Where are you Christmas?

We are counting down to Christmas with our advent calender and in our family we have an activity and a piece of chocolate every day at the time mom, me, appoints :) And the other night the activity was 'watch The Grinch as a family,' the day before that we read The Grinch who stole Christmas. SO anyways, it lead to this impromptu photo shoot with Gunner in his 'super hero,' red long johns. He was asking me about Christmas, the baby Jesus, and all the Christmas stories we've been reading. Anyways, I had a lot of fun taking these pictures, it brings back the first stirrings I have in my mind about Christmas and all it's wonder: the big BRIGHT lights surrounded by the darkness of our Christmas tree, family outings, sugar cookies, and noisy malls. I just love the impression Christmas left on me when I was a kid, the memories never fade.

Baby Stafford

Another picture of baby Stafford.
Congratulations Ike and Jackie he's a keeper!

The biggest Blue Eyes EVER!

Isn't she to die for! This is Baby Paisley I just love her big blue eyes and chubby cheeks! Scott and Ashley you two did a good job!






I know I just can't get enough of her!

Natalie + Clifford

These are our AMAZING Friends, The Hares. Natalie and Cliff are THE original Cupcake tasters for The Cupcake Company. We actually named the PB Cliff Dive cupcake after Cliff because he inspired it. And here are some couple shots of the Hares workin it!







In these last two shots Natalie is fabulous and Cliff is just workin it! So I give Cliff a sincere compliment about how he totally rocks because frankly guys can be difficult to get to loosen up for the camera. Then Cliff confesses that its all about the Fruit of the loom, he just pictures himself in some nice tighty whities and he's in the zone! I almost peed my pants, I was laughing so hard.

Happy Labor Day, Jackie! [wink, wink!]

I did a maternity shoot with my friend Jackie the other day, she's beautiful, glowing, kind, and a wonderful mom. Baby Isaak is due any day now and I'm excited for Jackie to hold her new baby boy. Here's a sneak peak, I'll post some more as soon as I can get the rest of my computer up and going. Johnny's been re-doing it into a dream machine, unfortunately it takes time . . . but he's doing wonderful and we are almost done - THANK-YOU Love of my life, I know you work so hard!

The Foutch Coutch Family Album

This is my photographer friend that I told you about in my last post, Missy Katelyn Foutch and her beautiful family, three beautiful girls all lined up in a row - so cute and so much pink, I'm envious ;) Katelyn is doing an amazing impression of the Afghani refugee with the piercing green eyes photographed by Steve McCurry in the 1980's -the one that made the cover of National Geographic and makes me feel like a bloated pop tart . . . I probably shouldn't draw an anecdotal comparison between a refugee and food . . .




I really love this marlbo-esch shot of Katelyn and hubby Brian, you know no one can resist a cowboy, Brain you are a natural.







In this picture I told Lauren to look directly into my camera so I could take a picture of her brain . . . it took a few pictures before her careful staring loosened-up and started to look more natural so I could get the shot I wanted. She was totally into it, I love kids, boys or girls, they love bugs, cupcakes, brains, and farts.

Family Pictures . . . sneak peak

We finally got some family pictures done that I am way excited about! My good friend, Katelyn Foutch shot these pictures with my camera and she did a way awesome job! And it was a very pleasant experience working with another photographer, Kate you ROCK! We actually swapped taking family pictures I took the Foutch's and Kate took ours - one of the perks of photography! And my other good friend Jackie Stafford did my AMAZING hair and let me borrow her her fabulous earrings, Thank-you Jackie!

I only have a few pictures to showcase because Johnny - my AMAZING husband - is re-doing our computer into a fabulous dream machine. And he's accomplishing this in between Law school, our family schedule, and his busy schedule. So my access has been limited . . . hopefully everything will be up and going by next week. THANKS to Johnny! Then I will post all the blogging pics that I'm behind on ;)




I love this collage of Gunner and Johnny!

Mentering session with Jenny

So I did another mentering session with Miss Jenny she did great here's a picture of her workin her mad camera skills with Chelsie, our fabulous model!



