Don't Shoot!

This cute little girl, after letting me shoot several pics of her, finally said ENOUGH!
Funny, but this turned out to be one of my favs of her.

I'm leaving in 1 1/2 hours (4am) to head out to Colorado.
There's a very special reason that I'm going there.
Steve, whom I've known since he was a young boy, is going to
marry a sweet Irish girl.
She doesn't come from Pittsfield, but I heartily approve of his choice.

Oh, did I mention that I'm taking their wedding photos?
So you'll get to see the happy couple, up close and personal,
when I return.

I'm going to have Peyton/Chloe/Presley withdrawals
but I tried to get my fill of them earlier this evening.

Bye little buddies! I'll be back on Monday........

Hope you have a fun holiday weekend. I know I will!

Littlest Heroes

I love children. I love photography. Put the two together and I found my purpose.

Here are a couple of things that I am doing in addition to my photography business

relating to children.

The other thing I am doing in October is photographing the Life Is Good festival events which will be held in St. Charles on October 18th in Frontier Park (along the riverfront, east of Main street). If you'd like to get involved, send a donation, or just attend for the fun of it, all proceeds will benefit needy children. Here's the link for more information.

Off to Colorado for the rest of the week. Have a safe and happy holiday weekend.

Shake Your (baby) Bootie

Guess who is 4 weeks old today?
We celebrated with a mini photo session, pulling out the fancy booties and head gear.
I think the little miss is going to be a Fancy Nancy kind of girl.
She sure liked kicking those booties!
Here's where we were one year ago today.
All of us from four corners of the Midwest coming to celebrate the union of these two.What else could I do but bake them their favorite chocolate cake for their
FIRST ANNIVERSARY?
Looks like one of them (probably the taller of the two) snagged a piece before it was frosted, but as he did a year ago, he shared a bite of the stolen piece with his bride.
Happy Anniversary Joey and Abby. May you celebrate many, many more in the years to come.

Another cake had to be made for the birthday princess. Her crown turned 50 this month. That's her oldest son, Eric, who is leaving for college tomorrow.
What a happy celebration we had.

How lucky we are to have these celebrations.

As I was struggling to get two oversized, outdoor chairs loaded into my car today a stranger came over and asked if I needed help. He wasn't wearing an orange apron. He was just a customer like myself, taking his purchases to his truck.

I thanked him for the offer and declined his help (I'm a pretty capable gal) but it made me smile the rest of the afternoon.

To think that this one act of kindness - actually just the offer of kindness - made such a difference in my day.

Then I have this come to my inbox this evening:

World Peace
My thoughts of love contribute to the environment of peace that encircles the world.
Each one of us makes a contribution to the environment we live in. It's up to us to decide what kind of contributions we make. The good news is that it's our very nature to be peaceful and loving, positive and supportive.
As we give expression to the indwelling spirit of God, our thoughts, words, and actions flow from the love of God within us. Through prayer and in the silence of meditation, we align ourselves with the principle of divine love, which leads us in the way of peace. We practice compassion rather than judgment, build up rather than tear down, and realize that the Christ Spirit is at the heart of every person.
By living in love and being serene, we contribute to the environment of peace that encircles the world.
"Live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you."-- 2 Corinthians 13:11

Just for tomorrow, I challenge you to do a RAK (random act of kindness) and make someone smile the rest of the day. I think it might make you smile too.

And if you really feel like it, you can ask a friend to do the same.

Peace and Love.

The Send Off

Where is that little boy who would oogle at Unk Glen's change tray then go home telling his mom and dad that Unk Glen was rich? That pile of change (mostly pennies, I'm sure) looked like a pot of gold to this little guy. For the past 19 years, he's referred to my other half as "Rich Uncle Glen".
Tonight I signed his going-away-to-college card with that title and the one he gave me of "Auntie Pam".
So here is Aaron, all grown up, ready to embark on his own - two states away - to begin college.
We are so proud of him, all of us, including his big cousin, Joey (even though Aaron's beard is thicker). He graduated from a prestigious prep school with top honors, had several scholarship offers for academics, and took his time in choosing the right school for him. He's even promised to study in Ireland for a semester and take me along as his mentor. Isn't he the sweetest thing? Snapped a 4 generation photo quickly tonight. I need to get more of these. Peyton just can't keep his hands off that baby sister of his. I'm sure his tune will change when she starts getting into all of his stuff, but for now it's endearing to watch.
Well, Aaron.....here's what you will be leaving behind. This is (most of) your support team. We will always be here for you, rooting for you and cheering you on. Our best wishes to you, buddy.
Just don't forget - none of those out-of-town college girls unless it's Pittsfield.
love & hugs,
Auntie Pam and R. Unk Glen

Today was a Happy Day

Trying to get family photos is a big challenge for me.

Nobody wants to cooperate anymore.

They all seem to think I have enough photos of them.

What a silly thought. I have to record every occassion and gathering.

Tonight was "boys for burgers" night.

I love all of my nephews. I love to feed them even more.

But they have to pay for their dinner by smiling for the camera.

Here's where we started tonight.

Clowning around in Wonderland. Okay - the tire swing is not going to work. Joey can't jump on, Eric is too tall, and Tommy won't let it be still.
Alright - quit pushing Eric. Just stand together and still.
The tire swing is still in the way......move to the left.
I meant YOU BOYS move to the left.

Guess I'll have to be happy with this because right after this shot........
Guess who came to dinner??????

Abby grabbed her first.

She didn't want to let her go......

but she didn't have much choice. Uncle Joey is a baby hog.My other little buddies wanted to test out the Grandma Queen chair to see if we all fit.

So far, so good.Then the great gram got ahold of her.

She really looks like her daddy in this shot.

Just when she got all cozy with great gram, in comes Grandpa. He thought she'd like a game of pat-a-cake. She wasn't sure if that was fun or not. She stuck her tounge out at him. But he didn't give up.

They kept on playing until it was time for her evening meal.

Happy 3 week birthday little girl. We sure like having you around.

Bloodlines

As I was printing some recent photos today
I was struck by how my babies' babies blended with them,
almost as if they were one.......

For instance, I shot this of Amy and Chloe the other morning (at 7am!) on a little adventure before school. Amy wanted to show Chloe this hidden lake that she had found with millions of lily pads and swimming turtles. Chloe wanted to tell her mommy something that I couldn't hear (probably how lovely I looked at that early morning hour).

Then there is this set of bookends.
This is like deja vu. This baby looks so much like her mommy when she was born (except for that full head of dark hair).
I think I've found my framed set of prints for the month.



I got to babysit the little miss today - all by myself - nobody else at home - just me and the babe.
The poor thing didn't know what was coming when she watched Grandma proceed to move furniture, pull back drapes, open doors, and hang backdrops. Then out came the wooden bowls!
She decided to go to sleep and hope that it was all over soon.
Here's one of my favs from our little session.

I just can't stay away from this little girl. Today she was 2 weeks old and I haven't missed a day of seeing her yet. I wonder what she's doing right now?

Maybe I'll run over and find out.

This and That

What? No photos of the bebe'? Not today. Tomorrow I'll have some.
In the meantime, here's my latest self-portrait.
I have a new gazing ball, all pink and shiny. It makes for a nice fisheye effect.
Here I am, surrounded by the pumpkin vines that are overtaking the southern side of our house.
Chloe is a growing machine, she says. This little Doo-Doo bird keeps watch over all things growing in her garden.
one of my pretty orange flowers
and one of the pink gerbra daisies.......
this is for Abby, who has been visiting her sister in Tuscon this weekend.
I'll be glad when she gets back home. We miss her.

nite