Ann | 2008 Senior

Here is a sneak peek for Ann and her family! We had a great time this weekend walking around in downtown Mesa documenting Ann during her senior year. She is an amazingly talented girl--she can play several instruments and is a top notch artist. She will definitely go far in life!

Ann made my job a piece of cake because after each click of the camera should would have a new look for me. I really didn't have to do anything. It was great! Don't be surprised if you see her on an upcoming senior shoot as my assistant.

Meet Ann!

light

My nephew came over for a visit today and I couldn't help but to snap a few pictures in the beautiful light that was coming through the front door. Can you believe how big he has gotten? (You can see him here and here.) Hope his mama likes it!

Baby

I just finished making this and I had to share. What do you think? It makes me want to make something like this for my kiddos rooms. Like that will ever get done so I will just enjoy this one.

Wranglers

I just had to share a few pictures of this cute little guy. He wasn't crazy about the idea of getting his pictures taken, but got some great ones anyways!



Can you believe this little man has actual Wrangler jeans? He is only 4 weeks old, but he is already dressing in style. And that cowboy hat?! SO CUTE!

San Antonio, Texas

Last Wednesday I was sitting outside with my kiddos when I remembered that we had a couple of tickets on Southwest that were just sitting there just waiting to be used up and Brooklyn was out of school for fall break so it was the perfect time to use them. So Brooklyn and I decided that it would be fun to go visit Uncle JD, Aunt Cassie and the boys in Texas for a few days. Troy was already heading there for work so it was the perfect time to go. We were on a plane the next afternoon. It seriously felt like "prekid" days when Troy and I went on spontaneous trips quite frequently. It is a little harder to do that with 2 kids, but we made it happen.

JD and Cassie don't get too many visitors so they were thrilled we were coming and dropped everything for us. They were the best host/hostess ever. I felt like we ate the entire time between Cassie's amazing mexican dishes and JD showing us the best restaurants in town and then, of course, we always had to fill in the cracks with ice cream or smoothies every night after the kids went to bed. Just writing this makes me crave Cassie's burritos and smoothies. I was trying to take some cooking lessons from her, but I just don't have the same touch as she does. Oh well, I will stick to taking the pictures and she can pay me with food. So when are you moving back to AZ again?

On top of the good food, our kids play so well together. Bryson and Brooklyn would play outside for HOURS at a time and they never once fought. Seriously, they played together for 5 days and they NEVER had an argument. Bryson is so mellow that Brooklyn can push him around and he doesn't even care. Brigham loved playing basketball and football with Coby and motorcycles with Tanner. Cassie and I actually had a chance to sit and talk to each other. Imagine that? So I ask again, WHEN ARE YOU MOVING TO AZ???

As you can see we had an amazing trip. We miss you guys so bad and we want you to come see us soon.

Anyways, while we were there we, of course, had to take a few (or a few hundred) pictures of my cute little nephews. Warning: there are a lot of pictures, but I just couldn't resist. Believe me this doesn't even scratch the surface of what I could have included. Oh and I have to say that I am in love with this location. We found this place just driving around one afternoon. There were several antique store right next to each other and I have to say that I wanted to buy everything in sight, but that is another story entirely. We had a gorgeous overcast day which made for some nice light wherever we went. Why does this place have to be 1000 miles away from me?










After the antique stores we headed back home and Bryson asked if I would take his pictures on the swing. I guess getting your pictures taken is that bad after all if a 5-year-old boy is ASKING to have his pictures taken again. I was honored and jumped at the opportunity. I am SO glad that he asked because we got some great pictures of the boys just playing like they do everyday in their backyard.







Now you can see why I had to include so many pictures. They are one good looking family! Hope you like them, JD and Cassie!

Sorry, but I just have to include one more. While I was taking pictures of the boys on the swings Brooklyn asked me why I wasn't taking pictures of her. I told her that I had LOTS of pictures of her on the swings so I needed to get a few of the boys before the sun went down in a few minutes. She seemed fine with my answer because she ran off. The next thing I know she has gone upstairs and changed her outfit into one that matched the boys. She hops on the swing and says, "Mom, I am all clean now and I match. Now will you take my picture?" How can you say no to that?

{Holiday Mini Sessions} Reminder

Just a quick reminder about the mini sessions that are coming up quickly. Now is the time to get your pictures for Christmas cards and presents. Click here for more details! Don't miss out! Spots are filling up fast.

My Little "Nickel"

Talk about the worst mother of the year award--I am just now posting a happy birthday greeting to Brooklyn. I know, I know, her birthday was almost 2 weeks ago, but I am just getting around to blogging. We got so busy preparing and celebrating the big day that I was too worn out to post I guess. Even though I am WAY late I still wanted to give her a shout out on the blog.