Just wanted to share a couple of my favorite shots; don't you totally dig how ultra-cool Chelsie is. She really nailed that troubled teenager thing!



And gotta give it up to the sunglow shot, have to have one of those this early in the morning.

#2 Alaskan Adventure: Deep Sea Halibut Fishing . . . AND . . . Happy Anniversary, 8 yrs!

We spent the morning of our anniversary out in Kachemak Bay deep sea fishing for Halibut. It was awesome! Below: Johnny and Garon, my brother, in the boat.



You'd never be able to tell that Johnny and Garon were horribly seasick, retching their guts up on the first fishing run - I did great, not a bit of sea sicknesses. Johnny actually does pretty good too. The first run out in the boat he pukes everything up and then after that it's like butter; a regular seadog. Even throughout his first initial sea sickness he's impressively functional; all these pictures were taken during that first trip. He'd stop, hand me his pole, turn and puke over the edge, then turn back around and bait another hook. I think he baited more hooks than I did - what a diehard! Halibut fishing is Johnny's favorite type of fishing though and he didn't want to miss out on anything. My poor, poor wretching brother - he pukes the whole time! He stirs the boat, leans over the side, weighs anchor, then curls up in fetal position. And every time at the end of the trip he swears it's his LAST halibut trip and every time I say, "Well it was a pleasure to accompany you on your last halibut fishing trip Garon. I am honored [said with slow meaningful emphasis as I look him in the eye . . . pause . . . then wink]."



Johnny determined to pull in our limit!



My first Halibut of the day! Yippeee!



Here's a shot of Gunner and Jack playing in the sand on the beach after we got back. I LOVE how disgruntled they look, they really did not want to humor mom's 'always taking pictures habit.' Don't they look like miniature versions of grumpy old men. , I LOVE it!

Status Post Birthday . . . 28 yrs!

So yesterday was my Birthday, I really enjoyed myself! I made Raspberry Chocolate Truffle cupcakes, Gunner and I played with marshmallow fondant while jack took a nap, we had MacDonald's for Dinner, I decorated most of my cupcakes (Gunner and jack had their designated cupcakes to decorate and mommy had hers) while Johnny wrestled with the boys, and then we had a few people over to share them with. Then later that night Johnny and I watched X-men origins while he gave me a foot massage (you're missing out Natalie I'm telling you. It was the best!
I also had a great surprise! 92.5 KRFP is going to interview Johnny and I today at 2pm on our new cupcake catering business The Cupcake Company, needless to say we are thrilled and really nervous. They said they would give us a copy of the show so we will post it on our cupcake blog later.

Mentering Session

I did a mentoring session with Katelyn Foutch earlier this week and she did great. We went out at 6am to catch the most excellent morning sunlight ever. This is a shot of Krystal,our model, looking off in pensive thought. Isn't she fabulous!And doesn't she do pensive wonderfully!

It was early and frosty. And I feel closer to Katelyn now that we've watched the sun rise over the still horizon in the distance . . . Ahhh-me [poetic sigh of wonder].
Another shot of Katelyn and Krystal workin-it!



Seriously though, look at those legs! The only two people who can pull this look off is Audrey Hepburn and Krystal! Ultra-FAB!



And we got to get an action shot in with the GAP jump! Weeeee!

#1 Alaskan Adventure: Rock Skipping

So instead of blogging all at once about all of our Alaskan adventures, I've decided to post one like once a week or something like that . . .


Visiting home just isn't the same without a trip to the cabin in Homer. We skip rocks on the beach, go to our 5th favorite pizza restaurant, hike, camp, fish, and brew some kettle booty (aka 3 day camping B.O.) that's what Johnny likes to call it!
So here we are on the Homer Spit skipping rocks into the Kachemak Bay. Johnny and I tie EVERY time for the most skips per throw. Though I usually pull ahead at first . . .

Jack was so excited to throw rocks indiscriminately without censure; I'm sure he thinks we'll never be able to re-create this heighten level of experience again.

