Happy LOVE Day!

I wanted to wish everyone a happy Love day. I don't really need a designated date to wish everyone a little bit of "I love you". My sister had a procedure done on her heart today and I just got off the phone with her, so I thought I would just take the chance to spread the love. Isn't it amazing that they can go in mend her heart just like that, but sometimes some people are never able to mend their hearts of a "heart breaking" experience. Why do we call it heartache? If we lost a loved one and then had a heart transplant...the new heart would be broken too, wouldn't it? So really it has nothing to do with the heart at all. Do we feel love in our heart? Or in our mind? It's our brain telling our heart to beat faster and harder when we feel anxiety, right? Regardless if love has anything really to do with the actual heart organ...I still think it's the most powerfully, healing emotion to exist. I am thankful for my sister coming out of her surgery healthy as ever. I am also blessed with the ability to love and be loved by so many. Go tell someone that you love the....RIGHT NOW! Here are Tré and Jalena's valentine's that they will hand out this year. Enjoy. I printed them both on pearly paper and they are to die for.
Inside Spread.
Back.
Tré's is a postcard style printed on shimmery paper as well. Chicks are so going to dig this when he is dating them and I still get to make him love cards for them:) Totally kidding...unless I meet a really nice one, when he is 30, and he tells me she is the one...then I will help him make one:)


ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE!

Sunriver Again!

Another amazing weekend in Sunriver with some new friends. I went on a "Keep it Real" trip with a family and they so graciously invited my whole family to be there. They are amazing people and they have a beautiful story to tell. These are a couple of my family there having fun. This was me (very intensly) taking Tré on in a game of Go Fish. I am pretty sure that this is the only picture of me on the trip, but it is proof that I was there. I also received a new nickname from my friend 'A'...he kept saying "put the camera away Konnie Kodak." At one point I remember thinking I was getting an intimate moment that they were hardly notice me grabbing and he looks up at me and says...."what is wrong with you?" He thinks I have a serious problem, but I see it as a passion (best excuse in the world, I wonder if that's how annoying paparazzi see things:)
You will only see Jake in the sledding pictures because I BROKE my butt (coccyx) on my first and only trip down the hill. The kids had an absolute blast and the adults got to play as well:)
Jalena got to go skiing for the first time in her life with a private lesson and she ate every bit of it up.
Her instructor was incredible.
The other three kids went up snowboarding with a different instructor (Jalena was too young by a year:) Both of the instructors said that the kids were naturals. More importantly, they were very proud of themselves and it was a huge accomplishment. Jake and I were down the hill with Jamie while he entertained himself on the sledding hill.

Keep it Real!

I just came up with my newest package name the other day. I was calling it the Rolling Stone package because of the theory of the photographers back in the early days of the Rolling Stone magazine. They used to send their photographers out with the band for months to years at a time so that that they could find the story. To me this was the most amazing way to get in the "real" moments of the subjects life. I know that I don't have the time or ability to do just that, but I want to be able to bring an element of that journalistic style back into my photography. Yes, it's time for another evolution from me again...."here we grow again":) The name...."Keep it Real"!!!! So, my top package is all about getting inside the family's (couple, dogs, whatever) daily life and trying to capture the "real" moments that will strike a memory years later. I want the kids to be able to look at the photo and no matter what their age, be able to feel like they remember something about that day. I want to trigger smells, emotions and the works with the story that I am able to capture in an 6-10 hour shoot. There are a couple moments that I got this week that I love.
And this is exactly what I am talking about for the "keep it real" concept. I love the posed photo of the kids.....but then wait....the real moment appears. Total take-down with all the memories oozing from it. Someday, one of these twerps will look at this photo and smile because...they want to or do remember.

Growing up.

I don't know if you remember this beautiful family, but this is the joy of my job. I love telling the whole story..with each change in a family or a relationship there is more of the love story to tell. Well this family has one more little bundle to love and it seems just like yesterday that I was taking Brooke's newborn shots (well, guess it was only a year ago). They were cute as ever and it was so nice to see them again and to meet the newest, little Gabriella.
Some new pamper covers that I got at Fancy Pants:)
Is this the cutest or what...he was laughing so hard:)
New basket.
This is the real moment that I wanted to gt. The mom with her hands full, juggling the world, and no one to notice on a daily basis. Well, I notice the little (or big) things and I love this realness.
They have really grown and now they are little buddies.
I knew she was going to grow up into a cutie, but I had no idea. Isn't she to die for?
Yummy!

