Freebie Friday!!! I HAVE A WINNER!!!

Its not as BIG as my other giveaways have been but its so cute! Its a black, faux leather w/white stitch, tri-fold frame for three 4x6 photos! I just took the plastic wrap off it to take this photo - its brand new from the Ikea store in Massachusetts! (If you have not been there, its so neat, I recommend a girls day/shopping trip just to have a look at all the neat things). The THIRD person to email me with your mailing address gets this shipped dirctly to their home!!! I will announce when I have a winner - I hope this is fun for readers too...so show me by participating and I'll keep doing this!!!

Good luck!!
~Kel~

Its Friday!!!!

I love Fridays! Its like my brain just knows the weekend is coming and about noon today it will decide to shut right down and go into weekend mode. I hope to be productive this morning...well...I hope to be productive every morning and usually something gets in the way but at least I start out on the right foot. I think later today at some point I'll have a little giveaway! (I love doing those!) So if you're checking early, check back again!

Makenna sounds like a barking seal and I just had to give her another treatment with the nebulizer so she can breathe. She shared her cold with me and I feel it resting right inside my chest. I just keep thinking I'd rather have this than the flu! I guess if you escape the flu, you're lucky with the epidemic going on across the country. I just hope my Super Mom forcefield holds up until the flu mess passes by and I can continue to care for my little darlings.

BUSINESS STUFF:
Im officially part of the Think Pink Photography network. Its a super organization supporting families touched by breast cancer. You can go to their site at http://www.thinkpinkphotography.org/ If you know someone touched by breast cancer, please show them this link and let them know I am a participating photographer!

Did you know I do labor and delivery photography? I combine the maternity, L&D and welcome home (done within the first week) into one series. I have a sample online at http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewshow.html?fl=2871864&alb=0 Its a few minutes long and you will have to download the program to watch it. I love feedback on everything I put here so if you've got comments, suggestions, etc., I'd love to hear from you!

Next order of business. I am looking for a boy and a girl graduating high school in the year 2009 from each of the surrounding schools to be reps for me. I have a great package to offer the students who might be interested in doing this. Please have them contact me to discuss the details. Okay....I'm off to give my kids some drugs (the kind for colds). I plan to come back again later for that giveaway so dont forget to check back!

Til next time.......

~Kel~

A day in the life....(sort of)

Like every week day, the girls and I were here alone and I decided to document the kinds of things they do each day with each other before Makenna goes off to school next fall and Marleigh turns into a complete couch potato with nobody to play with. Makenna wasn't feeling her best but when she was up for play, she had some great ideas. The day started slow with some cartoons on Noggin.

I took this one of Marleigh's footed jammies because I dont think she'll wear them next year (that's when all my kids rejected them). Not only does she look cozy - she still looks like a baby in them when she's toddling down the hallway and curled up on the couch. Im hanging on to that baby part as long as I can!!
Late morning they decided it was time for a tea party picnic. I had to make a point of telling Makenna that she was only allowed two snacks on this adventure -last time she had the blanket spread out on the livingroom floor and quite the spread going on! Enough to feed an army. She learned about mixing snacks at Mrs. Potter's class and that's the trend now too - mix three together (usually something like goldfish, popcorn and pretzels). Makenna's first mix had yogurt, grapes, pretzels, apple sauce and goldfish. She mixed it all up and tasted it. She told me she "wasn't really hungry right now and she was gonna leave it for dad because it was so delicious!" :) Here they are toasting each other!
Next they went to play upstairs. It was really quiet so I grabbed my camera and went looking for them. I found them in my room - all snug in my bed! They love to be in my bed - I don't blame them, it is heaven for me at the end of the day too! (its a sleep number and I recommend it highly!)

From there they decided to play dress-up. I bought Marleigh this dress and it has a matching dress for her doll so she asked me to put it on her. She loves her dolls so much....the ones we get at the dollar store!!! Last pic is of her playing pat-a-cake with her.

Kenna wasn't feeling so good but did sit for this pic.

We were up at 3:00 AM with her this morning - she was croupy. We gave her a nebulizer treatment and this morning she looks and feels great. I hate when they are sick and its like clockwork every Feb/March we are treating one of them with the neb.

