.006-05:00

I've been DYING to introduce you to one of my favorite little girls of ALL TIME. She's beautiful, sassy, and loved by everyone who meets her. She is the center of a story filled with hope, generosity, and unconditional love.

Just a few more weeks and I'll be able to share her story AND her photos.

Until then, I'll keep you hanging with these:

Happy Birfday!

2009-02-02T17:12:00.004-05:00

The conversation Toby and I had as I changed his diaper the other day:

Toby: Sass-in?
Me: Yes, Toby?
Toby: HAPPY BIRFDAY!!!
Me: It's not my birthday, silly boy!
Toby: Yes! HAPPY BIRFDAY, Sin!
Me: No...
Toby: Oh. Happy birfday, head? Happy birfday, feet? Happy birfday toeeeeeeees?
Me (laughing): You're so silly, Toby!
Toby: You siwwy, Sin! HAPPY BIRFDAY!!! Cake? Cake, Sin? Cake? Peeeeeeeease???

There always seems to be a method to Toby's madness. I think he thought that if he could convince me that it was my birthday (or someone's birthday, for that matter), he would get cake for breakfast.

Nice try, Toby. Nice try :)

Time-Out

2009-01-29T16:08:00.004-05:00

This is Toby standing in time-out after his bath on Monday afternoon. I know it's a pitiful sight, but don't feel bad for him. He's a big boy now.

I decided to use my new iPhone to quietly capture this moment that could potentially be used as blackmail one day. Right before I tapped the shutter button, I heard his little voice say, "Cheeeeeeese."

Even during time-out the boy knows how to prepare for a photograph.

Amazing.

And super-cute.

And in feety pajamas nonetheless.

Just for You, Mama...

2009-01-27T13:21:00.013-05:00

Although I meant to blog sometime during the past week, it never happened. Here is what has been keeping me busy lately:

The Boys. Our "snow day" last Tuesday was lots of fun...until my SmartWool socks failed to keep my feet warm inside my uninsulated rain/snow boots. I think I got a small taste of what frostbite might feel like. Seriously. Here are a few photos from our fun morning outside:

Our Fabulous New iPhones! Being the technologically savvy man (i.e. GEEK) he his, Aaron has wanted an iPhone since the day they came out. We had been having problems with Sprint and were able to get out of our service contract with no "early termination fees," so we decided to switch to AT&T and get refurbished iPhones. Aaron had to do quite a bit of talking, but he finally made me see how the numerous benefits of the iPhone could change our lives forever (a little dramatic, I know...). I'm still learning about my iPhone, but I'm pretty sure Aaron has every detail of his figured out. I love that I can check my e-mail, text, listen to music, check the weather, read the Bible, take photos, check my calendar, use a GPS, keep a running grocery list, and SO much more...all thanks to the iPhone. How did I ever live without it?

A Sinus Infection. Oh, the joys of working with children :) I went to the doctor on Saturday and he told me that the stabbing pain in my ears, sore throat, and stuffy head was the result of a sinus infection that had been brewing for weeks. Ewww. He gave me a Z-Pak and sent me on my way. I'm feeling much better now.

Working Out. I found this awesome website that has helped me revamp my workout routine and burn off most of the holiday goodies I enjoyed over the past few months. Freedieting.com has dozens of calculators that help you figure out your daily caloric needs, body fat percentage, ideal body weight, target heart rate, and so much more. This is the workout I've been doing for the past 3 weeks...and I started seeing results after the first few days. Between counting calories and sticking to a structured work-out plan, I've managed to lose 4 percent body fat and gain a few pounds of solid muscle. You can do it, too!

Photography Playdate 2

2009-01-20T07:55:00.011-05:00

Sam and Cooper had another "photography playdate" yesterday...and I thought it would be fun to take photos of them taking photos :)

And you know a photo shoot of mine wouldn't be complete without a photo of Toby's piercing eyes...

and Asher's precious face...

