What WE wore...

I am loving getting all the emails and comments on our wardrobe!

After all of the stressing I did over it, it's nice to know others like it =)
Hopefully we don't end up on what NOT to wear

The most popular wardrobe question here, in my inbox, and on Facebook....

Where did you get your brown boots???

Great news, folks!  I got them at Kohl's!

I've been wearing them a lot, and they are really comfortable!

Here is the link. Looks like they're still on SALE!

::Justin's outfits::

He was easy to style...mostly. 

Both shirts were from Kohl's. They are Helix brand. 

Holister Jeans, and his favorite boots completed his wardrobe

{outfit one} 

 {outfit two}

::Barrett's outfits::

{outfit one}
His charcoal gray shirt is from Pumpkin Patch

( I learned about this place from my friend, Bethany)

I looked EVERYWHERE for a long-sleeve turquoise shirt to go under that, and finally found something at...none other than Wally World!
Actually, we were just crusin' down the isle one day, headed for milk,
and Barrett reached out, grabbed the rack, and said "Me want Thomas, Mommy."
I said, "YES...you should have Thomas."
Score...it was perfect, and he liked wearing it!

His charcoal gray hat is from Gap Kids/Baby Gap

{outfit two}

His yellow layered polo shirt is from Old Navy

His jeans are from Gap

His Converse are from Target

His red trike is from Grandpa Everett (Gpa Rabbit)

AND the giant lollipop is from Michael's Craft Store.

::Laura's outfits::

My hair was done by my super sweet sister, Kim!

I loved it, and sooo wish she could do it for me every morning! It made me feel so beautiful ;)

She even did a trial run of it a few days before....awwww, I love her!

{outfit one}

My red shirt with belt is from Maurices

Jeans are Decree
 

Turquoise cork wedge shoes are from Kohl's

They were on the clearance rack for $8! You can imagine how exited I was to find them...in my size!

Necklace, earrings, and bracelet are all from Kohl's

Necklace and earrings are by Sonoma 

Bracelet is by Mudd

I had a special little red flower I was planning to wear in my hair for a few, but I forgot ;(

 {outfit two}

sweater is from Maurices

gold tank top is also from Maurices

skinny jeans are Vigoss

scarf is from Wal-Mart

Boots are from Kohl's

Beaded hoop earrings are from Target

got them on the clearance rack for $1.48!!

Beaded bracelet was purchased at a local craft fair for $5

Headband is from Kohl's

I think it was Mudd brand

I think that's about it!!!
I hope I can give you some inpiration to plan your family's wardrobe for your next portrait session!

Have fun with it, and it will all just come together.

******

I just ordered a proofbook of ALL our images...

I'm hoping that will help me make some decisions on my favorites for Christmas cards and which ones I want to hang HUGE on our walls! I told Alisha I have looked at them a million times, and I just can't narrow it down. I love them all!!

THANKS again to On the Wall Photography for our precious images! 

I will treasure them forever!!

I am so thankful to have found Dac and Alisha!

I'm looking forward to their session in April...and really hope this might be an annual trade we do :)

Happy tears...

Guess what?!?!

My patient wait to see our family pictures is over!

Alisha sent me the link to our gallery earlier tonight, and I am so IN LOVE with them all!!

Of course after I knew they were up, I had to wait FOUR hours to see them!!

WHAT?!?

There was a big storm tonight, and we had some internet issues...

My friend Amber texted me to say she loved our pics, and I was like what?...so I checked my email to see the message from Alisha, that they were up on the blog! I was about to go crazy not being able to see them. I saw a few on my phone via Facebook, but I wanted to see them all BIG!  I was getting a belly ache I was so frustrated and antsy about it.  Finally, at almost midnight, the internet was back up, and I've been staring at them all since!

They make me so happy! It was all soooo worth it to get to experience (what I hope) my clients experience when they see their galleries! The happy tears were flowing! I can't wait to show them to Justin and Barrett in the morning :)

A MILLION THANKS to Alisha and Dac of ON THE WALL PHOTOGRAPHY! 

They were a blast, and totally captured everything I was looking for!

Go to THEIR BLOG to see some of our images!

{my family}

Last weekend we had Kim take our family pictures for us. I'd had it on the calendar for awhile, and was really looking forward to it. I had Justin haul my big brown chair out to the country. He wasn't too happy about that, and of course getting a toddler to hold still and look at the camera is quite the job. I guess I felt a little like most of my clients, worrying that we weren't getting any "keepers." Justin was grumpy, Barrett was distracted and ornery, and I was stressed. It added to my frustration that the weather and evening sunlight were perfect, and Barrett didn't want to sit still long enough to take advantage of it. But, Kim did a great job, and I am really excited with what we were able to get....even if Barrett is eating fruit snacks in 90% of the pictures! Can you tell?!?!

