I love getting to know my clients  Talking to you about what you love about your family, and how they bring joy to your life brightens my day.

One of my regular questions is,

“What do you love most about your child?”

This is my very favorite question simply because of the answers I get.  When I asked Jennifer this about her son John, this was her answer:

“His big huge grin – he has been smiling since he was a few days old and it takes over his whole face.  He has so many priceless expressions, but that giant open-mouthed smile just makes me melt.”

Jennifer – I have to agree with you.  His smile is contagious.  He is one of the happiest children I have ever met!

Children are so.much.fun!  I had a blast playing around with John and just watching him interact with his amazing parents.  Loved babies are happy babies, and John is ONE HAPPY BABY.

It’s what we all strive for.  To feed our families what is best for them.  To lead a life that includes exercise so that our bodies are strong.

Some days I do this and I am so proud of myself.  Other days I order take-out and tell myself that tomorrow is another day and I will do better.  I believe it is best if we find a happy balance, and are willing to forgive ourselves (and even enjoy it!) when we step out of the guidelines and treat ourselves.

That being said, I have noticed that there seems to be the thought that “healthy” food cannot taste good.  I’m going to play MythBusters here and start blogging about some of my favorite foods that taste great and also provide my body with the energy and nutrients that it needs to feel great!

So here is my first installment in Healthy Living

:: Homemade Bean Quesadilla ::

You will need:

2 minced garlic cloves (I used the kind already smushed in the jar)

1/2 small onion (diced)

little oil for sautéing

2 cups cooked pinto beans (15oz can)

4 oz. can of chopped green chiles

1/2 tsp. chile powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. sea salt

Flatout Flatbread – Multigrain with Flax (I can only find this at Publix)

sliced provolone, or mozzarella, or your favorite cheese

chopped fresh cilantro and tomatoes for garnish

(I like this dip so much that I double the recipe.  We eat in the quesadillas, but also on tortilla chips as just a bean dip.)

Start by rising the beans.

Drizzle the pan with oil and add your onions.  Sauté until they are translucent and then add your garlic.  Let it cook for just a minute, but do not let it brown.

Now add the rest of the ingredients down to the flatbread.

As the ingredients cook over low heat continue to stir.

Smash the bean with the back of your spoon as you stir.

And this is what the finished bean dip looks like.

Like I mentioned before, this dip can be used straight on chips also…and sometimes that is where it ends up while I am making my quesadilla

To make your quesadilla, get out your flatbread, favorite cheese, cilantro and tomato.  If you don’t feel like chopping tomatoes and cilantro, you can substitute your favorite salsa and it tastes great!

Place a little oil in your pan and heat your flatbread.  Once one side is heated, flip it over to heat the other side and add your beans.

(Let me point out that the quality of this photo is below par.  It was storming and completely black outside, so my only light source was my kitchen light.  Blah.)

Now add your cheese.  YUM.

Flip your quesadilla until it is warm and gooey and cooked just right.

Add your toppings and dig in!

Eating healthy is even more important in light of the news I received yesterday.  It appears that my hobbling for the last 5 weeks has been due to a stress fracture in my hip.  So the doctor called after my MRI yesterday to stress that I am to put no weight on it and to use crutches until it heals.  This means that I can only exercise my upper body, which totally limits my cardio.  In turn, I am going to have to really watch what I eat in order not to gain weight.  But I have already not been able to run this entire time (and could only use the stationary bike without pain) and I even managed to lose a pound because of my diet.  Hooray!

So, if you have any recipes that you would like for me to try that are healthy and tasty (and especially those that promote strong bones!) LEAVE ME A NOTE IN THE COMMENTS.  I love to try new recipes!

This photo brings me peace.

It allows me to breathe deeply and intently.

And just by looking at it I can smell the ocean, feel the breeze in my hair and hear the laughter of my children.

I wish to share this peace with you.

