More Wedding Photo Favorites

I thought I would post a few more of my favorite photos from Jeni and David's wedding. I even printed photos on their DVD. I gave them a DVD of all of their images, plus a DVD slideshow with an overview of their wedding day. It was so much fun!

Wedding Photos

I finally finished processing and editing photos from the wedding that I photographed on Nov. 10. Despite being very nervous, I got some great photos. The maid of honor arrived at the venue without her dress, and had to drive back to the hotel to get it. (I seem to remember that my Mother-in-law did the same thing!) The wedding started thirty minutes late, but otherwise went smoothly. I had so much fun taking photographs of Jeni and David's wedding. They are a great couple and were very easy to work with. I will post two of my favorite photos, and if I can figure it out, I will post a slide show later.

"God is Making Me Good"

The other day when I was helping our 3-year-old daughter out of her car seat, she said, "Mommy, God is making me good." My first response was to giggle at how cute it was to hear a 3-year-old say that. Then I quickly responded with, "Yes, He is. And He is making me good too." We had a nice little conversation over her comment, and I have been thinking about her comment often. God is making me good. I am thankful that God used my little girl to remind me about Him. (I am also thankful that I bought that CD of praise and worship songs for kids, and that my husband and I have had the patience to listen to it so many times. We had been listening to the CD right before she made her comment. What song, you might ask? God is so Good. Yes, He is.

Cutie Pies

Just some practice shots with my new camera using my two favorite models!

A New Venture

I have not posted in quite some time. Partly it is due to being busy with house, home, and family. We have been painting the outside of our house. Mostly, though, it is because I have been spending most of my spare time reading and researching. A friend of mine hooked me up as the wedding photographer for her sister-in-law's wedding on November 10! So I have been working hard to make sure that I will do a good job.

I have always loved photography, and thought that some day that I would like to be a photographer. Thanks to my friend, I have been given a bit of a jump start in that direction. Over the last several weeks I have been learning as much as I can about my camera and wedding photography. My dear husband is so supportive and helpful to me. He did a lot of research on equipment and even bought me another camera and other gadgets that I can use to photograph the wedding. He has been so great about it! So, now that I have invested, I better get to work. Is anyone getting married soon? Do you need a family portrait?

Dress Up

I found this picture of my sister and I playing dress up. (Sister,I hope this doesn't embarrass you too much.) I thought it was fun to see a picture of myself with my sister doing something that my two girls also love to do.

The Mean Machine

The Rhino that we rented in Moab was a lot of fun. I was amazed at some of the rock that it was able to climb over. My hubby had me scared a few times, and I got myself and the kids out. Here are two photos of a tricky section of the trail.

The Bog

Our friend isn't afraid to try anything, some might say that he is adventurous, but mostly it's just plain crazy. Looking at this picture you might say, "So what, he's just getting a little muddy." If you could see the green water and the disgusting little creatures swarming in this bog, you would know how gross this was. However, it was fun to watch him ride across the water, get stuck halfway through, and finally work himself out of it. My hubby challenged the bog as well, thankfully we didn't get quite so muddy.

Arches National Park

We went to church on Sunday and then visited Arches National Park before leaving Utah. This is one of my favorite parks. We did a few shorter hikes to see some arches and to play in the sand. Sand Dune arch was by far the favorite spot for the children in our group. I had so much fun taking photos of the kids. Thanks to my friend who took a family photo for us!

Gemini Bridges

Here are some more photos from our weekend in Utah. On Saturday morning we did another four-wheeling trip. We all did a shorter trip to see Gemini Bridges. We started in the valley this time and climbed up to a plateau. At the end of the trail we found that we were at the top of the bridges looking down at the valley floor. With so many children in our group, this was a bit scary because of the height of these cliffs. It was difficult to capture the scale of this amazing place with the camera, you really have to be there to experience it.

I was able to get a group photo with the nifty remote that hubby gave me for my camera. Thanks, honey!

In the afternoon some of the guys went dirt biking. Hubby went on the trip and overexerted himself in the heat. He ended up with a bad case of heat exhaustion. Thankfully it didn't hit him until they had biked to a town where he was able to get inside to some air conditioning. Even so, he was sick for several hours until his body had cooled down and gotten some rest. I am grateful that he was with a group of guys to help him out, and that the Lord protected him. Heat stroke can be so dangerous out in the wilderness.

