Nan, are we done yet? | Harrisonburg Newborn Photographer

My first grandchild was born last Friday and I have been having so much fun helping out this first week. She is a beautiful little girl and I have to say that Kelly and Taylor are rocking this new parent stuff! To celebrate the one week mark, I am sharing a few newborn portraits of Miss Riley. She was really quite tolerant of her Nan messing around taking these images. As my daughters say, this will be one of the most photographed babies in the world. Though I am positive her four young uncles will teach the fine art of running from my camera as soon as it appears ;-)

Friends for life....

"A cousin is a ready-made friend for life."

This friendly "touch" football game got quite animated when my boys got together with their cousins on Halloween weekend. These guys have a wonderful way of just picking up where ever they left off during their last visit. They laugh, tease and play until they are exhausted. It is fun to watch :-) Cousins are truly a wonderful gift!

When we got to the park, the little guys started off playing alone... the big guys were too cool to join at this point.

Then the big boys decided to get involved. The tempo picked up quickly and the competition started to heat up. Jay tried to keep any one from getting damaged, but you will see from the pictures that the "no tackling" safe guards were quickly dismissed by all players...

This was suppose to be blocking??

It's always a good game when you can walk away with a smile :-)

Beautiful | Child Photographer Harrisonburg Virginia

I happen to be someone who truly thinks all children are beautiful. There is a unique light that shines in each of them and it is so fun to catch little glimpses of the individuals they will grow to be. That being said, there are some children that are breaktakingly beautiful. Yes, I made up that word. It simply fit this little guy. My friend, Lisa, brought her son to see me this week and my first thought was how beautiful this child is...his face and especially his eyes are so expressive! While everyone likes images where little ones are smiling, I love that we captured so many different expressions from such a little fella! We definitely have a few smiling photos, but some of the others just crack me up! Lisa, thanks for visiting me and letting me take these portraits. It was so fun and I hope we can get together and let our boys play sometime soon. Enjoy your sneak peek!

Courage & Sunshine

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement

that something else is more important than fear.

~Ambrose Redmoon

I was blessed once again have the opportunity to photograph an incredible family for the second time. You may remember our trip to the park last summer and that awesome picture of their little man flying up into the air! For this session, Amanda chose the JMU Arboretum in Harrisonburg. Always a great choice :-) The kids have grown since I saw them last year and were just as cute as ever. We had fun tromping around and following Payten as she found the best photo spots. She even took a turn behind the camera (scroll down to the last photo of her mom & dad together to see her work)! The ever energetic Bryce had fun flirting with my beautiful assistant and little Addy loved the bubbles I brought along.

I chose courage and sunshine as the heading of this post because I am reminded what real courage is each and every time I am with this family. Little Addison struggles to live with Gaucher Disease. It is a very rare condition which in her case cause a number life-threatening issues. Addy and her family face this daunting challenge with a grace and optimism that inspires me. It is obvious that her parents enjoy each in every minute they spend with Addison and her siblings. I am sure that some days must seem overwhelming, but they continue to fight to make each day happy and full of sunshine for her. There are so many unknowns with Gaucher Disease and the search for a cure continues. I saw this quote today and thought of this family. Thanks Amanda & Brett for reminding me of what true courage is...and for allowing me to share a few hours with your wonderful kids. I hope you enjoy your sneak peek...

This is the picture that Payten took!

Haitian Super Heros

Having reached our 11th snow day here in the Shenandoah Valley, our four guys are working hard to entertain themselves :-) There is always a lot of grumbling when I mention it is time to read. I personally love to spend time in a good book, but my guys aren't big literary fans, so I decided to entice them by reading "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Lightening Thief" aloud. They want to see the movie that arrives in theaters on Friday, so I have promised that if they commit themselves to this reading time, we will see the movie once we have finished the book. I am hopeful it is working as the two youngest decided to be Super Heros/Greek Gods and stamp out injustice and dust bunnies wherever they could find them. It is such fun to watch them "fly" around the house and cure all the evils of the world. If it were only that easy...

Each day as I watch the news or see images on the computer, I am personally thankful that life brought these two little Haitians into our hearts. It is impossible not to see my boys in the faces of the hungry, injured and orphaned children in Port-au-Prince. We know that our family was blessed beyond measure when we brought them home. It is not for us to know why or how they were chosen for this life here in Virginia. We simply trust and believe that their lives have a special purpose and pray that we will help them discover that path. With all the arguing in the media, it is so easy to get caught up in the debate over what is the right way and wrong way to help the little ones in Haiti. Over the years of working in Haiti, it has become very clear that when it comes to caring for orphans there can be no one answer that covers the situation of each & every child separated from family in Haiti. I believe that every child deserves the love and security of a family. If it is not possible for that to happen within their country & culture than there should be other options. I am hopeful that politics will be set aside as the world tries to help the Haitian people (big & small) move forward and that we can find opportunities to for all Haitian children to grow & prosper regardless of where they live.

That being said, today we give thanks for our family here and in Haiti as we learned that Pierre's Haitian mom is alive and well! Many thanks to all our family & friends who have contacted us in the last few weeks expressing support and prayers for her well-being and for Pierre's heavy heart as we waited to hear. We have not heard about Ched's family but are praying the news will reach us that they are okay as well.

William and Family

Since my last post, I have been getting myself organized for 2010. I can't say that I am there yet...but I'm getting closer! This fun family was my first photo session after the New Year and one of the first to be entered from my studio in the NILMDTS charity model search. It was such a rainy cold day, but the studio was warm and William (cool dude reclining below) kept us all busy and smiling!

Don't you love William and his Dad doing their best "James Bond" impression?

To see the families we've entered in the contest, go to Sandy Puc Models and click on the gallery. You can filter the images by tour city...ours is Richmond! Don't forget to vote for your favorite. The family that gets the most votes wins a new car and NILMDTS will receive all the proceeds to help fund their charity this year. It is a "win - win" for everyone!

A Boy & a Dog

Have you ever asked yourself what is so irresistible about a boy & a dog? Or maybe it is just irresistible to me? Either way, these two were just precious together. The bond is obvious & was fun to try and capture in pictures. I love the way this little guy tried to hug & kiss a dog that stood almost at his height and most certainly outweighed him by many pounds. The dog, Gus, was very patient and sat for us without even the enticement of a Milk bone biscuit. The fact that he actually sat on Daniel at one point made us all chuckle! For me, there is just something about this symbol of boyhood that made me happy to be on the other side of the lens.