After we were done with the family pictures, I tried to get a few of Barrett in his new hat. I bought it from the sweetest lady on Etsy, and got a great deal. I'd been looking at several of these, and they were all around $30. I got this one for $16...I told her what colors I wanted, and she made it made it fast and shipped it for free! She was great to work with, and even told me if I sent her a picture to use in her listings, that she'd give me 30% off my next purchase!

So, there they are...our 2009 family pictures! I'm sharing my favorites with you here, because I'm not even sure I'll get around to doing Christmas cards this year. I'm too busy doing them for everyone else :)

Thanks again, Kim!!

The beautiful {H} Family:: Sneak Peek

Aren't they a gorgeous little family? It was a beautiful evening for outdoor pictures. They were willing to try anything, and I had so much fun with them. Big brother, Paxon, was such a trooper, and Adaira was just a doll in that headband! Gosh...I must have a little girl one day! I'm dying to do all that girly stuff!


Katelin and I met through PAFT playgroup. She also started a Le Leche League group here in Winfield, and we got to know each other through those meetings. It is wonderful that she takes the time to organize that, because it is such a great resource and support system for nursing mom's in our community!

Thanks for hangin' with me {H} family! You have an amazing family to be thankful for.

He's a Yankee Doodle Dandy...

He's a Yankee Doodle BOY

On Thursday night we had our own little fish fry...just like we used to do when we spent the holiday at Mamo and Bapo's place on the lake. Fried Striper, fried potatoes and cornbread



On Friday afternoon, Barrett and I went to visit my friend Amber. She was in town for the holiday with her girls, Hadley and Jillian. The kids got to play, and we all got to catch up. Then Barrett went to Aunt Kim's so I could go to lunch with my girlfriends.



Friday night Barrett had a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's, while Justin and I had a night out with our friends Heidi and Mitch. We went to The Looney Bin Comedy Club to see a hypnotist, and it was hilarious!! We were all too chicken to volunteer to be one of the hypnotized. I thought it was fascinating, and look forward to going again. This comedy club has a special drink called a Labotamy. I'm not sure what all was in it, but it was tasty! If you go, you must get one. After the show, we came back to town and went out to a local bar. It was pretty dead for after 11:00 p.m. on a Friday night...but the guys had fun playing shuffleboard, and we ran into a few people we knew. It was nice to have an evening of adult conversation and adult beverages with our friends...it's the latest we've stayed out in a long time!

On Saturday we celebrated the 4th with an annual tradition among my friends Megan and Audra and their families. It started several years ago, when we were all newlyweds. We would pick-up dinner at Sonic and set up a picnic on the lawn out by the college. The college is where they have the community fireworks display. We'd go a couple hours early, so we could eat our dinner out on a blanket and then visit and play games until it was firework time. Megan's parents and some of their friends always have a spot close to us, and they bring homeade ice cream and all sorts of toppings, cookies and brownies! So sometime before the show, we walk down to get a treat.

Well, last year we all had babies {Lydia was 7 months, Barrett was 5 months, and Norah Kate was 4 months} so we took our Sonic out to Audra and Kane's. We put the babies to bed around 7:30 p.m. and sat out on their front lawn to try and see the firework display in town. We could see them, but they were tiny from our spot.

This year, we were still worried the babies might not make it to 9:30 to watch the fireworks. So we took our Sonic to the park for a picnic. It was a beautiful evening, and the kids had fun eating and playing together. Megan, Audra and I had gotten together last week to decorate some festive shirts for the kids. Megan had seen the idea in Family Fun magazine. I used the edge of lasagna noodles to make fireworks on Barrett's shirt and shorts, and then ironed on some fabric stars. After our picnic, we got the kiddos together for a photo shoot in their 4th of July outfits. They looked so adorable!!!!


Barrett gave his friends a little holiday gift, and then they all gathered around a Sonic cup. They're addicted already, I guess.


After the picnic we all went our seperate ways, since we weren't sure how long the kids would stay awake. Justin and I took Barrett over to Todd and Kim's to hang out with family. We played basketball and then headed out to find a spot to watch the fireworks.


Grandpa Rusty brought his new little 4-wheeler for the kids to ride. Justin shot off some fireworks with Kylie and Emily, before the big show began. Barrett stayed awake for it all. He sat on Grandpa's lap and loved it...he's smile and point everytime a firework would light up in the sky.


Next year we hope to get back to our tradition of being right up under the fireworks. There's nothing like lying back on a blanket and having them right over your head. I think Barrett will really enjoy it next year. Happy 4th!