This is the time of year that I have a chance to slow down, plan for the coming year, take in a workshop, bake cookies…chocolate chip of course, and take sibling’s school photos.

Little brothers.

This is Brandon. Brandon is my youngest sibling. He has a heart of gold and will do almost anything for you.

Mischievous…of course. Stubborn…uh, huh.

This is Jordan. Jordan is 14 and likes to think he is 18. We have all been there…it passes, right? Okay. He is an excellent babysitter and does so quite often for me. In fact, my kiddos have learned all kinds of useful info from him…like how to jump ramps with skateboards, to hang on tightly when you go for Gator rides, where to hunt for crows, how to build and then jump pillow towers in the living room, and Play Station strategies.

No really, they are growing up so fast and I love having my boys play with their big uncles.

This is Brandon’s “picture” smile and seriously, it was almost impossible to break it. It’s like a mixture of “I am kinda bored and I really don’t want to smile too big and look cheesy” smile.

I really do love my little brothers. Happy Monday.

Texture and color from the big city…mmmmmm.

Girl friends. God knew I needed them.

They understand me. Quite possibly better than I can myself. They push me forward. Watch my back. Ask me to trust them. Don’t flatter…will say the tough truth. Ask me to live with Life. Let me vent. Give me perspective. Tears, anger, laughter, highs and lows…we have shared it. Over the phone, late night McDonald fries, at the park with the kids…we put into words “our issues” and somehow we walk away “all better”. Seriously, these girls are such a significant part of my life.

Ann is the queen of quotes and she shares them and I love’em. So this one ended up in my inbox yesterday…

“Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.” Henry Van Dyke.

And with it were her words, “I am a firm believer in the little things of life. For the little things, are indeed, the big things of life….if we have the eyes to perceive them as such. Rejoice then , for the chance to live.”

So have a super weekend. Snow. Lots of it is in the forecast. Yes! And the Superbowl. Smile.

If you happen to be in Lancaster Friday evening and you happen to want cool valentine cards and you would like to support Haiti, check this out…

Thanks to Nicola and Carrie for organizing! See more info and fun details on Facebook.

We arrived at her house before the sun rose. The ground was frosty and the stars were shining. We climbed the steps to her bedroom. Fannie Lynn and her sister talked quietly as they finished hair and did final make-up touch ups. Little brother, all shiny in his suit, stood shyly outside the bedroom door, watching and grinning. When it was time for  Lavern to arrive, he found her before she even could come down the stairs. Beaming smiles, exuberant hugs, and excited laughter followed…setting the tone for the day.

I always walk away from a wedding blessed by some aspect of the day. This time it was the close family, heartfelt stories, tight hugs, tears of happiness, and genuine laughter. Oh, and the amazing peanut butter pie I was sent home with.

Thanks to Colleen from Capture This Photography for working with me!

Lavern and Fannie Lynn, thank-you for including us in your day. I am quite certain you have many, many good years ahead.

I will let their  slide show and photos tell their story….

Happy birthday to my little “big boy”! Six today. Somebody tell me how that happened, please.

A green crocodile cake has been his requested “next birthday cake” ever since his last birthday. So I will be serving a green crocodile cake, complete with marshmallow eyes and malted milk ball nostrils….to little boy friends. Happy Friday to you to. Smile!

To say that the business has been a learning process for me is a huge understatement. I knew nothing. Nothing. So I am learning. And learning. And I think the dots are starting to connect and I am starting to understand what works and what doesn’t work. More precisely, what works for me. Branding, networking, marketing, outsourcing…all snazzy terms terms that meant nothing to me, but now they suck me in…it intrigues me. So something I have noticed as I have worked with others is the value of connecting and relationships. I am always drawn to warmth, personality, and genuineness. Aren’t we all.

When Christine contacted me regarding head shots, I asked her to take a look at my website to better understand my style. I was a bit concerned I could not offer what she was looking for. But in her words, “Boring head shots are the problem.” She wanted her billboards/business cards/ads to portray genuineness and personality…a real smile in a good location.

Thanks to Jolyn from In His Image Photography for helping out. Christine was a pleasure to work with! Let me share a few.

You know how some coats are warm, but they just don’t let you move? Others are comfy, but don’t do the job when the snow is flying. There always is the baggy, brown coat with the blue plaid hood that I have had for years and years….yeah, it  ummm…looks like it belongs in the ‘woman’ section at Sears…a few years ago. And then I found it…buried on the clearance rack at Target. It’s soft, black, and long. Soft as in it reminds me of a blanket. Black as in it goes with anything. Long as in I can wear it over sweats if I really want to and you might not notice…perfect for “I don’t feel like dressing up days”. It’s warm and basic, but classic. So it feels perfect and easy and I wear it all the time.

So it is with sisters.

My sisters are companions. As easy to be with as my soft, black coat. We cry together, laugh together, shop together, wear each other’s clothing, and stick together through thick and thin.

This is my little sister. She is well, not so little anymore. I keep reminding her…take life slow, you are only seventeen. I want to keep her safe, protect her from hurt. To somehow make life all smooth. But that’s not my job, I couldn’t even if I wanted to. So I will stick with her through thick and thin. Take her shopping. Let her borrow my boots. Cry with her. Laugh at things we “get” because we grew up together. And tell her to reach for the stars.

Meet my little sister, Amber. I love her to pieces.

What do you think? We wanted a scarf…so this rolled up shirt kinda works?

She picked out this spot. The light was getting really low, but I love the colors and craziness.

Been wanting to shoot in a laundromat for a long time…think I will go back and play with it some more.

One of my favorites…love the soft light.

Happy weekend to you!

Quiet. That is, until you get to know him and his dry sense of humor.

He loves all sports, but football takes the lead and is his passion.

Just hanging with family and friends is cool.

Looking forward to attending college for architectural engineering.

You can’t help but like him and wanna be his friend too. Meet Darren.

So I don’t know if all kids do this…

Collect everything. Everything! On any given moment Adler will be carrying a number of random “treasures”. It varies from day to day. Today it happens to be a brightly colored unsharpened pencil, a tiny super ball, an old cell phone, and a pack of gum. Today these objects are his treasures and they go with him wherever he goes. To bed at nap time. Outside in the coat pocket. In the car as we run errands. When it is time to stash and “hide” treasures…guess where they all go? In his bed…he sleeps in the top bunk. Either under his pillow or jammed between the wall and the mattress. And so his treasures collect. And collect. If something turns up missing…this is where we look. And then we remove colored papers, plastic dinosaurs, toy guns, lollipops, his favorite soccer t-shirt, and whatever else was deemed as “treasure”.

So he does his little boy things. Smile!

Happy weekend!

I think her coat is quite perfect.

It was a gift from Grandma, I believe. It was not a planned part of the outfits, but turned out to be some of the fave shots.

Allie and Sophie are best sisters.

The whole family and one of their selected “bestest” shots.