It's currently snowing outside and the boys are ready to go play! Every time Toby looks out the window, she screams, "Gamma Gampa house! Gamma Gampa house!" (Mike's parents live in Iowa and it's the only place Toby has ever seen snow).

Be on the lookout for some SNOW photos in the next few days :)

I Have A Confession to Make...

2009-01-19T14:37:00.006-05:00

This is really embarrassing - but it's time for me to stop hiding. I'll feel so much better once I admit this to you...

I LOVE the new Britney Spears album.

Don't hate. I wish I didn't like her music...but I do.

I think Britney has been a terrible role model for this generation's youth...and I'm still not convinced that she can really sing outside of the studio...but I think it's great that she is dealing with her issues and getting healthy. She is one HECK of an entertainer - and she makes really good work-out music. Thanks, Britney.

Just added to the "Cardio" play list on my purple iPod mini:

"Womanizer" - Britney Spears
"Circus" - Britney Spears
"Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" - Beyonce

Oh, yes.

Treadmill, here I come...

The Charlotte Family Buzz

2009-01-16T08:33:00.001-05:00

As the Nanny of two engergetic, inquisitive, curious little boys, I'm always looking for new activities to do with them everyday.

Liz told me about The Charlotte Family Buzz earlier this week...and it's so great! Click on the link and it'll give you the "buzz" about what's going on around Charlotte for kids and families. The best part about the activities listed on this site is that you can participate in many of them for little or NO cost!

Toby and I are going to "Boogie Woogie Books" at ImaginOn today...and he's so excited. If you're anywhere near Uptown this morning, join us at 11:15 for some singing, dancing, and reading!

Tragedy at The Citadel

2009-01-15T08:09:00.006-05:00

I am deeply disturbed this morning.

As you know, my brother attends The Citadel military college in Charleston, SC. At 9 o'clock last night, Bryn called my parents to tell them that a Junior in his company had been found dead in the barracks. All signs point to suicide.

I talked to Bryn for a while last night and he's having a hard time processing everything that happened. Out of respect for the cadet's family and The Citadel, I don't want to reveal any of the details my brother shared with me until we know exactly what happened.

Please keep the Citadel Cadets (specifically the men of November Company) in your prayers. Pray for peace of mind, comfort, healing, rest, and support for the cadets. I can't imagine how difficult the next few days and weeks will be for each of them.

Piano Lessons and ABCD's

2009-01-14T14:01:00.005-05:00

Over the holidays, Mike and Liz took some great videos of the boys that I wanted to share with you.

This first video is Sam at his first piano recital in November! He had been taking lessons at Queens University every Wednesday for about 10 weeks before this performance. As you can see, he was a little shy (or NOT!). His next semester of piano lessons starts tonight!

This next video is Toby singing his "ABCD's" (as he calls them). He's talking SO MUCH these days! Can you imagine? I wonder which 5-year-old brother he gets that from?

If you want to see more videos of the boys, Mike and Liz have many more posted on their YouTube acocunt.

Little Miss Gracen

2009-01-11T21:08:00.015-05:00

When my friend Lindsay told me that her friends Diane and John wanted me to take photos of their 3-week-old baby, Gracen, I was beyond excited. I absoutely love photographing children...and there's something about capturing photos of a baby in her first few weeks of life that is extra-special. Gracen is one of the most laid-back babies I've ever met and she was a dream to photograph.

I think I spent just as much time talking to and getting to know Diane and John as I did taking photos of Gracen. I left their house on Saturday with new friends and some great photos of their beautiful family.

Here are a few of my favorites:

I have a feeling that Aaron and I will be seeing lots more of Diane, John, and baby Gracen :) I can't wait to watch their family grow!

Don't Do It.

2009-01-06T14:26:00.001-05:00

Along with 95 percent of the rest of the world, Aaron and I are trying to ring in the new year with better eating habits and wiser food choices.

During a moment of weakness this afternoon, I texted Aaron:

I've been doing really well watching my calories today...but I want chocolate or sugar so badly right now. QUICK! Talk me out of it!

