Nolan is ONE!

One of my goals last year was to photograph four new families. Without knowing that, Ann & Jason took a slot under that category last May and their Little One, Nolan, has become a Regular on this here blog over the past year. It has been such a pleasure to watch this ginger grow & change from a bendy newborn to a toddling walker. One thing hasn't changed though-this smile he has that always seems to say, I know something you don't know....

I call it his "chummy" smile.

Gerard tagged along for this session because he hadn't seen Nolan since last August and some of his favorite photos of mine are of this little guy. In some of the following images, Gerard was working a squeaker toy to get Nolan's attention.

As we could tell Nolan was starting to wind down, we moved quickly to get some family shots.

Jason & Ann-I've enjoyed our year together immensely! Thank you so much for letting me become the "family photographer" for your group of three. Getting to know you guys has been so fun and allowing me into your lives for session after session is the largest compliment you can give me. THANK YOU.
Blessings,
Carrie
PS You can view the rest of our session HERE.

The Plan Part 2

We're not quite to the "After" photos of this project, but we've definitely made progress regarding my our desk/work area in our basement. We've been in this house for almost 4 1/2 years (I can't believe I'm typing that number, by the way...) and I had never come to an idea for our lower level that felt "right". We were gifted these pieces of art from Gerard's Dad & Step-Mom and I knew I could make them work for us--just didn't know how!

We've put them in various places on our wall, and as if from Divine Intervention*, I placed them on nails we already had in the wall above our TV unit:

That finally felt right to me, so I simplified what was on the top of the unit, clearing it of frames, tissue boxes and remote controls, finding other locations for them.

So the art was settled, what do I do with the comfy-but(t)-ugly pillows that came with our couch? Re-cover them!?! Then Ka-Blam! It all fell into place really quickly.

Here was my original inspiration for the shade of green I wanted:

1. Gerard likes green, so let's recover the pillows with something green that pulls in the brown of the couch and some green in the artwork.
2. Green is the color of my photography business overall, so let's pull my  our work space into this.
3. I've never liked the blinds that came with the house on these windows, so let's do a different treatment in green!
4. MUST. CALL. TRAYLA.

The fabric shopping commenced that very weekend. Over the past 3 years, Trayla has girl-i-fied my wardrobe, given me home decor ideas....she's kinda like my Pinterest-in-Person person. As she says, she knows "just enough about sewing to be dangerous". So, when our schedules lined up again, we set to work on window treatments & pillow covers. (please excuse the poor quality of photo, we were doing this at night in a basement...)

I'm still in awe of the fact we got two window treatments and all four pillow covers made in one night without bumping my bed time later! :)  That left diaper boxes storage boxes from Trayla to be covered with hot-glue-gun skills.

5. MUST. CALL. RICKI.

I had scheduled with my friend, Ricki, to get together and hang out over dinner the following week already, and I texted her: "Do you know how to work a glue gun?" Her response: I'm so good with a glue gun, I practically have a license to conceal & carry.

Did I mention that I have the BEST friends in the world!?!

Trayla had mentioned the idea of putting a piece of each fabric pattern in a frame. So, while Ricki gunned away, I worked the frames.

Voila!

Bookshelf with storage boxes for scrapbooking materials:

Desk with a few of the frames; I'll put some of those frames on the shelves that will go on the wall...

Couch with newly covered pillows:

Left to do:
-adjustable shelves above the book shelf
-spray paint camera equipment cabinet? (This is a piece of Gerard's pre-marriage furniture, so I'm waiting on the "go-ahead" from him)
-continue to pitch and sort for the best arrangement of photography gear/scrapbooking materials/Gerard's desk things

Maybe I'm just weird, but organizing and pitching/sorting is practically becoming therapeutic for me at this stage of my life. I never thought cleaning would be something I LIKE to do!

*I know God cares for all the little things in our lives, so I'm merely saying this Light Bulb Moment did not come from any creative source in my brain. It literally popped in there. Maybe God gives decoration advice..?...:)

Lauren + Shawn

Christian quickly and quietly reached for Shawn as I entered the front door. "He thinks you're a babysitter. Don't take it personally." Shawn reassured me as he hugged Christian, their second born, and set him down.  As Lauren completed the finishing touches on her hair's curls, and Nathan took one last trip to the bathroom, we made our way to the front door again for a walk.

