Crusty Oatmeal and a warning | Kirkland Family Photographer

Dear kids,
Don’t do this to me ever again. Haven’t you heard,  “If Mom ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy?”  Crusty oatmeal sitting on the kitchen table approximately 2.3 hours after breakfast is long over, ain’t working toward happiness. It would be tragic to give the guilty one dish duty for a week.  Just take note… that’s all.  (And for those who can’t read, like let’s say maybe a 1/2 day kindergartener, the picture should suffice.)

Vegetables, week 10 | Kirkland Family Photographer

I am attempting to use more veggies… I was inspired by Fords Over Knives (a video about the benefits of a whole foods, whole grains, and a plant strong diet) and researched a bit about this type of diet and found a couple books to read. THIS book is colorful, fun, bright… who wouldn’t want to buy it? We are cleaning out cupboards over here, getting rid of packaged stuff (basically the crutches for the kids) and going to do our best to bring more veggies, whole grains and such in our home.  (Why do I often use the word attempting?  I think it’s non-comittal.)  Wish me luck!

Spirit, week 9 | Kirkland Family Photographer

Spirit? The first thought was spiritual… here is my attempt to be spiritual. I am trying to read scriptures, even the “made easy” version. I have several things stacking up on my nightstand in an attempt to fill my spiritual bucket.  One morning, I sat in bed, told the kids I would be downstairs in 30 minutes… enough time to read something. Within 2 minutes, child no. 2 was at the door requesting help with all sorts of things. I pleaded for 30 minutes, he pleaded for help.  He won.

It’s no wonder my pile gets bigger and bigger…

Romance, week 8 | Kirkland Family Photographer

Romance, romance, romance… What to shoot for romance? This morning when I got out of bed, about 34 minutes after my husband left for the day, I went in to our bathroom and saw this for the millionth time. It hit me… this is romance. He leaves the heater on high to make the bathroom warm for me. We aren’t fancy-we don’t have heated floors. Instead we buy a “fancy” space heater and heat our space. I’m not romantic enough to get up and turn it on for him but he ALWAYS leaves it on for me. It is so thoughtful! Should I go ahead and tell him that he doesn’t need to do that because I don’t go in and get showered until about 4:00pm, just in time for him to get home?

Body Parts, Week 7 | Kirkland Family Photographer

I’m sure just the title alone makes one curious?

What are you doing for 2012? | Kirkland Family Photographer

So, its 2012… what are your ambitions, goals and desires?  Mine you ask?  To recover from our sunny two weeks in AZ.  Here is a visual as to what I may be dealing with!  I don’t think I have ever had this much hanging laundry at one time.  None of us want a single gozillion-th of an inch lost, due to drying.  We ate ourselves into an oblivion and need to not only clean our clothes but still wear them at our new (more round) state of being.  I’ll consider this an attempt to save energy and money…  That sounds much better!

AZ was wonderful, sunny, loud and chaotic at most times, and a perfect place to be when rain and cold could not be escaped.  I love my family, my nieces and nephews, my friends and that beautiful shiny thing in the sky… sunshine.  It is always great to be back in our own home.  Now I am ready…

So, here goes 2012….  Happy New Year

Merry Christmas from our family | Kirkland Family Photographer

It is probably time to publicly apologize to my friend and photographer, Melissa Hancock!  She had no idea what she was in for and I can say, neither did I (I never know what is going to happen during MY OWN family photos).  Her family photo results were The Whirlwind Session and her kids are beautiful.  I’m sure my kids, MY KIDS (ahem) were lovely too, just not when she was ready to photograph them.  : )  After the two boys had to leave (who does that during a family session?) then Zoe and I had a chance to get some mother daughter photos.  Aren’t they endearing?  I honestly love these pictures because it truly is us-a little goofy, a little unprepared and definitely full of color (both literally and figuratively).  We stuck these in our holiday cards and we had phone calls right away exclaiming that Tim looks good with a mustache and Zane can do the crazy eye thing pretty darn well.   Melissa, thank you for capturing these moments in our lives.  Thank you for these pictures that I love!

So, from our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Staying ahead and other important things to do | Kirkland Family Photographer

It’s the Christmas season… some would say that it doesn’t begin until after Thanksgiving ends.  For me, that typically rings true but this year is a little different!  We ordered our holiday cards, sealed, addressed, stamped and then looked at the calendar and it read, “November 17.”  Not cool.  I couldn’t possibly send the cards out BEFORE Thanksgiving.  It is bad enough that Costco starts stocking their Christmas gifts right after Halloween and sometimes before.  I didn’t want to add to the push and pressure so I held them in the car, in a box, and waited.  AND WAITED.  I considered putting them in the drop box at the post office on Thanksgiving morning just to get those dang things out of my car but I waited.  The morning of Friday, November 25th, you can only imagine where we headed?!  Phew, to get those things away from me.  Staying ahead of the to do list actually added more to-do’s…. keep them until it is appropriate to send them.  Both are now checked off and I feel much better!

Green, yellow, and purple | Kirkland Family Photographer

It’s almost as if they studied the color wheel and learned that purple goes great with yellow…  The sun was shining through the fields and trees providing a golden warm day in Kirkland.  I am starting to think that all the talk about raining in Washington may not be true after all (but ask me again in February).  Jenna was the first girl I knew here in Kirkland. She introduced me to doctors and swimming lessons, friends and delicious places to eat!  I love this family!  I did family portraits for them last year at Kerry Park in Seattle and captured the Seattle skyline in the background.  This time, we are doing the class green/yellow scene of the pacific northwest!

The whirlwind session | Kirkland Family Photographer

I have had session in the past that goes fairly quickly (like for my kids who give me all of ten seconds) but I must say that this family was organized and ready and had their act together.  The only challenge was trying to convince their handsome little boy that he should stay in the family pictures.  Melissa is also a photographer and so maybe I can blame her professionalism on experience BUT don’t ask her what happened when she turned to take pictures of us!   Ok, I will tell you…  : )  1/2 of my family left-there are only four of us so that left two.  Perfect family photo, right.  The two that left claimed to need a restroom immediately and the two that stayed did not behave one bit!  Let’s just say we gave her a true test and she may change how she feels (actually, I’m sure she already did) about taking pictures of our family-or should I say half of our family.  It’s not funny.  I’m not laughing.  : )  This is probably the most pictures I have put on one post for a while.  It was a sunny say here in Kirkland and the skies cleared as I was driving up to meet them.  That was lovely!

Here she is, Melissa and her family-cute and organized and ready for pictures!