Outtakes from Studio fun!

Some more outtakes from playing around in the studio the other night. This is one of Jalena's new looks that she busted out in front of the camera. I don't think Jake is going to approve of this look!
Shannon let me use a few new things for a shoot that I did the other night and the kids had fun playing with them. Thanks for the laugh Shamone!
Tré wanted to pick his own wardrobe for his Valentine's shoot and we decided the tank was a little small and we had to go with outfit #2.
Outfit #2 with my handsome little devil:) We got a couple options out of this series to use on his card. I will post both of them after I make the cards.
Speaking of handsome devils......Is this little guy too much or what? Just playing around with the fun Knucklehead clothing line from Fancy Pants. Just another day in the life of a silly little boy named Jamie!

What is Love?

Jamison asked me the other day..."Mom, what is Love?" I have read so many definitions in my life and have defined this word many times myself. But, when he asked me, I could not find the words to tell him what it was. It was like it was the first time that I was ever asked what it meant. I kept saying that it's the best feeling in the world. It's a feeling. It's what you feel for you family. I was struggling. Well, when I look at these pictures the definition for me is clear. Love is the overflowing of emotion that I feel when I see these faces. It is the light that shines inside me everytime I think of them. Love is defined by the individual that is feeling it at that moment in time. Love for me is defined by this moment in my life. The love that they have for Jake and I right now is unconditional, its pure, and its what makes our life amazing. The love we have for them is indescribable in one sentence or even in one lifetime. "I love you three more than words can say...The world got a lot brighter the day each one of you came into the world. You have already made a difference in this world and there is so much more ahead of you. Your hearts are so huge and many people in this world will be blessed to feel even a small piece of all the love you have to give." I LOVE...Playing in the studio last night, trying to come up with Valentine's cards. It was so much fun to play in the studio together and they were really getting into it.

More Seeley!

I had one more favorite song that Amy sings that I had to post. I have been getting a lot of people asking about her music. Trust me, you just have to go buy it off her website. Although, I think that she is amazing, these recordings don't do her voice justice. The ones that I have posted are some of her new pieces that she is still perfecting. Can you imagine what they are going to sound like on her next CD! So go just pick up her music, K! We were playing with the camera the other night when she was here and I just had to post some of her SO CUTE smile, and her new MySpace greeting:)

Willow, Willow, Willowwww

This is a serious post about a serious girl from Tacoma. She has beautiful dark hair, a shy smile and she is very serious about life....Just look at the picture below....




THAT COULDN'T BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH! Here's some recent shots of my girl Willow up in T-Town. I have posted about her before and she is just a beautiful person with a zest for life that is contagious. She came to visit this weekend and we just chilled with Shannon and Kristy. I get so amped up when she visits. This time we came up with a challenge that we are going to take part in to use some of those creative juices we spark in each other. We brainstormed on all sorts of props that could inspire a shoot, and then closed our eyes and picked out three at a time. Stay tuned for more details and fun shots that we come up with. The first challenge in this month and it won't disappoint:)
I just took a couple shots of her in the studio because she was in love with her hair as usual and we wanted to capture the do before she goes in for her 1,000th change of color and cut. This is her famous cat pose that has a hiss with it that will scare a dog!
Whenever Shannon and I see her, we always sing her name three times like in the title. It's just fun and I wish I could record a tester to give you a taste. She is as crazy/fun and she looks and I hope the shots make you as happy as she makes me. Thanks for the invigorating day W!

Seeley Night!