Have a great Thurday!

~Kel~

Let's talk about chocolate!!

I have to talk about chocolate because I gave it up for lent so I'll do the next best thing (and my favorite thing - talk!)!! The first photo is a traditional black and white conversion. The second photo is converted to what is called a chocolate color. Its not quite as golden as sepia but not as grayscale as black and white. I think it gives pics like this a warm classic look and lots of photographers are using it now.

Here are a few more from my session with the boys! These two are the oldest of six great kids. Now I need to get a classic photo of all six kids together - Imagine them all lined up sitting on a bench and cropped panoramic! Cute!

Some changes are happening in the Roy house. Makenna has started brushing and styling her own hair and is obsessed with having clean, fresh breath now! I remember when she was younger and we were really struggling to understand her and I made the decision to remove red dye products from her diet in an attempt to try anything to bring her down to earth more - I didn't think days like this would ever come. She was just a little tougher than the boys.....no...a lot tougher. It would frustrate me that she was so moody and the littlest things would set her off. Now, she's much more calm and can be really helpful with Marleigh. She's funny and independent and I will actually miss her when she goes to school full time next fall :)~ The cold has hit our house and she has a cough this morning - she woke up with it worse than when she went to bed last night. She came downstairs first thing on a mission to find Jean to tell him that he had given her the wrong medicine at bedtime last night because her cough is worse today!

Im gonna stop this post here - if time permits, I may go on more later! I hope you have a great day!

~Kel~

Moms In Motion.....

Just a brief note from the Team Leader of the local chapter of Moms In Motion. I wanted to bring attention to this so that those who are not aware of what MIM is, it will give you a visual idea.



WMTW, Channel 8 News, will be doing a piece on Tuesday's 6 p.m. news program highlighting our Moms In Motion team training for the upcoming Tri for a CURE (triathlon in August to fund cancer research). The story will focus on one of our members in particular, Sheryl Ledoux, since her life has touched by many fighting this dreadful disease. In addition to Sheryl's focus however, you should also see footage of a MIM practice and some of our other members during one of our training sessions that our triathlon coach, Francis Bauer, recently conducted.



~Kel~

My guys......

As promised, here are my boys (without helmets on)! I really like the look of kids on the white background and a nice close crop (incase you cant tell). I love these guys - and they love me too! Cameron (red) is my mamma's boy. He's always up for a cuddle with me and will do anything for me. Branden always has time for me too is a huge help for me with the girls. The girls worship him and really look up to him (Makenna especially). They don't really give me much trouble (they aren't perfect and everyone has their moments) and I feel really blessed to be their mom).

They had a few friends in the studio with them when we did these pics - four boys in my studio at the same time and I must admit, they were very well behaved!! I will be posting their pics tomorrow!

Have a great day!
~Kel~

A busy mom's best friend.....

Drive-thru chicken nuggets. I just had to take these pics. He was really enjoying his snack and looked so cute all wrapped up in his nuggets.

This little guy marks almost two years that I have been doing photographs for others. I started taking his photos when he was just a few months old. Here is a pic of him back then and one of him this weekend - same cute face!!!!

Shopping yesterday was awesome. The weather was perfect and really put me in the mood to spend my hard earned money! I got some great deals but most of all, just the "me" time was a nice break.

Back to school today! We made it through the week and Cameron just woke up asking me "do we have school today?". I answered with an enthusiastic "yes"! I like my routine and need it to get my regular work done.

Have a great Monday!

~Kel~

Our Love Bug.

This is gonna be a short post because Im off for a shopping trip with my BFF Di. :)

I had to share this pic of us with Marleigh. I took it with Jean's little point and shoot camera because it was right there on the counter. (excuse my "duh" face) Whenever Jean and I are having a little love fest - just taking a minute for a hug and a smooch, Marleigh comes running to us yelling "big hug"! She puts her arms up and we each reach down to pick her up at the same time. She cuddles between us, puts her face between our faces and expects us to kiss each cheek at the same time. We call it a Marleigh sandwich. Im not sure who loves it more - her or us!

