Welcome summer

(Click to enlarge)

By Amanda

Today

Today, I am thankful for the calm I feel in my heart -



for the precious little hands that bring color and vibrance to my world -



for the surprising emergence of a hobby that constantly reminds me to release the lifesong that rises in my spirit -



for a partner who understands the cadence of my footsteps here on this Earth and willingly matches his to it, all the while remembering to dance with his two little "Cinderellas" -



Today, I am thankful.

Sculpey is the new black

Last summer, Amanda and I had the pleasure of spending a few days with our good friends, Julie and Brooke and their family. Julie is an amazing woman (and an amazing friend) that has homeschooled her children for a number of years - in fact, she gave me the courage to homeschool this year... let's just say that I owe a debt of gratitude to her.

Well, they happened to have something called Sculpey lying around, so we started playing with it - glorified Play Doh, I thought initially. NO. This stuff is amazing. We had so much fun (I had more fun than the kids) that I promptly went to the store after we got home and bought a pack.

The other night, we attended a nearly three-hour school meeting that was open to both parents and children. But this meeting was not for children. It's a good thing that I schlepped the Sculpey pack into my purse at the last minute or Amanda would have been so bored. She made twelve little items that we brought home and baked.

This is one of the little flowers she created:


Try this at home with your kids, and take some photos and share them with me! This is a great open-ended creative arts endeavor. Hope you have fun!

It's a photographer's paradise

Tap, tap, tap. Hi! We're back. The work reports are finally completed, we came back from a whirlwind visit to the Bay Area, and I have a gazillion photos to prove it. San Francisco was shrouded in its usual gray blanket of fog, but it didn't faze me. 6 days just flew by, and again, I didn't get a chance to touch base with everyone whom I intended to do so. Please forgive me!

Since I'm still in post-process phase with many of the photos, you can take a peek at a family session I did at Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek, CA, in the meantime:



I am now based in the greater Boise area as well as the San Francisco Bay Area, so if you or someone you know is interested in portraiture in either areas, send them my way!

A reminder for romance

I encountered this winsome couple a few evenings ago while photographing my girls in the front yard:



Just another little reminder to nurture my husband and our marriage. It's so easy to wholly focus on the children. Talk about them, talk through them.

"The most important thing
a mother can do
for her children
is love their father."

The above quote is an adaptation of Theodore Hesburgh's wise words:

"The most important thing
a father can do
for his children
is love their mother."

Brings me back to a layout I made some time ago:



Having such a tremendous person at my side to grow with is a true blessing.



Thank you for today's message, ladybug couple.

Class of 2009

All of a sudden the 2009 in the title reminds me of the anxiety-ridden world as we all awaited 2YK... I went and bought a ton of bottled water and duct tape to prepare for the impending cataclysmic events.

Bwahahaha! (I ended up drinking all of the water, and said duct tape rolls still live in the dark recesses of my parents' home)

We made it through 2000 okay. We are now half way through 2009, ladies and gentlemen!

Take a peek at my photography blog to see some photos from the latest photo shoot - two members of the Class of 2009.

I graduated in 1993. Wow, I won't even go there.

Worthwhile

Thank you for a wonderful year of homeschooling, Amanda. But who was the student, you or me?

How can such a little person make my heart swell with so much joy....