Let us all be mindful of  the beauty with which God has surrounded us.

(this photo was taken with my iPhone held very carefully over the side of the boat.  I am a firm believer that the best camera is the one you have with you – and I would not dare hold my Canon out over waves or lay it on my beach towel beside me, so my phone is perfect.)

Enjoy the blessings of this Easter.  For me it is time with family in the beautiful outdoors.

We spent 5 nights camping in beautiful St. Andrews State Park along Florida’s beautiful emerald coast.  I feel like I say it all of the time, but I love it here.  Love.  Like breathing deeply to just inhale the fresh air and water with my eyes closed, Love.  We never see a reason to go very far to vacation and enjoy the outdoors.  It was so very peaceful.  It was fun.  It was splashing and laughing out loud.  It was quiet moments around the camp fire.  It was unforgettable.

I enjoyed my family.  Like, unplugged, no distractions, enjoyed my family.  That is my very favorite aspect of being outside.  No distractions.  Just us.  It jerks me out of my to-do list state of mind and forces me to rest and focus on what really matters.

While we were camping, our sweet little A-Liner camper was our home.  It was like a little play house for the kids.  Luke told me over and over how much he loved camping.  This morning, he walked over and hugged the cabinets stretched between the stove and the dishwasher because he loves our home.  And it occurred to me to repeat to my kids that – home is where our family is together.

And sometimes that is playing in the dirt.

I usually work all day on Wednesdays, but yesterday the kids came straight home from school (and I got to stop working on my taxes).  Win win.

We took  the afternoon and just played.  The kids went from one room to another playing school with their “buddies” – aka stuffed animals.  They worked on letter sounds together.  (Luke is a bit obsessed with the alphabet right now.  It is so cute!  That will have to be a separate post…) and after a bit we ended up outside (after the bee that had been buzzing by the back door for over TWO HOURS left.  You all know how I am terrified of bees.)

Tuesday, the purpose of the swing set was to see how dizzy they could get going in circles.

(Apparently Reagan does not like to look while going round and round.  Her hands covered her face the entire time.)

And yesterday, the purpose of the swing set was to SWING!  

Reagan finally got the muscle coordination down, and UP she went!

I went inside to start dinner, looked out, and this was what I saw through the blinds.

She is such a great big sister

And then the swinging moved to the monkey bars.

And that, friends, was our Wednesday.

Of course, I think I have Dr. Seuss to thank for quite a bit of it.  Both kid’s schools celebrated each day and I had tons of fun playing along.

In the spirit of all things fun, we went to a friend’s house yesterday to play.  Children playing are just the best.  I love to watch their imaginations run wild, listen to the giggles and get some well deserved mommy (and business) talk in with a great friend!

The kids were playing with every toy they could get their hands on…and then I caught sweet Fin enjoying a picnic that they had set up.  (I love that I carry my camera everywhere!)

Today was good.  Today was fun.  Tomorrow is another one.

If you never did, you should.  

These things are fun and fun is good.

Taking photos of kids just being kids is what it’s all about.  It fills me with happiness.

Have a most delightful weekend!

This is the time of year that everyone starts to think about updating their family photos.  It is the perfect temperature most days, and the sun is simply gorgeous.  I mentioned in my most favorite post to date that, yes, I am still taking portrait sessions.  And there is no time better than now!

*side note:  all maternity sessions are included in New Life Sessions.  Inquire for details.*

Portrait sessions are high energy and tons of fun!

The Details:

From now until March 15th, when you book your family portrait session you will receive the entire creative fee back in custom prints!

All sessions must take place before May 31st.

Choose from our beautiful beaches, downtown Pensacola or another location special to your family.  Get creative!

Please contact me with any questions and to request my 2012 Portrait Session guide.  I look forward to speaking with you!

I tried to just pick my favorites…but there were just SO many!

