Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween and Merry Christmas to me!! It was a great day today! Not only did I have a ton of fun watching my kids (we'll get to that in a minute), but I got a Halloween and early Christmas present today--I got a Canon 5D!!! I have been eyeing this camera for some time now and, well, my other camera has been having some problems and had to be sent in to get fixed so I finally had an excuse to bite the bullet and get it! For most people reading this a camera is just a camera, but to me (and the other photographers reading this blog), my camera is more like a baby and it is something to get really excited about. Sorry if I am boring you :).

Anyways, here are some of the first images using my new camera and I have to say that the colors are AMAZING!

On to my kiddos and our Halloween. Brooklyn was Cinderella and she was beautiful I might add. She has been so fun this year because she was finally excited for the big day and understood that this holiday means LOTS of candy and she is a candy fanatic. She loved playing at our neighborhood carnival with some of her cousins and friends and had a great time trick-or-treating.





Brigham was the hit this Halloween! Everyone LOVED his Yoda costume and he LOVED the candy. He had a sucker in each hand all night (I am sure he ate at LEAST 10 suckers, if not more) and I found half eaten candy bars all of the place. Yep, they still had the wrapper on them. This candy lover wasn't going to let a little thing like a wrapper stop him from having the greatest night of his life!





Did I not tell you that this camera is incredible?? I know, I know, enough already!

I hope all of you had a wonderful and safe Halloween as well! Until next time.

--Jodi

4 Boys and a Babe

I had fun yesterday spending some time with my brother and his wonderful family. After having 4 boys they were finally blessed with a girl. She is 9 months and is such a doll.

It was quite the adventure trying to get 4 boys to stay near each other long enough to get a few shots together. Picture day for these boys is sheer torture in their eyes, but they should be happy to know that it will be another entire year before the dreaded day comes again. As if 5 kids didn't add enough excitement, the sprinklers decided to come on and drench me. Yes, I got completely soaked because I was more worried about saving my camera than saving myself. There is something about this family and water. You see, the last time I took their pictures we were shooting at the ocean and I fell in the water. But, yet again I saved my camera--I got the wind totally knocked out of me, but I saved the camera. Next time I will be prepared--we will be headed to a location that is as far away from water as possible :).

Enough rambling and on to the pictures. Don't you just love how little B is looking up at her mom?






Anyone that tries to mess with B better watch out because she has got some pretty tough older brothers!





I had a great time with all of you! I know that I kept you in suspense big bro, but you should be happy to know that you made the blog!

Our Little Menace

I haven't shared any pictures of Brigham in a while and I just couldn't resist this one! He is getting so BIG. We loving call him our little menace because he is into EVERYTHING! He loves to scatter ice around the house, empty all of my cupboards, chew on markers, and throw his food halfway across the kitchen. I realize it is just the age, but it is driving me CRAZY!

And then I look at this cute picture and it makes the crazy days worth it. I could just eat him up he is so cute! And let me tell you, some days it is a really good thing that he is cute. I love this kid.

Tree Climbers!

I had so much fun yesterday with the B family. They made my job so easy--they were relaxed with natural smiles and they were up for anything. They were also VERY patient as we had to search for some good light and dodge the puddles of mud. We accomplished our goal though and got some great pictures. Isn't Little Z so cute?





I just love how he dad is looking at him. It just melts my heart!


This was last picture of the night. The entire shoot D kept talking about how eventually I was going to make him climb up in a tree because I kept asking them to walk through mud and all sorts of things to get some decent light. Well, at the end D was standing next to the tree and decided to climb it. I will spare you the pictures of him trying to get up, but he made it and it turned out to be a great picture!



Thanks again! I had a lot of fun!

Sisters...Secrets...and Boyfriends

I just had to share these pictures. They make me smile everytime I see them. So how do you get 2 girls to start telling secrets and laughing? Well, you ask the younger sister who the older sister's boyfriend is--in front of Mom and Dad. You will be sure to get a reaction as they try to create a cover up!

My Little "K" Isn't So Little Anymore

I finally had the opportunity to take some pictures of my niece "K" (the older sister to my other nieces K and K :) ) She is 7 and and looks SO BIG in these pictures. She was a great model and LOVED being the center of attention. I had a hard time narrowing down the pictures to only 3, but I needed to save a few surprises for her mom and dad. Here you go K, I sure love you !

Princess Brooklyn Turns 4!

I can't believe it--I am now the mother of a 4 year old! Isn't it funny how fast time flies. It seems like just yesterday I held Brooklyn in my arms for the first time. I remember her looking in my eyes with a big smile on her face. After being in foster care for her first 8 weeks, she knew that she was finally home! What an amazing moment! It is etched in my mind and heart.

Fast forward 4 years and here she is, my smart, beautiful, happy, independent girl. She absolutely amazing and I cannot imagine our lives without her. She is such a big help! She is constantly getting things for me--glasses of water if I am working at the computer, diapers for Brigham, and she even can make Brigham his sippy with milk whenever he runs to the fridge. I also love waking up to her cheerful personality. It is a great way to start the day! Her smile is contagious and she is extrememly complimentary towards others. She is always telling me "Mom, I really like that outfit your wearing," or whatever. She brings a smile to my face.

Brooklyn wanted a princess party this year so that is exactly what we did and I must say that it was a lot of fun. This was the first year Brooklyn had a party with friends so we kept it to a minimum and just invited a few friends from the neighborhood. All the girls came in their finest princess attire and then we made crowns, wands and necklaces. Everyone had a great time! Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day.

Doesn't she make the most beautiful princess?





This picture brings a smile to my face. You can't tell, but she was opening presents and went estatic when she opened make-up. The fastest way to this girl's heart is make-up. She could not contain her excitement (probably because a few weeks back I made her throw all of her make-up away when I found her hiding in my closet putting it on after I told her not to :) ) She has been begging all day to put it on. I guess that is what we will be doing tomorrow.



Happy Birthday, my sweet girl. You are truly one of a kind and I love you!