What can I say about my little missy moo? It is so hard to put into words how you feel about your daughter. She may only be 5, but her soul is so much older than that. She is seriously wise beyond her years and has an incredible amount of love in her heart. She is constantly taking care of everyone around her. She jumps up whenever any of us need anything. She will get chocolate milk for Brigham in the morning so mommy and daddy can sleep for a few minutes longer. She will bring me a cup of water when I am working just in case I am thirsty. She finds chocolate for her and Troy to share. She helps me clean the house without complaining--and even does more than I ask her to. If we are ever going to someone's house to visit she makes sure that she makes a card for them before we leave. If I need anything she is always so willing to stop what she is doing to help me out. I love this about her and it will serve her well in life.

Brooklyn is my little buddy. She wants to help do whatever it is that I am doing, whether I am cooking, cleaning, working on the computer, watching TV, shopping, or hanging out outside. It doesn't matter, she is happy doing whatever and is always a huge help along the way.

Brooklyn is also one smart cookie. I am amazed at how quickly she picks up on things. She loves school and it is a breeze for her. She seriously just soaks up everything like a sponge. She loves to write and is constantly asking me how to spell words. She can read about 25 sight words (which she learned in all of 3 days), can spell all of the colors and can write at least 10-15 words. She is in preschool mind you.

Another word to describe Brooklyn is DETERMINED. If Brooklyn decides she wants to do something nothing can stand in her way to stop her. I remember when we first moved into our house almost 4 years ago. Brooklyn was only about 18 months old at the time. At our park next door there is a small rock wall, but to an 18 month old it was about 4 times her height. She decided that she wanted to climb up it and off she went. About halfway up she lost her grip and fell to the ground. Before I could run over there to comfort her she was already up climbing the wall again. A silly fall wasn't going to stop her from reaching the top--and it didn't. This was also about the time when she decided that she wanted to do the monkey bars. Of course she wasn't tall enough to reach without our help, but she knew that one day she would be tall enough. Every time we went to the park for at least a couple of YEARS she checked to see if she was tall enough. One day she finally was and that was when her mission began. She practiced the monkey bars until she had blisters on her hands. She would fall and get right back up and try again. She didn't want our help--she wanted to do it by herself. After many, many falls and blisters she learned to do them. I will never forget the smile on her face as she swung from each bar until she got to the other side. She had put in the work and she was now reaping the reward. So what did she do once she learned to do the monkey bars? Well, learn to do them backwards of course! And so the blisters begin again.

One more thing, this girl is such a girly girl. When given the option of a toy or clothes, she will pick clothes any day of the week. Seriously, she will not ask for a toy, but walk through the clothes section and she wants everything in sight. We were visiting JD and Cassie this weekend and she was so excited that Aunt Cassie let her go in the closet and pick out clothes for Cassie to wear. She grabbed the stool and found a cute shirt with some bling on it and then went in the other room and found a matching necklace and laid it on the bed all nice and neat. I have to say that she did a dang good job. I give her about 2 years and she will be picking out all of my clothes at the store and dressing me everyday. I think she is going to be embarrassed of me otherwise because I really don't care about clothes as you all know. She also loves to get her fingernails painted and make-up on. She just sat in awe everyday while Cassie got all of her make-up on and since Cassie doesn't have any girls of her own, she loved putting make-up on Brooklyn everyday. Brooklyn loved it!

As you can see, I am one proud mama, but how could I not be? Brooklyn is absolutely incredible. We are all so blessed to have her in our lives. From the moment she was put in my arms with a big smile across her face, she has made our lives so much better in every way. I want you to know how much I love you Brooklyn. Our family would definitely not be the same without you. You bring so much love and laughter to our home. Never forget that you are loved!

And just to explain the title of the post--Brooklyn was SO excited to turn 5 because now she is a NICKEL. She tells me this so often that I now refer to her as my nickel. It never gets old with her--she smiles every time I say it. What a spaz! Man, I love this girl. I have to say that I am TERRIFIED for her to be a teenager, but I will try not to think about that and just enjoy everyday with her at this age because she is growing way to fast! I love you!

Party in the House!

As I mentioned way back when, we had a Hannah Montana birthday party for Brooklyn's 5th birthday. She had a great time with her friends celebrating her big day. She could NOT wait for her party to get started which was evidenced by the smile that did not leave her face all morning.

Here is a quick snap before the party. I don't think I have ever seen her so excited before. Seeing her like this makes every ounce of effort seem SO worth it. Aren't birthdays wonderful? We get to celebrate the people we love and be surrounded by friends. It is awesome!



A few more from the day! We had a pinata, Hannah Montana Karaoke, made crafts, and of course opened presents and ate cake and ice cream. Seriously, what more can you ask for?





I am so glad that you had a wonderful birthday, Brooklyn, we all love you so much!

{Salt Lake City Temple}

I took these pictures last April while visiting Utah and I am FINALLY getting around to playing with them. I really wanted to play with them after watching conference this weekend and seeing the beautiful Temple again. I am so excited with how they turned out! If anyone is interested they are for sale of course and I can even add your sealing date if you were married in the SLC Temple. And, in case you have forgotten, I also have the Mesa Temple as seen here.

These images would look amazing as a gallery wrapped canvas that can be passed down through the generations.

Horizontal Image:
16x30: 375
20x40: 575

Vertical Images
20x30: 425