It's Girl Day Again!!!

I'm checking out as mom today and kicking back to hang with my gal pals! It's overcast outside my window so that might mean no poolside lounging sipping pink drinks with tiny umbrellas in them :( our favorite way to spend the day. We have decided to catch a movie and some lunch and then maybe some pink drinks somewhere as an alternative....but holding out for the sun as first choice!

This morning I am going to photograph my dear friend Jackie's new baby!! You know I LOVE the babies and this one is extra special! His beginning was a little tough and I'll share that story when I post his photos!

Last night I spent some time with a really fun family! They tolerated my silly mood and we got some great photos! Lynne and I met at my Mother's Day special this year and since her sister was vising from out of town, she booked me for a group session. Lynne's hubby had to leave almost as soon as we started but I loved this one of her and the kids so I decided to share it. Her son is a ham in front of the camera....I can sooo relate to that kind of kid!

Here is the group....Lynne with her kids, her sister with her kids and her brother with his girlfriend (who I referred to as "my couple" all evening....what good sports you are!)

Here is Lynne's sister, Trish with her kids. I am drawn to freckles and this little girl had a nose full of them....she finally warmed up to the idea of photos on the beach.

The boys (cousins) asked for a photo together. I thought this one was cute!

I love to do a jumping one with a group....these guys were perfectly animated to pull this off!

Last but not least....Kim and Mike....my couple.....I spotted this bit of water as we were leaving and called to them "Oh couple, please come back!!" I was fun to tease them about an engagement photo and don't you agree the color and composition with the reflection.....this photo is total YUMMY? They were awesome fun and a special thanks to them for tolerating my sometimes-a-bit-to-cheery personality!

Lynne, so glad you booked me early and we got this session in! I really enjoyed your family!!

Have a great weekend!! If I can get to the pc sometime over this long weekend, I'll post for sure!!

~kel~

The day after.

Remember the day after a special event.....getting to sit and play with the new toys, counting the card money and just enjoying a day filled with all kinds of "stuff" to do! That's what's happening here.

Thank you to all my family and friends who took the time to come and wish my Marleigh girl a happy birthday. As we watched the last guest leave, she turned to me and said "I'll miss my birdday." She loved being the star of the show.....and she didn't disappoint when it came to expressing herself!

She got her first "boy" baby!

Here's the face that says it all~this photo is priceless!!

Thank you Lisa for picking up my camera for this one! I was enjoying a cuddle from my girl and they told me she had a serious face so I was serious to match her and at the last second, she smirked...I love it!


Tracy brought some of her left over Disney money and gave it to my kids (THANK YOU SO MUCH TRACE). They combined it with the money they have been saving for the trip and started counting their loot last night. They finished it this morning....$219.10 and they will split that three ways as their spending money (I'll take care of Marleigh's expenses). They are anxious to see if they can get it closer to $300 so they will each have $100 to spend....they "hear its expensive at Disney"!! It has been an awesome experience to watch them work together at saving the money. Jean and I contribute loose change and an occasional $1 or $5 when we think of it but the rest is all them!

It's almost the weekend!! Happy Thursday!

~kel~

Happy Birthday Marleigh!!!

My home is an incredibly happy place to be this morning. My daughter would bring a smile to any one's face so if you need some cheering up, come here!! I'm sure it will go on all day. Before I went to bed last night, I covered her bed with balloons (my usual tradition). This morning as she got out of bed, I watched her take note of the balloons as she continued into my bed. While she was laying there, I whispered "Happy Birthday, Marleigh" and she questioned...."My birthday is NOW? I told her "yes it is" and a huge, peaceful smile came across her face. She's been waiting for WEEKS! A few minutes later, Makenna crawled into my bed and whispered happy birthday wishes to her....and Marleigh replied "Thanks, my birthday is NOW!" They chatted about who would be coming later today to share cake and ice cream and how she wants balloons that go up in the air. We ventured down stairs....6:00 AM....and she didn't even wait for Jean to say it....she told him her birthday is NOW!

The boys woke up from all the excitement and came out to wish her HB too. They both hugged her....you can't resist....she's cute, cuddly and totally excited her birthday is NOW! Makenna got her a crown to wear today and we gave that to her right away (we always start the birthday with a present!) She was so excited to open it....once opened, she held up her hand and said "I be right back!" A few minutes later, she appeared in a party dress and said she was ready for her crown now. She then announced that she wanted us ALL to sing Happy Birthday to her NOW! We did and she smiled a huge sappy grin. It makes me emotional just writing this and recreating the morning.....she's animated, silly and great fun. As Jean was leaving for work, she told him "Give the party girl a hug" and we all got a laugh out of that.

She's got a huge heart and a sweet disposition.....lucky me, she's mine!! Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Now on to business. Last night I photographed another Lindsay....an incredibly lovely girl with goals and dreams! She was fun to visit with and had lots of great information to share with me. When her mom called me to book the session, we hit it off right away so I was anxiously waiting to meet this family! They are officially on the "adore" list and I look forward to seeing them again.