Well, Im off to shower for my girls day out! I'll post again tomorrow!

Have a great Sunday!!!!

~Kel~

More from the chick....

This was the same little girl who posed as the chick below. I just had to show more from her session.

Its Saturday so I have a standing appointment with my grandmother. I go there once a week to set and style her hair for her. When she gave up her drivers license she couldn't get to the hairdresser weekly like she had become accustomed. I stopped in one day just over a year ago and she seemed a little down. It took some prodding but I finally figured out that it was her inability to keep up with her hair appointments that bothered her. I know Im particular about how I look when I leave the house (makeup and hair done) and she is the same way! She was not going to church anymore and it seemed like her life changed drastically for her when she stopped driving. I remember that day I stopped in, after finally figuring it out, I asked her where she kept her curlers and some gel. I refused to take no for an answer and she seemed so delighted I was willing to stay and do her hair for her. I've been visiting her once a week now and the visits are a blessing for me. I usually bring my girls along and they entertain her while I work. Before these weekly visits, it was very sporadic that I'd make the time to see her. Now, its just a part of my week! I love that my girls know her and are very comfortable there. They play with an old doll that belonged to my aunt when she was growing up.

Have a great weekend!

~Kel~

Game on!!!!!!

Good times for five kids with a love of the sport. They played for four hours today! It was a pleasure to watch them!

Freebie Friday!!! I HAVE A WINNER!

Hello!!! Im really excited to have such a great prize this week. This will go to the FIRST person who emails me with interest deserves this grand prize! One of my photography clients.....whom I now consider a terrific friend...has donated a season to Moms In Motion (one free season is approx. 10-12 weeks of training (a $60 value). Lots of women have not heard of Moms In Motion so here's a short note from the Team Leader:

Its time to do something for yourself - this is YOUR year and it's not too late to start it off right!! If you are a mother, daughter, sister, or grandmother we want you as part of our Moms In Motion team! The York County MIM team provides a fun, supportive and structured environment to help women from a variety of fitness abilities to make new friends while improving each members overall physical health. Lead by a qualified coach,the team inspires each member to take time for her personal health and provides a support network for achieving her fitness goals. In addition, as a member of this team you'll be instrumental in supporting local charities within the Southern Maine community.

More information can be found on their website: http://www.momsinmotion.net/locations_city.asp?a=v&l=85&c=3

There is an annual fee of $65 that is not included in this giveaway. Its an amazing gift she's giving and I hope someone snatches this up! First emailer I will put in touch with Lisa so that you can get started with the next team! I will announce the winner at the top of the blog as soon as it is gone!! Good luck!!!

Now for the photo part of my post......you're gonna love this one....and I have a caption that goes with it!

Hatching is not all its "cracked" up to be!

Can you stand it? I DONT typically torture my clients but gosh....mom and I were all over the potential cuteness here!! I only snapped a few photos so she wouldn't hate her experience with me! Just had to share it!

Happy Friday!!!!

~Kel~

The moon.

I did get some photos of the eclipse last night! Not as good as the ones on the news but taking this type of pic is not easy. Im happy to show the kids my pics.

I love car rides with my kids (most of the time). Last night we had dinner out (I love that ALL of the time - I hate trying to come up with something for dinner - we'd eat cereal every night if it was acceptable). So on our ride home we talked about several things - Lent was first - I always give up several things and try to improve on others during lent because Im in hopes it will start a new habit for me. They say it takes six weeks to start a habit so I always go into it with positive thoughts thinking maybe this will be the year the habit sticks. My boys gave up fast food (dont tell God about the one stop they made to Wendy's after hockey practice last week-they were starving!) Im very proud of their efforts. Cameron also gave up candy - I bet this is the last year he does that! Makenna told us last night that she gave up her ABC's!! She was completely serious - and when she announced it, Marleigh broke into the ABC song!

Next was talk of the eclipse and how beautiful the moon was. DID you see that big pink ball of light (sunset) in the sky?? Well on our way home, the moon was out and so bright Cameron and Makenna were so cute imagining we were racing the moon home. We would turn a corner and the moon was in front and Makenna would screech that the moon was using its rocket lauchers again and winning the race. It was entertaining to listen to their imaginations and its always nice to hear Cameron and Makenna engaged in something. They conflict the most in our house but I know they love each other very much.