My loving, bluntly honest husband's reply:

Don't do it. It will add jiggle to your outer thighs.

See? I knew he would do a good job of talking me down from the ledge...and I love him for it.

:)

Vacation 2009

2009-01-06T08:21:00.003-05:00

Now that the year 2009 is officially upon us, Aaron and I have begun thinking about where we would like to vacation this summer. It'll be hard to beat Oregon, but we sure as heck will try.

We're thinking somewhere where there are no beds. Or toilets. Or showers. Or restaurants.

Just each other, the great outdoors, our backpacks, and (hopefully) two best friends who will share the journey with us.

We're thinking Yellowstone. Or Grand Teton. Or the Grand Canyon.

We'll keep you updated :)

Hayes and Hailey

2009-01-02T08:13:00.011-05:00

I was excited when my aunt Krystle (who is only 4 years older than me!) asked me to take photos of her son Hayes and step-daughter Hailey on Christmas day in Charleston. Nine-year-old Hailey loves the camera and is one of the most photogenic children I've ever worked with. Four-year-old Hayes is a ball of energy and a complete ham.

Here's what I got after chasing them around the yard for 2 hours:

The skateboard Hayes is holding has lots of special memories for my family. It belonged to Krystle's older brother (my mom's younger brother and my uncle) Eddie. More than 15 years ago, we used to ride the skateboard down the driveway of my grandparents' house, carry it back up, and ride down again. Sometimes we would ride solo on our bellies. Sometimes we would ride double with our legs folded up in front of us. Sometimes we would get our fingers smashed between the underside of the board and the wheels. Oh, we have so many memories associated with that skateboard...

When Eddie died tragically in 1996 at the age of 18, my grandmother gave his skateboard to my brother, Bryn (the only other boy on my mom's side of the family). When Hayes comes to my parents' house, he rides the skateboard down the driveway, carries it back up, and rides down again. It was amazing for me to be with my family on Christmas day, reminisce about years past, and see a new generation play with the same toys that were the center of so many wonderful memories in my childhood.

Here's to a year of many more memories and photographs :)

Five-Year-Old Photography

2008-12-30T15:04:00.008-05:00

My wonderful friend Tonia had the best idea for a play date today:

Give Cooper and Sam one disposable camera each, teach them how to take their own photographs, drop the cameras at a one-hour developing center, and let them each make a poster with their printed photos.

Great idea, huh?

I gave each of the boys a 27-exposure Fuji Film camera and taught them how wind the film, look through the viewfinder, and press the shutter button. After Sam and Cooper took their first photos, they immediately asked to see their photographs. I tried to explain that the cameras were film instead of digital, but I'm not sure they really understood. They don't remember the days before digital cameras...and that makes me feel really old :(

Anyway...we walked down to a little lake at the Arboretum and the boys snapped away. Tonia and I taught them basic photography skills (framing the subject, landscape versus portrait photographs, foreground and background, shooting from different angles, etc.) and encouraged them to photograph lots of different objects.

Film has always been my favorite form of photography and I couldn't wait to see what the boys came up with. Because you can't peek at the photos until they're developed, there's a sense of mystery and excitement that goes along with shooting film.

What do the boys see through their viewfinders? Do they have an "eye" for photography? Do they enjoy photography enough to learn how to use a real camera one day?

The boys' photos did not disappoint. Both Sam and Cooper got some great shots! Here are three of my favorites that Sam took:

Pretty good for a five-year-old! I think he might have "the eye"... :)

No Jink!

2008-12-29T16:31:00.000-05:00

I really missed the boys over Christmas break! Aaron pointed out a few days ago that I talk about them all the time - but especially when I'm on vacation :)

Monday is a bath day for the boys and also the day I do their laundry. While they're playing with millions of bath toys in the tub, I take advantage of the fact that they are both entertained and contained to a 2-foot-by-4 foot space by folding and putting away their laundry.

