These are the longest days!!

Saturday is the longest day of the year and then they grow shorter again :( I always get sad because it makes the summer season feel shorter. With that in mind, what a great way to end our first day of summer vacation....Branden got invited to go to the Sea Dogs game with a friend and came home with a trophy bat from the game. Our friends Pete & Robyn called us, very last minute, to see if we wanted to go to the beach for a slice of pizza. You have to know.....pizza and pier fries at the beach on a warm summer night is fun.....but because it was not a planned thing made it spectacular!!! Marleigh's got a little crush....on all teenage boys....but she's really sweet on this one. (is it obvious?)The pizza was perfect....the fries were perfectly crispy on the outside.....add some vinegar and salt and they were TDF (to die for)! I could have done without the dump ducks (seaguls) trying to steal my baby's food right out of her hand but we adults stood guard and shooed them away. Makenna fed them one fry before we could warn her how much of a pain they can be if you do tempt them so we just had to stand guard until all the food was gone.

When the pizza was gone, we got an ice cream treat and walked the pier. Most of the shops were still closed but a few bars and those fun junky jewelry places were open...you know the ones where you can pretend to be a tourist and purchase a shell necklace or get a temporary tattoo to shock your friends with. I got a few photos from the pier as the skies were getting really dark.

Bran and Cam had pals over during the day yesterday and they had fun together. I took their photos because I want to keep track of how many guests they get over this summer vacation! Should make for a fun scrapbook for them!

It's Meemie Day and she's up for all four kids today (she always is) so Im going to take her up on it and get some things done!

Have a great day!

~kel~

If you're happy and you know it......

Approximately 125 water balloons. I took me about 45 minutes to get them all filled. The girls were my helpers....I passed the completed balloons to Marleigh who passed it to Makenna who put them in the basket that was right at my feet :) Everyone wants to be a helper when it means you get to touch those cold, wet, wiggly balloons! Jean was supposed to be out of town for work but his appointment got cancelled so he came home for an hour or so to participate in the welcome to summer party. It made it so much easier for me to be able to take photos this year. Usually I participate in the toss but always scream "you don't bomb your mother!" I know...Im a wuss. I do spend the morning soaked though - filling them is not the easiest process! We lucked out that the sun came out for a bit just before the boys got off the bus....water balloons in the chilly air is not as much fun. The kids were really cute - I heard them get off the bus down the street and just start screaming and running in the direction of our yard. They saw the basket at the end of the driveway and knew the game was on! The bus driver slowed down a bit in front of the yard so the other kids on the bus could see what was going on - I guess Bran and Cam told them about our tradition.

Jean is so funny - he laughs like one of the boys when he's involved in this battle. The girls decided they would be on his "team" and they all tossed bombs at the boys. It was so cute watching Marleigh....I think she held onto one balloon and dodged the rest.

When the bombing was over, Branden's friend Shawn took a photo of us all. I have to mention that this is a bitter sweet photo for me.....its the first time Marleigh stood like a big kid for a photo without one of us having to hold her so she doesn't run away! Im really proud of her and I will treasure this photo for that reason. Plus.....the fact that my husband's hair is almost as light as mine :) I love his gray hair!! My gosh, my family is growing so fast!

More flowers blooming in my garden!!! I love summer!!!! I need to come up with a better way of uploading photos - they look terrible on here. They are crisp and clear and a bit brighter than they appear here - but I guess you get the idea.

So today is the first day of summer vacation.....I'm so lucky...its 7:20 AM and I get to hear Guitar Hero already!! Wish that sun would come out and warm the air more....I know Kenna will spend most of her days in the pool.......I hope Kenna will spend most of her days in the pool....I will insist that Kenna spend most of her days in the pool. (It's best if Kenna spends most of her days in the pool...its a happy place for her and she tends to leave the boys and their friends alone).

Well, Im off to clean the house!

Have a great day!
~kel~

Happy Anniversary Love Birds!!!!

My brother Bud and his wife Tina celebrate 14 years today! They stopped by while I was making my H20 balloon ammo and I took a photo of the happy couple! Congrats guys!!

Last day of school!!!