Johnny, throwing a winning throw - trying to match my last 7-skip throw. The Homer spit is the best place to skip rocks; smooth, perfect skipping rocks for as far as you can see. You just pick one up and give it your all. If you are not doing so hot, it's usually your technique not the rocks OR bad tide - the waves can be pretty intense.

So I'm not entirely sure how I feel about posting this peeing picture of Gunner on my blog . . . except that I love it! Come on it's such a typical Dad and son action shot - look at the arch on that urine! Gunner definitely has the prostate of a 3 yr old! And let me assure you that Gunner thoroughly relished discovering the joy of relieving himself in the wilderness. If you can't get over it, chalk it up to my zeal for irreverent humor. I'll probably take this down in a few days, after the guilt gets a chance to really work on my conscience . . .

Hellllo MOSCOW IDAHO!

I am absolutely the best half-ace blogger in the world! If there is anything I could be be more hap-hazard about. . . but hopefully my goal to be on the consistent side of the things will stick. One of my favorite life's lessons is "Never be afraid of change." or rather one of my favorite life's lessons courtesy of Johnny O'Barr. Johnny served a two year mission when he was 20 for our church and the two greatest lessons he learned were:

1. Never be afraid of change

2. Trust in God's love

So there you have it as my friend Star would say ;) Anyways, we made it to Moscow . . . in Idaho. Johnny, is on his 3rd week of Law School and excelling under the pressure. Johnny is totally lovin it! He is so at home dissecting the principles, intent, and guiding theologies behind all these case studies. Johnny's honest concern for the exact frame of reference that everything is built upon made Law school a perfect fit. It's one of the reasons I fell in love with him, he is really excited about life and ideas -who doesn't want to be around that?! And I get to spend the rest of my life with him (said while droves of beautiful women sigh with envy - hey you missed your boat move on ladies)!

I'm staying at home with the boys - plotting to take over the world with cupcakes and free deodorant samples. Gunner started a "New pre-school, " as he is constantly referring to it; he goes MWF for a couple of hours and every time I go to pick him up he says "Not yet Mom," or "2 more minutes mama," apparently the free deodorant samples are not winning him over, maybe I'll try a tropical breeze fragrance . . .

Anyways, I've already staked out some photo-shoot haunts that I am in love with! I took Johnny and the boys to the University of Idaho's Arboretum, the picture posted here is the back side of it, with beautiful fields of golden grain and a quaint red barn on the hill, sighhhhhing is so therapeutic at sunset.

Here's one more of Gunner checking out the NEW playground . . .

Daniel + Monica 2009

Daniel and Monica will be married Aug 21 in Oakland, CA. I had the absolute pleasure of doing their engagement photos and designing their invitations. They were great to work with!! Take a look at Monica's beautiful blue pearl necklace; isn't it totally gorgeous! Daniel recently spent some time in China and I guess you can pick up a strand of 1/2 inch pearls for something like $40 (American money). I'm so jealous! now she has something blue and new to wear on her wedding day! Good luck you two!



I LOVE the BW invite! Their final pick was the purple, take a peek and vote which one do you prefer?! I'm a sucker for BW images so I'm not always sure if my preference is a reflection of personal bias or just an incredibly savvy since of style, wink, wink --- Just curious about feedback, let me know.

Happy Belated 4th of July and Early Retirement for Heidi!