While I was in the hallway outside the bathroom putting the boys' shirts on hangers, I heard Toby start to cough.

Toby: (coughing) Sa-ssin? (The newest form of "Mrs. Allison" - although "Sin" is still used quite often...)
Me: Yes, Toby?
Toby: No jink! (No drink!)
Me: Did you drink some bath water?
Toby: (long pause...) Ummmmmmm. Yes.
Me: Are you supposed to drink bath water?
Toby: No! Yucky!
Me: That's right. Please don't drink any more bath water, okay?
Toby: Okay.
---- 2 minutes later ----
Toby: (coughing) Sa-ssin?
Me: Yes, Toby?
Toby: No jink! No jink!

Ugh. If he only understood how gross that water is...

Christmas 2008

2008-12-27T21:45:00.006-05:00

Wow.

This Christmas has been the best one in a really long time.

The best gift I could receive is time with my family for the holidays...and we got a lot of family time in the past week!

In addition to lots of family time, Aaron and I were blessed with many thoughtful, useful, and generous gifts. I'll post more about those later when we get them in the house and I can take a few photos :)

I hope you all had a fun, safe, and blessed holiday season!

It's Official...

2008-12-21T08:22:00.007-05:00

Sean's spare Nikon D200 camera body is offically ours! After putting aside the money from shooting two weddings with Sean plus some babysitting in-between, the camera I have borrowed all year long and grown to love is mine forever :)

In honor of the new addition to our family, I posed for some photos with her in Sean's makeshift "studio" as he set up a place to take Christmas photos of the boys.

I'd like to introduce you to...

Me and our beautiful new camera :)

Now, she just needs a name...

Busy Week

2008-12-19T13:15:00.004-05:00

By the end of this week, I will have:

spent 65 hours working
been to one of the best concerts of the year
baked a ridiculous amount of Christmas goodies
finished my Christmas shopping
wrapped too many Christmas presents
opened a few gifts with Aaron on our very own "Christmas Morning" (Sunday!)
worked enough for this guy to officially own his spare Nikon D200 camera body (seriously!)

Oh, what a wonderful week it's been. And next week will be even better! Can't wait :)

The Music Genome Project

2008-12-17T14:15:00.005-05:00

If you've never heard of Pandora Radio, you should check it out now. These people are geniuses.

So...let's say you fall in love with the music of Robbie Seay while on vacation in Oregon a few months ago. You have his CDs, but your husband is tired of listening to Robbie Seay and won't stay in the room (or car) with you if his music is playing. I...I mean you...obviously need some new music but don't know where to find artists with a similar sound.

Enter: Pandora.com.

Type in "Robbie Seay." Pandora creates a free radio station for you with other artists' songs that have a similar sound to his (like Passion, Hillsong, Tree63, Jeremy Camp, and the David Crowder Band among many others).

When you feel like listening to rap music while cleaning your house, type your favorite rapper's name into the seach bar and enjoy the selection of music that the geniuses at Pandora put together for you.

Come across a song you never want to hear again? Give it a "thumbs down" and Pandora will remember to never play it on your station again.

Read more about the Music Genome Project here. And get a free Pandora account. You'll love it.

The Blanket Sleeper

2008-12-12T16:36:00.000-05:00

While searching for the perfect birthday present for Sam, I browsed through the boys' section at Target. Hoping to find a Spiderman, Superman, or Batman t-shirt, I happened upon a big rack of these:

The Blanket Sleeper

There were Sam- and Toby-sized blanket sleepers...and then there were Mrs. Allison-sized blanket sleepers. No kidding.

I don't know why, but it gives me the heebie jeebies to think about anyone over the age of 5 in a blanket sleeper. When I went to the Target website, my suspicions were confirmed. Go here, click on "guest reviews," and scroll down to read the first and last reviews.

The last review sounds like something my crazy brother would write just to mess with people, but it's creepy nonetheless.

Yikes.

I Love This Boy...

2008-12-11T14:48:00.003-05:00

Me and Littlest Lyon :)

Happy Birthday, Sam!