Lindsay wanted a photo in her dad's denim jacket. He passed away when she was very young so when she mentioned a photo with the jacket, I knew I had to capture it correctly! Love these Lindsay.....what do you think?

When she saw my close cropped photo of Makenna and commented how much she liked it, I knew I had to get her one.....or two to choose from! She's a beauty, don't you agree?

Linda and Lindsay.....thanks so much for contacting me! I know you had a lot of choices and I'm so glad you picked me!!

Have a great day!

~kel~

About my message.....

I got a few emails yesterday concerned that I might have had a bad day and needed to get things off my chest....nope....just wanted to explain the reason for my happy blog and assure all other moms who read that I'm as normal as them! I think my head is spinning with back to school thoughts and worries that maybe I didn't do enough to make this summer a memorable one. I'm holding hopes that the trip to Disney will make up for it! Thanks to my good pal for pointing out that it's June Cleaver, not Joan.....I must have been distracted by the kids! LOL!!

Tomorrow my baby turns 3! For the past few weeks, every time the schedule of our day changes, she thinks its the start of her "Bird-day". Last night I took her to the beach for a special birthday session....Makenna came along and has requested her session be done the same! To get Marleigh (3 is still a tricky age to photograph) to look in my direction, I said "Happy Birthday Marleigh" and she replied with a slight head tilt, a cute smile and a "Thank you" as if it was finally here....her day! I am sharing a few of my favorites (there were so many) from that session and I may share a few tomorrow too.

When Jill D. planted this idea of balloons on the beach in my head several months ago, I knew I wanted to do this for Marleigh's birthday so I waited patiently for it to get here. In my head I could see this photo....I'm so delighted I got exactly what I was looking for.....three balloons to mark her age and her hair blowing widly in the wind....this will go BIG on her wall.

If you have a special birthday and would like me to help with a session, please give me a call! My calendar is filling up a few weeks in advance now so just be sure to let me know so I can mark the book for you.

Have a great day!!!

~kel~

More Lindsay and my message......

She's back.....my cute niece Lindsay! She wanted some beach photos and I wanted her to have them so we met for a quick session last night. The weather was perfect and I always enjoy catching up with my sister-in-law.

I found this shell still intact and slightly opened and wanted to have a photo of it.....my attempt at being creative.

A personal message from me: I want to start my message with "I am not a perfect mom....although I may portray one on my blog!"

I started blogging because I just didn't have time for scrapbooking anymore. It was going to be about my life raising my four kids and how much I love my husband. Then it became a way to highlight what was going on in my life as photography started becoming a big part of every day. Then I started asking clients if they minded if I put their photos on my blog so that I could watch my photographs improve AND it would be a way for them to get a "sneak peek" of their photos sooner than I could get them ready for proof. My blog has evolved into more business lately but my personal entries will continue to find their way here because daily blogging has become therapy for me! :)

I am not perfect.....I yell at my children and have regrets about not being that perfect mother I say I'm going to be at the start of every day! I say things to them that I am not proud of and I do not always set the examples I wish I was......but......I do believe in asking for forgiveness and I am very aware when I have made a poor choice. I want to look back at my memories on this blog and remember the good times so that I have it in print that I "tried" to do the right things once in a while and at least my intentions were good on an almost daily basis. I don't need to blog about the bad things....my head will not allow me to forget them as easily as it lets the good times slip from memory. I love my children from the deepest part of who I am and I want them to read this and know that. I want them to remember the good times too. Remember, I lost my dad when I was young and I would really like to have known him better....especially as an adult. I want my kids to know me....my personality, the things I am proud of and the kind person that I work towards being each day.

I try not to appear fake or too perfect and I think if you know me personally, in real life, I am who I am and I love my life and those who are in it. I am blessed and I want to shout it out to the world. I want people who read this page to feel good, inspired and invited back for more the next day.

So there.....my message....I am not Joan Cleaver...but I try and that's all I can do! :)

Have a great day!!!!

~kel~

Congratulations Matt & Jen

How cute are these two? I know I say that a lot but I really feel that my clients are lookers!!!

Jen and Matt got married out of state and came home to have a reception with his family. Jen is like a living doll with long eye lashes and a sweet face...and boy does her hubby love her!!! I wish them the best with their future together and thank their family for asking me to capture the love!
Enjoy the day!
~kel~

Happy Birthday Bro!!!

Here's a shout out to my brother, Cody, who is away from home for his birthday, trying to make a better life for himself and his daughter.....keep up the good work Bro! Since he was little, he's always called my sister and I by our middle names.....Sue and Lee.....probably because Kelly and Kerri was a bit confusing to a boy who thought his name was "Cody Nelson Come Here"!! LOL! Had to throw that story in....its always a great one to tell when talking about things that come out of the mouths of children.


Here is his daughter Kaylee.......she and my girls adore each other and my mom is so great about having them all together for Meemie Day. This coming fall, it will just be Kaylee and Marleigh sharing Meem's time....and they can be a lot like sisters when they get together if you know what I mean! Must be that close age range.

Loved this one....what do you say to Auntie when she's pointing her big camera at you????

CHEESE!

Well, I'm going to finish some work and get back to my family.