Here's a photo from our car ride to Six Flags last summer. We stowed the other front seat so they could watch movies. Yes - I photograph EVERYTHING!! Its so fun to go back and look at them!

Have a great day! (reminder to watch the blog tomorrow - its giveaway Friday!)

~Kel~

Day 3 of school vacation.

Jean and the kids spent the night at my in-laws camp last night. They are coming home today. I miss them but when I talked to Makenna last night, she didnt stop with stories of how much fun she is having. As great as I think its gonna be to have some time with a quiet house with just Marleigh home - it wasn't very productive as far as work goes. She was in my office pestering me every few minutes so I finally threw in the towel and took the girl shopping! She was begging me....so I caved!! ;-) We went to the shoe store to get her some new shoes. We got her a pair of brown casual Mary Jane style shoes and when she saw these black ones....she repeatedly said "dese ones mumma, my ballerina". So...good thing it was a BOGO sale....we got TWO! This morning she woke up and immediately went to get her ballerina's on.

This photo is a treasure to me - she's wearing her new favorite shoes, her favorite jammies (its a short sleeved top so I put a turtle neck on instead) and her favorite blanket. She's sitting on the couch exactly how she does every morning to watch her programs. Its peaceful and she's happy - I want to remember times like this.

Yesterday I took a photo of the boys first thing (7:10 AM) after Jean gave the thumbs up that the ice rink was in perfect condition for them. They wasted NO time getting out there and didn't even change out of their jammies. (remember I told you that was how we like to spend days off). When they are lazy teens, I will have photos to show their dedication to the sport and ability to get up early on a day off!

Happy Hump Day!!!!!

~Kel~

More of my model

It was hard to decide which ones to put on here so I decided today I would add more of her.

Day 2 of vacation! Because of the rain yesterday, Jean took the kids to an indoor skating rink (ice). They had fun and there weren't many skaters there so they had lots of space to play. Makenna really wants to be a hockey player. I have to admit Im not all that thrilled with the idea but I want them to experience as much as they can. There are lots of young girls that play hockey so Im sure we will put her in next year and see how it goes.

Today they are leaving for a drive to my in-laws camp to help clear the roof. He will take the three older kids and leave cutie pie with me. Makenna is so excited, she packed a bag last night and came downstairs this morning with it over her shoulder. I love her happy moods! :)

Have a great day!
~Kel~

Day 1 - school vacation!

Rain!!!! The ice rink could use a good layer of rain so we are okay with it for today. Jean is on vacation this week too (so helpful to me) and my nephews spent the night last night. Its all good here on the morning of day 1. I'll keep you posted!

I had a session with four of six children. I know some readers will recognize these cute faces! Their mom is a friend of mine - I admire her for her ability to keep it together with six children. Most know I'd have more kids if money was no object - so Im enjoying everyone elses babies and photographing them the way I would if they were my own. So I've gotta show you these kiddos. The baby, he's so, so sweet. I couldnt snap enough pics of his happy face and cute naked bum!!!

Then there's big brother - a little guy with so much personality I completely enjoyed photographing him because his big grin would make me giggle.

The girls - they are soo pretty and very sweet. They were all so easy to photograph!

I hope to get some photos of the older boys soon (they were busy with sports). Thanks mom for bringing them to see me!

I am starting to book spring sessions now (a few on the beach). I am limiting my sessions each week so that I can keep things in perspective with my own family. Summer months will be the same as last year, no weekend nights for photoshoots...only Sunday - Thursday. I did have a few exceptions to this last year and dont mind if there's a situation that requires a weekend session.

Happy Monday!!!!!

~Kel~

Simply Beautiful......

I had a model session yesterday.....such a natural! These are just a few of what we did....I'll post more throughout the week. Its going to be hard to decide which one to blow up BIG for my studio!! We had so much fun coming up with ideas! Im so happy to show you something different! I had another session yesterday with some beautiful kids too - I'll get a few of those up in the next few days too :)

Have a great Sunday!
~Kel~