2008-12-11T10:26:00.003-05:00

Sam is 5-years-old today! Can you believe it?!

I've been sick all week, so I owe the birthday boy a photo shoot and some home-made cupcakes next week. Stay tuned for new photos...

Happy Birthday, big guy! Mr. Aaron and I love you very much :)

Ugh.

2008-12-10T15:16:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack of new blog entries this week.

I caught a nasty stomach virus on Monday and have been trying to recover ever since.

I'll be back in the swing of things soon. I hope.

Rock-A-Bye Baby

2008-12-06T21:58:00.001-05:00

Rocking babies to sleep is one of my favorite activities.

There's nothing like that little head lying on my chest and those tiny hands clinging to my arms as we rock back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. So peaceful. So relaxing. So safe.

Toby doesn't need me to rock him anymore. Soon, Asher won't need me to rock him anymore, either.

I often find myself anticipating the next big step or accomplishment in the lives of the many children in my life.

Tonight, as I rocked Asher to sleep, I was reminded that always anticipating the future causes me to miss out on the present.

Live for today. Enjoy what's in front of you. Invest time in meaningful relationships today and stop putting it off until tomorrow. Rock a baby to sleep because one day he'll be bigger than you :)

Brett and Nicholas

2008-12-05T16:57:00.001-05:00

When my friend Brett approached me about taking some photos of him and his brother as a Christmas gift for his mom, he openly admitted that he knew nothing about photography.

"We want to frame a huge photo for my mom," he told me. "How will you make the prints? In a dark room?"

Oh, boy.

After giving him a brief overview of the wonders of digital photography and online photo services, we scheduled a photo shoot for the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Too bad the forecast called for rain...ALL DAY.

Instead of sticking to our original plan for a sunset shoot, I convinced them to be ready to take photos at 8am.

Somehow, the rain held off just long enough for me to get a few usable shots for their Mom's Christmas gift. This is the photo they chose to have enlarged to 24"x36" canvas print:

Here are some individual photos that I thought their mom might like, as well:

Nicholas

Brett

I'm learning a lot about photography these days. Although I'm used to shooting with a photographer who knows a lot more than I do and is always there to answer my questions, it's important for me to get experience shooting on my own.

It's good for me to make my own mistakes and learn from them.

It's good for me to learn how to make the most of gray skies and wet weather.

It's good for me to tackle obstacles on my own every now and then.

It's never fun being pushed out of my comfort zone, but it's necessary for growth and maturity.

In what areas of your life are you becoming comfortable yet stagnant? Push through your complacency into unknown territory and see how much you'll grow. I dare you :)

When It Rains, It Pours

2008-12-04T13:34:00.005-05:00

Isn't it so true? When one thing goes wrong, new problems seem to come out of the woodwork and fall in one right behind the other. It's been that way over the past few weeks for Aaron and me.

My car has been having problems for the past few weeks. It still runs, but not very smoothly. We had it tested at AutoZone and found out that either two oxygen sensors are bad (a problem that Aaron can easily fix) or the mass air flow sensor is bad (a problem that will take big money to fix). When we have time, we'll take it to a shop and have the exact problem diagnosed. In the meantime, Aaron and I have switched cars (he only drives 5 miles each day).

Aaron has been sick for more than a week with congestion and a crazy cough. No matter how much NyQuil he takes, his cough intensifies at night and neither of us gets much sleep. It's not easy for either of us to do our best at work if we're tired and cranky.

Hobbes is sick with what we think is a urinary tract infection. He has always been the most laid-back, easygoing cat...but for the past two days he has been in a lot of pain, unable to use the litter box, and extremely grumpy. Hobbes has never been sick before, so I called my mom in tears this morning, hoping that she would be able to comfort me from 300 miles away. She has three cats of her own, so she knows how it feels to drop one of your animals off in a strange place with strange people. I got teary-eyed when I handed Hobbes over to the Vet and she assured me they would take good care of him. We're still waiting to hear exactly what's wrong with him.