Happy Birthday Cody!!!! I hope its a great day for you and you aren't missing home too much! Im mailing your birthday package today - better late than never!!!

~kel~

Note to self: August is a busy month....be sure to relax in July!

I had another beauty last night! Cory and I met just before Christmas last year, she came in with her extended family (cousins) for a group photo for her grandparents. I was happy to see her again when she arrived at the studio last night. Did we have fun or what Cory? She was up for anything I suggested and hung in there while one thought took over another in my head and I created my own little chaos. It was a good time though!

I wanted one close-up photo to show how cute she is!

Cory, thank you for contacting me!! I enjoyed meeting with you and your mom!

HOME: Its some kind of busy around here and in the middle of it all the cable company wants me to come and exchange my cable box! I don't have time for that kind of stuff....because you know its never as easy as they say it's going to be. I procrastinated long enough that when they called a few nights ago while I was out, they got Jean....who negotiated having them ship the box to him and he would swap it out. Like I said......it's NEVER as easy as they say! Yesterday UPS delivers the box....I sign for it and they tell me they will be back for the old one today. I leave the new on in the box....after all, its no longer my project! (whew) I return last night to a quiet house....what happened to the TV? Jean....who decided it was time to catch up on some paperwork with no TV to watch.....told me the box needed 30-45 minutes to "setup" when you first turn it on. 1 hour passes.....still nothing. This morning I find Cameron staring at a black TV...we called Jean at work and he admitted he had pushed buttons prematurely and thinks he messed up the box. I got the honor of calling the cable co. (that's never easy either, they talk to you like your a 2 year old and the wait is always lengthy...don't they know I have a blog to update first thing in the AM!!) The cable guy was really nice and only a few times asked me if I was pointing the remote AT the box (DUH!) and we came to the conclusion that Jean had indeed messed up the box! I'm off this morning to drive to my nearest cable facility (30 minutes away) to exchange the box....oh, my sweet hubby has called me already to apologize for his error. He's forgiven! I'll just have to go "fun" shopping to make the trip worth my while!

Happy Friday!!!!

~kel~

More pretty people!!

Yesterday I had two sessions so this update will have LOTS of photos....some from each one.

First, this family is very special to me. A year ago I was looking for someone who would let me photograph the delivery of their child....I wanted to see if it was something I could really get into and offer clients because there's not much of this type of photography in my area. Ken and Angie were awesome and let me in on the special occasion of welcoming their second daughter to the world. I LOVED being there and now I have a close bond with them and a desire to do more of this type of photography! Here are the girls....you can see why I adore the oldest....she and Marleigh are about the same age and have similar personalities and the baby is so cute you just wanna kiss those cheeks!

Another warning for moms......these adorable, bright colored dresses and the field of flowers are going to draw you in! Both girls have birthdays this summer so we did their 1 and 3 year photos at the same time!! I have followed the baby her entire first year and for this first photo, I sang Happy Birthday to her and she smiled HUGE!

I was there for her birth and now I'm able to capture her first steps too!!!
Can you stand the cuteness here? I had a hard time choosing which ones to share on the blog! Ken and Angie...thank you so much for letting me come into your delivery room a year ago! I feel so blessed to have you all in my life!

This next family I can describe in one word "FUN"! I have photographed them a few times and they always show me a good time. Last night I was shocked at how much the boys have grown.....they are going to have girls calling like crazy in the teen years!! And you can see where they get their looks....another beautiful family....we only grow them that way in Maine!!!

This is where the fun begins. Here is only ONE of my favorite photos of the night....to set it up, I asked the youngest boy if he knew how to stand like superman (I didn't even know he had a secret passion for the super hero) and dad warned me I might get more than I bargained for by asking that question.........and here it is......the shot of the night!!!

It wasn't soon after that the boys stripped down to their superhero underwear and I got the best photos of them playing on the beach! They were being themselves and acting like boys and I was eating it up! To me, the candids are priceless! Dad (the funmaker) showed us his superhero strength.....not sure he knew I'd be taking this photo but I think he needs a copy of this for his office! Isn't this the best!

Oh wait...one more.....I dont want to leave Jackie out....she's so beautiful and is just as much fun as her hubby. She's an awesome mom and gets right in on the fun with the boys!

Corey and Jackie..thanks for putting your trust in me for your family photos! I always enjoy the time with your family!!!

Enjoy your day!!

~kel~

A lake session......

Danielle called and requested a lake session. I immediately thought of my friend Lisa, whose family has a camp on a lake that is close enough to get to before the sun drops from the sky. (Thank you Lisa!) We got there and the sun was bouncing off the lake and blinding us so I worked on some head shots in the saded areas and got these beautiful close-ups. If you know my style, its the headshots that I prefer. Her eyes really are that blue and I applaud her clothing choices because they made them even more amazing!

Look at this amazing chocolate conversion.

Great job Danielle......was that fun or what? Thank you for booking with me!

I'm off for a morning session so today's blog is short. I'm in the mix of a busy month and love that I have so many photos to share. I hope you're Wednesday is productive!!

~kel~