Utah Trip

We were invited to take a trip to Utah with some friends. We left Thursday evening and spent the night in Grand Junction, CO. We drove through the Colorado National Monument on Friday morning and then continued on to the KOA campground in Moab where we had rented Kamping Kabins. The Kabins had a double bed and bunk beds, no water, but they did have swamp coolers. In the afternoon we rented a Rhino(see photo) to tour a Utah canyon. The scenery, although not beautiful like the Colorado mountains, was spectacular. There was an old car, two antique tractors, and various other junk that had been left behind long ago at the end of the trail. Although we were riding off and on for about six hours, the girls enjoyed the adventure.

First Soccer Game

Our 5 year old daughter had her first soccer game. Despite the fact that both of her parents play, and that she has seen many soccer games, she still didn't have a clue how to play. She had a blast running around the field with her friends, chasing after the ball, and occasionally kicking the ball. We enjoyed sitting on the side of the field watching them. I was proud of her when she took a hit with the ball, and kept on playing even though it had to really hurt. I think if you ask her why she likes playing soccer, she would say "Having a snack!"

Happy Birthday, Sister!

I'm sending birthday wishes out to my sister. I hope that you have had a wonderful birthday today. I have been missing you, and praying for you often.

I thought of you this weekend when I saw this sign. We stayed at a hostel in Leadville, and I thought it was funny that he had Anchorage on his mileage sign. Seeing how many miles are between us made me miss you more! I can't believe that you live so far away. Do you think that we will ever live in the same state again? I would love to have taken you to lunch today to celebrate with you, or have you over for Sunday dinner, or have you at my girls' birthday party, or go shopping with you. It's difficult having a sister that I rarely get to visit with! On the positive side, I'm so glad that I have you for my sister. I'm grateful that we have things like blogs, email, and affordable phone rates so that we are able to keep in touch.

Happy Birthday, Flur! I hope that your family made you feel special and loved today.
Love and Hugs!!!

Labor Day Fun

We had a great trip to the mountains for Labor Day. The girls just LOVE camping. They think it is the greatest thing to sit by a campfire and eat marshmallows, and then retire to a sleeping bag in a tent. I am so glad that we took the time to go the mountains. We did a little biking in Glenwood Springs and visited the Hot Springs Pool. We also visited Maroon Bells wilderness area. It is a beautiful place to visit. I hope you enjoy the photos!

While I am grateful that the stranger was willing to take this group photo for me, I still have to say that it is funny that he cut off the tops of these beautiful mountains!

Labor Day Camping

We often take a camping trip on Labor Day weekend. We were going to stay home this year so we could paint the house, but some friends talked us into taking a trip. We found a beautiful spot in the Snowmass Wilderness area with incredible views of Capitol Peak, a 14,000 foot mountain. Since it was along a four-wheel-drive road, we had the place almost to ourselves. Here are some photos of our camping area.

First Day of School

Here is the photo that everyone takes for their first child's first day of school. Cayleigh has started Kindergarten and she is so excited. She loves it! She goes to HESP (Home Educators Support Program) one day a week at a local elementary school. I teach her at home the other days of the week. Her favorite subject is Handwriting, but she is also anxious to learn how to read on her own.

Blank

I'm not feeling very creative, just tired. I couldn't even come up with a title for this post. I have been so very busy over the last several weeks, and feeling crummy during it all. Allergies have hit me hard in August. Allergies seem to drain every ounce of energy out of me.

We have had a visit with Hubby's family. I hosted a baby shower the evening that they departed. Thankfully they cleaned my house for me before they left. They also helped me with the girls so that I could get the games prepared for the shower. I think my in-laws left my house cleaner than when they found it! What a blessing that was! We had several other things going on over the last several weeks including a camping trip and starting school. Homeschooling is very different from teaching in a school. However, I think we are off to a good start, and the girls seem to be enjoying it. I aim to post some photos soon, but right now I need to get my aching body into bed.

By the way, I love hearing from you-so leave a comment. Or else how do I know that you have visited?

5th Birthday

We celebrated the 5th birthday of our oldest daughter last week. We had a family celebration on her actual birthday and then a small party of just girls to celebrate two days later. We made Shrinky Dinks and necklaces for a party activity. We also played charades. If you have never seen 5 year olds play this game, you should. It's hilarious! Our daughter had asked me for a Little Pony cake, so we just put a few plastic toys on top and added a few other details. My girl was so happy to help me bake and decorate her cake. What fun we had together.

Babysitting Club

Here are some pictures from our play group last week. I am part of a wonderful club where we take turns watching each other's children. We meet twice a month. There are three families involved so I watch the children for four hours when I am on duty and then I get to have two times off duty. We have been doing this club for two years now, and it has been such a blessing. The kids enjoy playing together-most of the time, and it's a great way for me to get a break from the kids. I use the time to run errands, schedule appointments, clean house, and have a lunch date with my hubby.