When trying times like these overwhelm me, all I can do is look to the Lord and trust Him to take care of me and my family. Thank you, Lord, for taking care of us.

"Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always."
-- 1 Chronicles 16:11

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

2008-12-01T08:25:00.011-05:00

I had the best Thanksgiving vacation with my sweet husband!

We've been insanely busy for the past few months...so it was nice to spend a weekend at our house, decorate for Christmas, and have lots of time to just relax.

Aaron and I bought our Christmas tree on Saturday! This is our first Christmas in the new house, so we've anticipated decorating our home for Christmas since we moved in January. We're big supporters of our local farmer's market, so we drove by on Saturday afternoon to view their selection of trees. After walking around for 10 minutes, Aaron and I saw the perfect tree at the same time:

Isn't it cute?!

Putting lights on the Christmas tree is our least favorite part of decorating.

All done :)

Aaron and I spent the entire year collecting unique ornaments from every place we vacationed or visited. Our families also gave us lots of memorable ornaments that we can tell our kids about someday. Here are a few of our favorites:

These angels (there's another one on the reverse side) are made from oyster shells and moss. My parents gave it to us as a gift last Christmas and every time I look at it, I'm reminded of Charleston.

We brought this cute little moose back from Crater Lake, Oregon. One day, I'll tell my kids that the day we visited Crater Lake, we were too tired to walk around because we spent 10 hours climbing Mt. Thielsen the day before :)

This little beaver is Aaron's favorite Christmas ornament ever. Aaron's parents bought it from Hallmark when he was a little boy we can't find another one like it anywhere. Mom and Dad Fowler gave us the beaver ornament a few months ago for Aaron's birthday.

And here is our cute little mantle! I love Hobbes' stocking. It says "MEOW" on the top :)

There's nothing like listening to Christmas music, eating sugar cookies, drinking eggnog, sitting by the fire, gazing at our beautifully decorated tree, and remembering why we celebrate this time of year. Through all of the hustle and bustle of the next few weeks, remember that Jesus is the reason for the season :)

It Won't Work

2008-11-25T16:35:00.004-05:00

Every single morning while the boys and I are eating breakfast, Sam tells me, "Mrs. Allison, you're beautiful today! Then, Toby chimes in and says, "Bu-ful day, Sin! You bu-ful day!"

After Toby and I dropped Sam off at school this morning, we stopped by somewhere special to pick up something special for someone special :) After telling Toby twice that he needed to keep his hands in the cart and not touch anything, his sticky little fingers snuck out of the cart and onto something breakable once more. I lowered my eyes to his, scolded him for not listening, and told him there would be a consequence if he disobeyed again.

The child looked straight at me with those big blue eyes, sighed a sigh of surrender, and said, "Bu-ful day, Sin! You bu-ful day!"

He just turned two-years-old and he's already attempting to manipulate me. Very cute, but it won't work :)

Priscilla and Chase: Slide Show

2008-11-21T07:47:00.002-05:00

After each wedding we shoot, Sean compiles some of our best photos and puts them into a slide show to send to the bride and groom.

I'm really proud of our work from Priscilla and Chase's wedding. Check it out:

(Oh, and make sure your volume is turned up so you can hear the song.)

Toby Loves Aaron

2008-11-20T15:13:00.000-05:00

Every time my phone rings, Toby says, "A-nen! A-nen!"

Translation: Aaron.

When Toby is alone in the back seat of my car, he'll usually have this same dialogue every day:

"Hi A-nen! Ha you? Dood. Bye bye." (Hi Aaron! How are you? Good. Bye bye.) I have no idea why, but he repeats those four phrases over and over and over.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about:

It's a good thing that Toby likes Aaron so much because we're spending this entire weekend with the boys while Mike and Liz go out of town. I'm sure I'll have lots of interesting stories to share on Monday!

Fire Safety

2008-11-17T19:23:00.008-05:00

I talked to my dad on the phone earlier. He's a Batallion Chief at Mount Pleasant Fire Department in Charleston, SC.