I'd always wanted to photograph here, but thought a cemetary slightly morbid for a family session. Lauren & Shawn found the most beautiful spots of it though, without grave markers, and we made the most of our time together.

As a quick suggestion, on our way out the door, we grabbed Lauren's rocking chair from when she was a Little One and used it for her boys. First, Nathan:

The following photos were as silly as Nathan got with me during our session. With a slight sneeze thrown in for good measure:).

Though they've walked through this area multiple times, they've never actually fed the geese. This time, they did and we garnered a following and it gave the boys a break from getting their pictures taken.

While the boys played with sticks and rocks (I love how boys are easily entertained!!), we got some great images of Lauren & Shawn as a duet without their other quartet members.

While wrapping up and sensing the boys were finished, I grabbed some candids of Lauren in her gorgeous role of Mom.

Lauren & Shawn: As always, it is a pleasure! Thank you so much for trusting me and hanging out with me and my camera. You have a beautiful family and are raising your boys so well. There were several occassions together where I was so impressed with how they responded to discipline, guidance and your requests. What a job well done! Can't wait till our next session--I'm sure your boys will amaze me then even more. :)
Blessings,
Carrie
PS You can view the rest of our session HERE.

Soren::1 year

Climbing cautiously up the stairs of his new house, Soren made his way to the front door to greet me. Stacy had met me at the front step and let me know that Soren had hit a phase. The dredded I'm-shy-of- everyone-new phase. Which, really, is what parents should teach their children-"be wary of strangers". Though, it doesn't always bode well for the photographer that he sees only once every three months! But slowly and surely, Soren warmed back up to me and my black, clicking machine. He wasn't nearly as smile-ful as he has been in the past, we managed to eck out some great photos to commemorate turning the big O-N-E.

I can always count on Stacy to have wonderful props and accessories on hand. Growing up in a house full of estrogen myself, she is introducing me to the cute-ness that is boys' clothing.

As this session happened on Mother's Day, Stacy's mom & dad were on hand assembling Soren's birthday presents in the basement and came out for a few photos during our time together.

Then we got to the dirty work. Or at least, what I thought would be...Soren is a very clean eater!

Stacy & Chris: I can't believe Soren's already ONE! It's always a blast spending time with you three (and inevitably Auntie M too!) and seeing what accessories we get to use each time. Thank you for making my job super easy, not just for the props, but for having such a cute Little One that graces me with his smiles. Looking forward to the fall!
Blessings,
Carrie
PS You can view more of our time together HERE.

Wordless Wednesday

Officer Krupke No More

OfficerMaster Krupke took the plunge and decided to "walk" in his graduation ceremony at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa this weekend. I'm feeling more like bullet-pointing our weekend, so here's how it all went down:

*attended the middle school's musical from 7-9:00pm on Friday night and after handing Ella over to our in-house dog-sitter, Tiffany (THANK YOU!) we hit the road for the 3 hour trek to Sioux City.

*We hit the pillow hard at the hotel and slept in Saturday morning.

*Taking our time to get ready, we checked out of said hotel and attended a laid back gathering which we'd hoped would give Gerard the opportunity to thank his online professors. None were there!

*With 2 hours to kill before the ceremony, we took pictures around campus:

*lunch with The Ronald

*a pseudo-senior portrait session-totally Gerard's style...

*when it was finally time to "suit up", Gerard proudly donned his gown and waited till the last minute for his cap. He didn't want to fight the cowlick it causes all the way home...

*due to Morningside's small size, the ceremony itself was lots shorter than either our Drake, Luther or high school experiences. The sun may have been bright and warm, but my fingernails were definitely blue in the shade. All in all, a beautiful day!

*in order to get warm, I started walking around the lawn in the back of the commons area. The thought occurred to me that if I could get Gerard's attention, I might get some cute photos. I called his phone-and true to form, his ringer was on. :) After a brief texting conversation, here are the results:

*finally time to WALK! It was at this time that I realized, I was the only one in the audience who knew Gerard and would clap for him. But I also realized, I'd have a camera in my hand. Dilemma!

After three summers of hard work and fall semesters of balancing life, school and work at school...we got a well deserved 20oz cheesecake blizzard. All for him:

Congrats babe! Excited to see what this summer looks like WITHOUT classes!!