About a week ago a few of us girls got the chance to go to an Amy Seeley intimate concert. have I mentioned that I LOVE that girl! We went as her biggest fans. Shannon's very good and incredibly talented, friend is Charity below. She is one of those girls that when Shannon and I get these wild ideas that seem impossible to do, we always turn to Charity. I swear she can do anything...and do it well. We started joking about being Amy's biggest fans and that one day we were going to make t-shirts. Well, that's just what we did. We printed off her album cover and Charity made the shirt a reality. They are so cute and Amy just adored them. We had a great time that night and Amy was amazing as always. She has such a stage presence that captivates the audience that I haven't been able to witness because I never got to see her in concert. If you ever have the chance you have to go see her perform! Thanks for the shirts Charity, you are a rockstar yourself.
Self portrait...can't you see the concentration in my eyes:)
Shannon and her Zoolander look. Isn't that shirt so cute. She put this badass stitching all over it. You can see it in the picture below this one a bit better.
Krazy Kristy (Wreckless Photography) thought the shirts were so cute that she wanted to LOVE them. This was Shannon making fun of her:) Thanks for the great night girls. Amy, you're the best.
Just a little treat for you all. The benefits of watching this blog is that you get little never seen before treats, of Amy:) She literally made up this song on the way to the show! Can you even imagine that? Why is it that everyone else's talent is always so much more amazing than your own. Wouldn't it be the most amazing thing in the world to be able to make up songs whenever your little heart desired? She's brilliant and damn funny.

More Christmas

These were a couple more of my favorite moments during Christmas vacation. I love the one below because this photo encompasses everything that a parent works towards. My niece, Jahnna, was come over with emotion Christmas morning when she received a red, Nintendo DS from her parents. The first thing she did was go over to thank Michelle with the most gracious hug and told her that she loved her so much. What a proud moment and I am so glad that I was able to capture it on that magical morning. Look at that beautiful smile that Michelle is wearing like a badge:)
Tré was so sick this day but he was determined to go snow machining, so that is just what he did....and he puked right when he got home:(
Brother and Sister...there is nothing greater than these years with siblings. They love each other unconditionally and they think the other is the best thing since sliced bread! I am so proud of all my nieces and nephews and it is always the most precious thing when I get to spend time with all of them and to see my kid's eyes gleam when they are with their cousins.
I can't wait until they are all able to look back at this photo and remember everything about the Christmas of 2007. I hope that it triggers all sorts of amazing memories, smells, and love in their minds when their all grown up. Wait, I can definitely wait until they are all grown up, but this picture makes me think of their future and love for each other:)

Christmas

This was a Santa that we ran into on our way up to Alaska for our Christmas vacation. We are pretty sure that this was the "real" Santa and the kids agree. The week before we went on Christmas vacation Jalena was down with a 5 day FEVER and then it ended in Strep throat. Well, Jamison got the fever on the airplane and then rest of the vacation can best be summed up in a little song that we wrote. We ended up staying with my brother (Jim ) and sister-in-law (Michelle). From the moment that we got off th plane into 39 below zero temperatures, everything else went downhill. But it definitely put the 10 below days that we had the rest of the visit, into perspective:)


This is little Merok and he was not so happy to get the Portland Plague (that we didn't bring). I still claim that we were the ones that brought the strep and not the flu that we all got! The Hajduke's are the ones to blame for the Pukes!We all passed around this puke bucket and some of us hit it and some of us didn't even come close. This flu was vicious and it probably went through 30 people in the family and friends before we came home. We have never ALL been hit by a sickness and I hope we can chalk it up as the only time!
I have seen better days! This was Christmas Eve and Jake had to pull off Christmas with the help of my sister (T-Rex arms)
So the song goes something like this...
On the 12th day of Christmas, Fairbanks brought to us...
12 Loads of laundry
11 Rolls of Charmin
10 Lips are burning
9 Days a'wasted
8 Pounding Headaches
7 Scorching fevers
6 Crying Kids
5 Pukeing Pails
4 Destroyed undies
3 Swollen eyelids
2 Strep Cases
And a Migraine that made Jim puke!

It wasn't all bad though. We ended up with two days of playing and the kids had a blast snow machining and ice skating on our friend's rink. It was great to be with family and we were VERY blessed this Christmas.
I guess this is why it took so long to write about this vacation because it wasn't so fun to rehash. It's a memory though. Here's to better health in the New Year!