In the middle of our conversation, the tones went off at the fire house and we had to say "goodbye" abruptly.

He called me back a little while later and said he had just returned from a chimney fire.

Just in case you aren't able read the instructions on the Duraflame starter log wrapper, YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BURN 5 AT A TIME!

Don't be ignorant this winter. Check out these Winter and Holiday Fire Safety Tips from the United States Fire Administration. They might just save your house. And your life.

A Beautiful Wedding in the Valley...

2008-11-16T19:33:00.009-05:00

The Bride

The Groom

Knockout couple, gorgeous wedding, beautiful hearts.

Congratulations, Priscilla and Chase!

(Photos by Sean Lyon)

Escaping to the Mountains

2008-11-14T07:32:00.003-05:00

Aaron and I are escaping to the mountains of North Carolina this weekend to do a little vacationing...and a little bit of work.

Tomorrow, we're helping Sean shoot the wedding of this gorgeous couple. I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to photograph such beautiful people...

The weather is supposed to be crazy in Boone this weekend. Forecasted rain for today and tomorrow and SNOW on Sunday! What a perfect weekend to visit the mountains :)

Aaron and I took today off from work so we could enjoy the mountain drive, explore any hiking trails we might find, and maybe even journey down the Blue Ridge Parkway a bit.

Look out! I think this weekend's adventures might just fuel another "Fowler Family Photo Contest!" Stay tuned...

Hallelujah!

2008-11-12T19:27:00.004-05:00

It's no secret that I love to bake. You may not know, however, that I'm not a big fan of searching for obscure tools or ingredients needed to bake certain desserts.

Enter: the "Deep Dish 9-Inch Pie Plate."

It has been my foe for many years now, that Deep Dish 9-Inch Pie Plate. I can never find one and it hinders my ability to make many beautiful, delicious, magnificent pies. I'm making a Praline Pumpkin pie for tomorrow night's dessert with friends...and guess what kind of pie plate it requires? That's right...

So...I made a trip to Wal-Mart this evening to buy a few ingredients AND a Deep Dish 9-Inch Pie Plate. Would it surprise you to hear that Wal-Mart doesn't sell Deep Dish 9-Inch Pie Plates?

After walking around the baking section of Wal-Mart for 20 minutes hoping that I had just overlooked the section of glass bake ware containing the Deep Dish 9-Inch Pie Plate, I surrendered and started thinking about what else I could use instead. A cake pan? A spring form pan? Two regular-sized 9-inch pies instead of one deep-dish? Oh, the frustration...

I mosied on over to the freezer section to pick up some pre-made pie crust. And then I saw it:

Mrs. Smith's 9-Inch DEEP DISH Pie Crusts already in an oven-safe (and reusable) pan!

No sooner than I read "Deep Dish" and dove for the freezer door, I heard it. The "Hallelujah Chorus" over the intercom.

Seriously. I'm creative, but not that creative. I could never make this stuff up, people.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! As the "Hallelujahs" kept coming, I held the Deep Dish 9-Inch Pie Crusts in my hands and laughed to myself. The weirdest things happen to me...

I'm going to bake my first Deep Dish 9-Inch Praline Pumpkin pie now.

HALLELUJAH!

When I'm All Grown-Up...

2008-11-12T14:23:00.004-05:00

If I had a dime for every time Sam has said something funny in my car on the way to school, I'd be rich. The "oh, man...that's going on the blog" moments are very frequent around here.

This morning's on-the-way-to-school conversation:

Sam: You know, Mrs. Allison...you're beautiful today.
Toby: Bu-ful day, Sin! Bu-ful day!!!
Me: Ahh...thank you boys! You never miss a day of telling me I'm beautiful.
Sam: Yeah. You know, Mrs. Allison...when I'm all grown up and I don't need you anymore, I'll have kids of my own. And maybe you could come babysit them for me while I go to work.
Me: Oh, I would LOVE that!
Sam: I'm glad...because you're a lot of fun. I want my kids to have a lot of fun with you like me and Toby do. And...Mrs. Allison?
Me: Yes?
Sam: Make sure you remember to give me your phone number when I'm a grown-up so I can call you, OK?
Me: Sure thing.