This is our after school routine.  We get Reagan from the bus stop quite often in their new Power Wheels.  It’s just so cute watching them drive.  Reagan is quite good actually and can even turn the wheel the opposite way to backup.  Does this count as driver’s ed?  And I adore her look of concentration while doing her homework.

Luke has been so busy this month (understatement.)  When he goes to bed at night he has a list of buddies to take with him.  Lately, quite a few cars are in the mix.  After one night of me trying to get him to stay in his bed, and after several walks back in there, all was quiet.  When I went to check on him I found this.  His favorite cars all in a row on his favorite blanket.  This is so him right now.

And this is so Reagan.  Her favorite thing to eat out is prenzels (pretzels) at Mellow Mushroom.  She has loved them for so long that she still calls them the same thing that she did when she could barely say the word.  Her big accomplishment this month was learning to tie her shoes all by herself!  Yea Reagan!  She even helps Luke when he will sit still long enough.

Our weekend routine always includes flax seed dark chocolate chip waffles.  YUM!  I love having my phone handy and snapping quick photos.  And I LOVE Instagram!

RAWR!

I just love how they leave their toys sometimes.

I got to take a ride with Jake on my birthday!  (High speed taxi only, folks.  They threatened certain death if we let the wheels leave the ground.)

Yes.  I love where I live.

I love that we can visit the beaches here year round.  Pensacola is my paradise, and I cannot wait to move back here after our adventures with the Air Force are done.

She is so.stinkin.cute.

And that there folks was our January in a nut shell.  Taking a snapshot every day has been so fun.  It has forced me to slow down and take in the little things.  And in return, when I get to go back through all of the images at the end of the month, I get happy and all smiley all over again when I see all of the good times we had.  This is fun

My branding process was filled with questions.  The more I answered, the more I had.  And what I discovered was who I truly am and where I am headed.

I love family photography.  Absolutely LOVE it.

It brings me such joy to photograph the way a family interacts.  To watch them just be.  Be together.  Be happy.  To be so very present with each other.  During a session everyone just lets go of any stress or worries, and completely embraces their family – totally and completely.  They are so absorbed with each other that I feel so honored to just be there with them.  And I am so grateful to them for trusting their memories to my eye, to let me show them how I see their connections, and to create lasting ways to display these photographs for generations to enjoy.

I am not your typical photographer.

Over the past few years the way in which I see things has changed.  Let me explain.

As I began to create my portfolio for my new site it occurred to me that the images I was choosing to display were not the ones that were on my old site.  They weren’t really similar in style.  Hmmm.  That made me start thinking.  

I have always found the most joy in the unexpected moments.  The unplanned, unposed.  The REAL.  Real interactions between people who love each other. 

Family life is where it’s at.

But now I realize that I most enjoy photographing families in their natural setting – their home.  Sure, the beach is gorgeous, but HOME is where it’s at.  It is where we live.  I know that sounds obvious, and to most, boring, but to me it holds so much meaning.  So much of our daily lives is spent in our home.  Our busy breakfasts and morning schedules lead to play time where every toy comes out.  Back yards with swing sets and bike rides down the street make up our afternoons. This is life at it’s best.  It is what happens when we aren’t looking.  When we are just going about our every day routine.  These are the times that we want to remember as our children, and our families, move from one stage to the next.

I photograph HOW you live.

By photographing not only where you live, but how you live, you will have images that tell your story as it is right now.  Subtle things change week by week, and in a year’s time your daily routine and life in general will be nothing like it is today.  This is most evident in the lives of military families, but holds true for every type of family.  As our children grow and change, the functionality of our family adjusts to everyone’s needs.

Will I still take portraits?  YES.  Although photographing family life will be my focus, I plan to continue to take portrait sessions on a limited basis.  Portrait sessions will be filled on a first-come first-served basis, so be on the look out for when they are offered.  You can always contact me to inquire about any type of session and I will be more than happy to chat with you!

I cannot wait to meet you and hear your family’s story!