Its here!!! My boys are so excited!!! I know its the few months off school that have them so excited but we have a tradition here on the last day of school that makes it even better! While they are finishing their last few hours this morning, I am working hard to get a few hundred water balloons filled to max capacity, perfectly plump so when you toss them, they burst on impact. See, I am an expert at this now - if you underfill, they bounce around the yard and the enemy can retrieve them and use them for their own ammo so they must be stretched to the max and gently placed in a laundry basket. I set up a few buckets full of balloons at the end of my yard...I keep a bucket for myself (and Jean is here sometimes too if work permits him to take an hour or so off). We stand to the side of the yard, behind the tree and when the kids get off the bus, we take aim and fire away! They know to drop the backpacks and run to a bucket. In the past, they have brought home extra kids (we have one today)....I always include them too....just buy more balloons!!! Its fun and memorable for them....and just like Santa and the Tooth Fairy, they dont talk about it, they just wait for the magic to happen. :)

Closeup photos are just my style....incase you can't tell from my previous posts, I enjoy taking close-ups and converting them to black and white. Well, I must admit that it has been some time since I posted a true black and white here, I prefer to add a bit of color to my b/w and call it chocolate. I did this engagement session (E-session in photographyland) last night at the beach for some friends of mine. They are getting married in July and I am photographing their wedding too. A good lookin' couple, huh, lucky me!!! I try to stay away from traditional poses and go for a sense of connection in my photos. I know that the guys are not comfortable having this kind of photo done so I try to keep it short and sweet. We really only need a few good photos and it only took me about 45 minutes with them to get about 30 good photos.

Im photographing a wedding this weekend (not this couple) so I'd like to ask that everyone put on their favorite grass skirts and do a rain dance for us. Its outside in the backyard at my grandmother's house. I think its an ideal spot for a wedding since the groom is my cousin and they love to camp near the creek behind her house. I remember when she (the bride) and I were talking about where they could get married and nothing seemed to fit them. She wanted to be outside...but the beach was not really their kind of place...they love to camp and most of the summer they leave their tent set up behind my grandmothers (we call her Minnie). I knew that Minnie wouldn't mind...she's great about stuff like that! Her home is old and has been in the family for generations and the stories that she tells are even better because you can place the people in the actual home where the stories took place. Anyway, Im excited to see them get married, thankful they chose me as their photographer and look forward to seeing how everything plays out.

Im off to get my water balloons and stock up on food now that all the kids will be here during the day!

Have a great day!
~kel~

Forty & Fabulous!

The weekend was really fun! I regret not making up silly games for us to play...and I regret not taking my camera out more but we had fun and the memories are forever. I didn't take lots of photos because we were busy visiting and in the evening hours I just wasnt comfortable taking my camera out of the bag. Somewhere in the last week, I misplaced my external flash and now I have to replace that so taking the camera out in the dark was impossible. I took a few with Jean's point and shoot but because it was dark, I know they are poor quality - I'll get those uploaded and see if there's anything suitable for sharing here. I know there are a few that are not blog quality and I warned people that I had certain standards for my blog so they might not get posted here. It was fun to hear how many were reading about what's going on with my life.

The first night my friends Tracy, Lisa and Diane were brave enough to sleep in a tent....I know they did that for me and I really appreciate them being there!!! They left their significant others home and braved the evening alone. Jean helped them set up the tent and I hoped they would drink enough that the solid ground felt like a feather bed.....no such luck. They were troopers and I really appreciate that they were there! I think its a good thing they didn't attempt that second night because the rain came down REALLY hard and the other tents took on water. I missed hanging with them Sat. night but I understand why they didnt stay.

My mom even came up to visit....she grew up with us too! Everyone welcomed her and here's a photo of her with Diane. There's a smokey cast from the fire .... Jean took this photo.

Sunday morning I met Steven and Andrea as they were leaving....completely drenched. I was driving into the wooded area where they were camping to check on all the tenters to see if anyone needed help or just wanted to get out of the rain and we met on the road. Their kids were packed in the back with rain coats on and luckily they didn't have to drive too far to get home to get warm and dry. I enjoyed hanging out with them because I'm just starting to get to know them better...a really nice family!! Their daughter was so cute watching Marleigh. She and her friend took her to the playground a few times and that was so great for both Marleigh and me!

Steve was the bartender to the group Friday night.....passing out jello shots that my friend Wendy made to everyone in the group....he was kind enough to make sure that everyone had as many as they wished.....and then some! I know he was trying to help me with some great photo opportunities but I failed to tell him my good camera was resting for the evening.

Good Times with Good Friends......it doesn't get any better than that!

Have a great day!

Happy Father's Day!!!