If that doesn't make your heart smile, I don't know what will :)

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

2008-11-11T13:37:00.000-05:00

With Fall settling in and Winter on its way, I thought I'd share one of my absolute favorite soup recipes with you. Believe me - this stuff is yummy and so easy to make.

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup yellow onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pinch nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cups shredded medium Cheddar cheese

In a medium pot, melt the 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme cook, stirring, until fragrant, for 20 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring until the mixture is well blended and smells fragrant, 2 minutes. Slowly add the chicken stock, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring, until tender, for 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender. (Alternatively, in batches, puree in a blender or food processor and return to the pot.)

Add the cream and bring to bare simmer to heat through. Add the cheese and cook over low heat, stirring, until melted. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter, stirring to blend.

Remove from the heat and ladle the soup into bowls.

Here are a few tricks I learned along the way while making this soup:

Instead of buying 87 cans of chicken broth to fuel my soup-making for the Fall and Winter months, I buy a few jars of chicken and beef bouillon granules (found in any grocery store next to the canned or boxed broths). Add one teaspoon of bouillon granules to one cup of water and - VIOLA! - you have instant broth without spending a ton of money or taking up half of the space in your pantry.
If you're trying to cut fat, only add half of the cream (or omit it altogether). The cream does add a lot of richness to the soup, but it still tastes good without those extra calories.
The easiest way I've found to puree the soup is to put it into a blender and hit the "puree" button. So easy. I've also been known to eat this soup without pureeing it. It's chunky, but still very yummy.

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Bryn and Tiffany

2008-11-08T22:29:00.009-05:00

My awesome brother and his sweet girlfriend:

Aren't they precious? Aaron and I love you two!

Crazy

2008-11-07T08:42:00.005-05:00

Life has been so crazy lately (hence very few blogs in the past couple of weeks).

Not much time for anything but the boys, Aaron, photography, family, friends, and baking.

If those people and activities are what continue to fill my time through the holidays, I can definitely deal with "crazy" :)

I'll try to fit blogging in somewhere...

Family Photos

2008-11-04T13:56:00.007-05:00

This past weekend, Aaron and I went to Charleston to celebrate my parents' birthdays. While we were there, I took some photos of my cousin Hayes, Aunt Krystle, and her fiance Brian.

Here are a few of my favorites:

You can view the rest of the photos from this past weekend at my new SmugMug website.

GO VOTE!

2008-11-04T10:05:00.003-05:00

I just voted!

I waited in line at our local fire station for 3 hours in the cold wind and drizzle.
I now have a fever, the sniffles, and am chilled to the bone...

But it was worth it.

GO VOTE!

Hangin' with Batman and Superman...

2008-10-31T15:58:00.004-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Sweet Silence

2008-10-29T14:37:00.003-04:00

I used to hate silence. I used to turn the TV or radio on just to have some background noise. Somehow, the noise prevented me from feeling lonely and thinking too much.

And then Toby turned 2.

I thought that child would never learn to talk...but, boy, was I wrong.

Toby learns new words every day (and pronounces most of them wrong...which makes him extra-cute). He says the cutest little three-word-sentences. He repeats everything anyone says to him. He talks constantly (just like his brother). He spells everything. He's never quiet. Ever.

Now I treasure my quiet time each day while the boys nap. Sometimes it's the only time I have to myself all day. Sometimes it's the only time I get to think clearly all day.

Ahhh...sweet silence...

Happy Birthday, Baby!

2008-10-27T13:18:00.008-04:00

Recognize this little guy?

That's right. It's Aaron...almost 25 years ago :) I just wanna kiss that cute little face!

Happy Birthday, Baby! I love you!