Happy Belated 4th of July and isn't it appropriate that this should be the month that I announce I am taking early retirement from my nursing career. Yes, for the next year I am a full time mom and part time photographer while Johnny goes to Law school. My last day at work was July 7th and we had a little party! It was more emotional than I thought it would be, I've invested a lot of myself into the way I provide care for my patients and I won't be doing that for a while - maybe not ever again . . . makes me a little weepy and grateful for the experiences I have had.
You can't help but think about the beginning when you're at an ending. I wanted to become a nurse when I was in high school because I loved my science classes and I wanted to wear scrubs ALL DAY - who wouldn't?! Then as I got older and "mature," I was really excited about starting IV's, pharmacology, and emergent situations. I've always liked things that take a lot of hard work and consistency; I am a task oriented individual. So nursing seemed to be a good choice and I jumped on board. As my nursing career has progressed I've had many experiences that have re-iterated the importance that having a body is for learning and growth. I am a member of The church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints and we believe that having a body is a necessary part of our salvation so that we can all return to live with God when our life here ends. I know that to be a true. There is nothing like taking care of someones body when they cannot do it for themselves, I've felt the spirit teach me the rightness of what I'm doing in the most unseemly situations. I've also felt God's love for me and my patients when there is nothing you can do and it is only going to get worse. As an infusion therapy nurse we have our oncology certification and one of our major patient populations that we give care to is cancer patients. We administer a lot of chemotherapy, so we work with a lot of patients and families who don't live for very long. Recently, when I was explaining what kind of nursing I do to an acquaintance, they asked (with shock and dread in their voice) how do I deal with dying patients, etc . . . it must be hard etc. . . I don't think it's hard or scary or gross. It may be hard to explain, but you become a part of someones life in a deeply meaningful way when you provide care for them in the last part of their life's here. And I guess it's possible to be mad about it and think that it's not fair or even come to the conclusion that God isn't mindful of us because of tragic loss, but I've felt exactly the opposite. God does live and he is with us when all else fails, endings are what they are and I'm grateful that I can help. Sometimes, I think that's why I also love being a photographer, it's a celebration of life all the time, no hard questions or tragedies to stare down or soul searching when you didn't want to doubt life's goodness. Everyone I work with is happy to be with me and we are memorializing some happy event in their lives: a birth, a wedding, a birthday, family life, etc . . . it's impossible to not be optimistic and joyful about all of that!!
GEEZ, really how do you follow that, this was suppose to be more light-hearted, so here is a picture of our happy 4th of July festivities! Me with my helmet hair and my ever vigilant Jack - undaunted in the face of sparklers (thanks Natalie for the pic ;)! Celebrating our country's Independence! God bless America!

Catching up . . .been a long time . . . . Cupcakes anyone?

It's been so long since I've posted. Sometimes I go through these excessively long email and Internet fasts . . . I do the bear minimum and I find that it is very therapeutic, most of the time. It usually coincides with our really busy family schedule. This last time seemed a little excessive . . . it's gotten to the point that I've almost forgotten how to do this and how much I enjoy doing it frankly. Then I feel guilty because I find myself trying to avoid it because it's embarrassing trying to re-remember how to use the computer. I don't have a natural talent for technology and having that thrown in my face because of my own choices is a level of self-awareness I'd rather avoid. AND I hate when I start to evade tasks, people, or otherwise; It's soul-sucking. So here I am trying to drown-out the soul-sucking tendency of my weak self. Doing things that stroke your ego is more fun than facing personal weakness.
Speaking of weakness I've been making a lot of cupcakes lately, another Achilles heel of mine but this one is at least sharable. Enjoy the eye-candy!

Eyebrow AJ

I did our friends, The Harpels, family pictures last Sat. Aj is my favorite 8 month old ever! He is TOTALLY raising his left brow and smirking at me in this picture! He's got his parents' sense of humor already. And if you make a high pitched noise like "AHhhh!" he sticks out his tongue - I'm serious it's just like pushing a button. With his two AMAZING parents it's no wonder he's so full of personality!

Beck Ririe

Playing catch-up, here I go - this is little Beck Ririe and he was such a sweet baby! I caught like three smiles from him, an understandable rarity in most newborns, but not for Beck! Here's one for you to enjoy! Congratulations Adam and Katherine!

The Cheney Family

I'm so behind on my blogging and we've been having some troubles with our web host - it took me like an 1.5 hr to get this picture to load - but I've got it figured out now! They changed our password without telling us, fun! Anyways, this is Kylie and she was such an alert little baby, just looking around . . . checking me out and everything her greedy little eyes could take in! I'll post a few more tomorrow . . .