I'm back from my fun weekend at camp and though I don't have time for photos, wanted to send out Happy Father's Day wishes to all Dads!! I especially want to mention my awesome hubby who is a super dad!

I remember when we discussed children in our dating years and how we would have two...I agreed two was good only because that's what he wanted - hey, we were courting and like the flowers he used to send me "just because", there are things about courting that you just "gotta" do!! I have to say that living that dream is better than I could ever have imagined. We are so blessed with four great kids! I'm incredibly lucky to have him.

I can't let this day go without mention of my dad. I miss him very much. Last night while sitting around the campfire, my brother was telling a funny story and his mannerisms reminded my mom and I so much of my dad....it was so great to laugh in his memory. Dad never met any of his grandchildren, he passed a few months before the first one was born (he has ten now).....he would have been a fabulous grandfather and the kids would have loved him so. They call him Gump and every time we visit my mom, we drive by the cemetary where he is buried and without fail, my kids all say "Hi Gump, I love you" (on holidays they send their wishes)

Tim Russerts death was shocking and the tributes to him over the past few days have reminded me of what is important to me. My boys watched me get emotional as they showed a clip of Mr. Russert talking about his father and his son. I used my tears and the program to talk to the boys about how important it is to live a respectful life so that people will think kindly of them.....I want them to know that, to me it is important to be a good person. I know for some this will sound strange but its how I get through days when I miss my dad and my heart is heavy....I think to myself.....if God asked me to give my life so that my children could live as blessed and happy as mine is today, I would certainly not hesitate to answer that and I believe my dad would have done the same. I believe that everything happens for a reason. I honor my dad's death by living a good life and doing my best to be a good person.....I do it for me and my children because we are his legacy. He (and my mom of course) gave us a good foundation on how to do those two things.

Found this on a web board that I frequently visit and wanted to share it here:

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply, love generously, care deeply and speak kindly.

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass….it’s about learning to dance in the rain.

Happy Father's Day!!!!!

~kel~

Its good to be back!!!

Business first: I had my first beach shoot of the season last night - feels good to be back!!! I have to tell you how great these kids are! They listened so well and got along great and I completely enjoyed my time with them! I think you can tell by the photos!!! I believe mom will be checking here for a sneak preview and I wanted to say Thank You, Karen, for calling me...your children are wonderful people!!

My beautiful, wonderful, simple life: Jean left for work really early this morning and Ms. Marleigh crawled in my bed as she does most mornings. I love this time with her - and sometimes Makenna joins us too and its a big love fest with tons of kisses, hugs and giggles. Yesterday was a busy one for them with Meemie. They played in the pool and being there is so much fun for them they are exahusted when they get home (thanks for wearing them down for me Mom!) Marleigh was feeling a little sluggish this morning....she toted four dolls and her blanket into my bed and once we got them all situated, she cozied into me and held her blanket to her lips. She calls this "smelling" her blanket -Branden and Makenna smelled their blankets too but Cam never did..probably because he was always itching is eczematous skin - poor kid. The girls and I laid there for a bit, just drifting in and out of sleep. At one point I asked Marleigh if she was ready to get up and she softly shook her head no like she was completely content wrapped in my comforter. We had the fan in the window so the air was cool but we were so cozy.....none of us wanted to get up! Only two days left of school and we will be able to stay in bed until we are done being lazy.

Yesterday while driving the girls to my moms, Makenna was singing a "happy" song. I dont remember the words or even what the song sounded like because it was made up, but it was about love and it was cute! She sang sweetly and when she was done I looked back to tell her she did a great job and her smile was so big and her entire face was lit up. I could tell she was proud of that song and I commended her on a job well done. When I turned back around I got emotional because she looked so happy at that moment - I dont want to forget that big smile or how it made me feel to see it. It was a 2 second moment.....a smile just for me. When I think of the emotions I felt after seeing her smile, it reminds me of the first time we took Branden to see Disney on Ice (maybe lame to some but this was our first big adventure as parents). He was my first born, about 3 years old, and when I saw the look of wonder on his face when Mickey Mouse first came out I cried....it was a look you dont get to see all the time...I remember it clearly today and hope I never ever forget it. Simple happiness I guess.

Well, I should go. First a few shout-outs....Cheryl F., thanks for your referral - a free 8x10 at your next session is coming your way.....and Laurie S. who offered me sundresses in 3T - YES! YES! PLEASE!! I LOVE MY BLOG!!!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

~kel~