A little reminder.....

Last night I watched my oldest boy choke on a piece of steak.....my heart is still a bit heavy when I think of how scary it was! We were all enjoying dinner but a strange sound distracted me....I looked at Branden and proceeded to ask him to stop with the rude noise. He looked at me wide eyed with his neck stretched towards me....gasping. He turned slightly and everything that was in his mouth came out....but he continued to choke. My instant reaction was to call to Jean as he was closer to him than I was. Jean didn't hesitate a second, lifted Branden from his chair and proceeded to give him the Heimlich maneuver. Proving to be my hero again and just like in the training video, the steak came out and Branden collapsed in a heap of tears. Jean and I stopped ourselves from asking him why he didn't chew it better (we were nervous and scared)....I went to Branden to comfort him and Jean walked away to compose himself.

Starting the day they are born, choking is one thing every parent worries most about and though we have been through it when they are babies and usually a quick sweep of the mouth is all that's required, this was a whole new level for us. A reminder of how quickly things can change. His siblings watched in horror, and once we knew he was fine, they tried their best to make him laugh by sharing vomiting stories and telling him how big his eyes were bulging. I love them all so much and found myself appreciating the inappropriate chatter at my dinner table as I listened to them try to comfort him in only a way that siblings can. It was a moment in time that brought them closer...a reminder for us all!


Let's talk about happier things.....

I visited the local flower shop - its actually a little fish market that sells flowers for an amazing price...you can get SCADS of flowers to decorate your house with for next to nothing!

I have to photograph the flowers.....I enjoy looking at them so much that I have to keep them forever somehow and today I'm sharing them here! The tulips are beautiful.....and I really did nothing fancy to capture these. Because I waited until the evening, I had to use my accessory flash and shot them right where they stand on my kitchen table. I would have had even more amazing results if I'd done it during the day in the natural light. I love the 3D affect the light had on them!!

I may actually print one or two of these for my bathroom.....

Enjoy!

~kel~

Can you feel the love???

It's school vacation and my schedule is off track! Jean is on vacation with the kids this week too so its wacky here! Makenna just became one with a snow bank out back and her face is swollen and bleeding. We tried to tell her that going face-first while sledding is not a good idea this time of year as the snow is no longer soft and friendly....its icy and evil and....well....she learned the hard way. Poor princess....

Another shoot for my book project. I asked Ken to bring his girls in as they are a big part of my photography history....the littlest one was my first birth/hospital session. They took a leap of faith having me there for her birth and we have been good friends since. The oldest daughter is Marleigh's age and they are so much alike in personality I feel right at home with her! They are such a beautiful family.....I'm so lucky to have met them!!

While we visited, we discussed the fun things the girls are doing now....I shared how chatty Marleigh is and Ken told me how his daughter kisses him so lovingly. After that story, they even had their jackets on and were ready to leave but I made them come back to the set for these....sorry to put your intimate moments out on my blog, Ken, but just look at how this little girl loves her daddy!!!!

No doubt....the teen years will be interesting with these blonde bombshells!!

Enjoy!

~kel~

She told me I'd be hooked.......

My friend Debbie Harmon is a wedding photographer....she told me that after shooting a few, I'd be hooked.....and I think she's right! I always get so nervous going into a day like this but being her second shooter takes some of the pressure off me and I am able to enjoy the day and get some fun shots in. This wedding took place at a small island just off the coast of Portland...sad to say, I've lived here all my life and never taken that ferry ride across the pond to Peaks Island. Its quaint and sweet and the idea of these two getting married there was a perfect match. Its cold...only about 35 degrees yesterday...but you could definately feel the love of these two and the warmth was comforting.

Deb, thanks for having me tag along with you - it was amazing fun and I look forward to more!!

Here are a few......

and....to the brides who have me personally booked for this year....if you read this....I hope you're as excited as I am!!!!

Enjoy!

~kel~

One Word............

SWEETNESS......

Enjoy!

~kel~

Hi!!

I apologize for the delay in this post....I'm still trying to get organized...and feeling doomed at times! It seems just when I get it all together, Marleigh comes along! She's a good kid though and I know I'll miss these messes someday (I think).

My nephew Randy is a basketball player.....his season is coming to an end so my sister asked if I'd take his photos doin' that thing he loves. I'm not a sports photographer so I didn't sway from my portrait passion and just mixed the two together.

I'm off to see if I can get my things sorted, gathered, grouped, filed, imported, exported, saved, stored and looking fairly neat! I'm like the girl in that quickbooks commercial.....bill? what bill? It's already February and I still don't have my ducks in a row as planned so I'm trying to be diligent before the busy season gets here.

Lots of people are taking advantage of my 50% off session fees in February.....I'm so happy to be shooting this time of year! If you'd like to pass it on to someone you know like my pal Janis (thank God for Facebook or we never would have reconnected so nicely!!) did....I'd love to have your friends, family take advantage!! I promise to take good care of them!!

HERE'S SOMETHING FUN: I am going to have a shutterbug chat session at my studio in the coming weeks! I want to invite anyone who wants to talk shop with me...amature, professional or somewhere in between to come!! We'll talk about cameras, photos, subjects, locations, whatever floats your boat!! I hope this to be the first of a series of these types of get-togethers!! I'll require feedback via email or blog comment so I know who and how many want to meet! I'm looking at Sunday, March 1 (between 12:00-3:00). Let me know!

Enjoy!

~kel~

This one's for you Lynne....

Lynne signed her hubby and daughter up for a father/daughter portrait for my book. Thanks so much for sending them in Lynne......I know you've been waiting to see these. These are my choices for the book....

Shannon and Sydney, thank you!!

Enjoy!

~kel~

Big Smiles & Special Rates!

Tami took advantage of my Valentine's special and called for an appointment to update her children's photos....amazing how much they change in a year!

I have decided to offer in-studio session fees at a special rate of $50 throughout the month of February! The first five to book a session will get a free gift from me!! It's a slow month for photography and I really wanna be shooting so if I have to entice more sessions by reducing the session fee.....its soo WORTH IT! I love doing this!!

Had to show off a few cards I whipped up last night......first, we took Cam's photo straight off the school bus.
Then I gave the twins a hollar to see if they wanted to use their photos for cards.....they were all over it! This is what I came up with......I'm a scrapbooker at heart so designing them is great fun for me!

Enjoy!
~kel~