Beautiful People

Turn down the radio...I want to hear

Turn down the voices...hurting my ear

There's a moment getting away

"Beautiful People," by Jason Upton

I like to just take walks sometimes.  I love to listen to the wind and breath it in as I slowly walk.  I like to tune out the taxis and buses honking, the people on their cell phones, and tune into the loving voice of Jesus.

I was on one of those walks a few months ago, when the air was warm and the trees were alive.  I was walking beside the underneath of a bridge trying to avoid the noise above when I saw this man... and my heart broke.

So many questions fill my head.  Why is he here?  What happened? What is his story?

There is another homeless man that sleeps on our street.  He sleeps under a huge piece of plastic surrounded by his belongings and huddled up against a building trying to keep out of the wind.  Many times Matt and I have tried to show kindness towards this man in particular, but he refuses conversation, food,clothing...

One day we  both went to invite him over to help decorate our Christmas tree and eat cookies.  It was such a cold day and he was sleeping in the snow.  He shook his head no even when I pleaded with him in my pom pom hat.  Questions began to fill my head as we walked away.  Why?  Who hurt him that he can't trust a girl wearing a pom pom hat? Isn't he cold and hungry?  Can he talk, does he understand...Oh God why does he remain alone?

Everyday we drive or walk past him hidden beneath the plastic.  Just wanting to tell him that someone loves him; he is beautiful.

Meet Katie ( sneak peak)

Katie is one of my sister-in-laws and I love her!  She is so much fun to be around and I wish I got to see her more often.  Katie is only in high school and yet she can ride and train any horse no matter how poorly trained or stubborn.  Katie definitely has a gift with horses; they love her and will obey her.  If Katie could, she would probably live at the barn.  Sometimes she takes me with her to see the horses.  Over Christmas I brought my camera with me to capture her in action with these horses.  Katie has been asking for these photos for about a month now.  Here are just a few of more to come.

 

 

Aren't they beautiful!!! I have dreams of riding a horse across the mountains. Hair blowing...blah blah blah.  Katie has let me ride twice and let's just say I am far from that romantic image.   I can tell a horse they are beautiful.  I can brush a horse and get them all ready to ride.  I can sit on a horse, but do not tell me to make it move, once they start I am a bowl full of jello.  Both times I ended up slipping off the side while they were hardly moving. 

First Chair Music Photographs Ready for Ordering!!!

If your are a parent that attended one of the First Chair Music Classes that I photographed or if you and your child attended the First Chair Music Holiday Party, the pictures are ready!!!!

I had so much fun capturing the excitement that takes place at First Chair Music and was honored to be able to capture these beautiful faces.

I do apologize if you do not find a photograph of your child. I wish I could say I was able to capture each and every child, but it was just not possible with so many children running around. If you do not find a photograph but like what you see, I would love to set up an appointment with you. In a personal session, I can capture the personality and beauty of your child without all of the background distractions. I would so much enjoy capturing what makes your child special.

Here is the online site link to view photographs taken at First Chair Music.

Click Here!


Enjoy!!

Christmas bells are ringing...drummers drumming...listen to them singing

The First Chair Holiday Party was a blast!! Songs, toys, Musical Instruments of course, and beautiful children dressed for the Holidays! Take a look at some of my favorite shots from the party!


It's moments like these that just make me melt.
We played dress up too. Howdy."Stick 'em up Cowboy."
Toys Toys Toys everywhere

This toy is my favorite. They sing, "She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes...and she'll be riding 6 purple elephants when she comes!!!!" All the while holding the reins of this rainbow fluffy toy and on YeeHaw everyone falls backwards pulling back the reins and comes back up laughing. This little guy is waiting for his favorite part..."YEEHAW."There was so much laughter
We got a little tired at the end. Hope you had a Merry Christmas!

Happy Feet

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a First Chair music class to take pictures of toddlers and their moms. What a blast!!! Dancing, singing,jumping, laughing, instruments, learning, new friendships, and most of all time for parents to play with their children. Here are just a few photos out of many absolutely beautiful children. I stayed for two 1 hour classes and in just one hour I had filled a whole memory card on my camera!!! I had to dash out to Best Buy and grab two more cards in order to capture moments like these...
...what beautiful curls and brown eyes.

At first very shy, but by the end she was all smiles.Listen to the beat... tap tap tap
Dancing and twirling with mommy. He is having so much fun!


Ssshhh......(the music gets softer and softer) then they jump up as it gets a little bit louder and louder.
This is a truly precious moment.

Grinning from ear to ear as mommy swung her to the music.Time to experiment!!! These children have been taught all about these instruments.
What a wonderful time I had. I wanted to put my camera down and play and sing along with them they were having so much fun. First Chair Music gives every ounce of energy they have to these children and they love what they do. I think every mom and toddler should take this class. Children have the opportunity to learn and grow in so many ways. It's also an opportunity for moms to talk as well and just get out while spending quality time with their little one.

More pictures to come...!!! I can't wait till I get to play at First Chair Music again!!

Strawberry Soup...Firefighting...and FrenchFries

I had the most blessed opportunity to photograph these two little ones. They are absolutely beautiful and I had so much fun playing with them in the park. I tried not to run over and over in my mind how my first photo shoot with children would go, because it only made me more nervous.

They were not nervous at all, while I was shaking like jello for the first few minutes. They were laughing, using their imaginations...I hardly had to do a thing except keep clicking my camera away. They were making me laugh and I just let them go capturing there personalities. We practiced putting out fires, we made strawberry soup, and played on all five playgrounds ( i think it was 5)!

Take a look and tell me what you think.

Off we go....




She was a little nervous climbing at first. Look at this smile she flashed after she made it to the top. These stairs were no problem for her,Oh how he just loved the train. What a beautiful smile.
Playing music. Taking after her mom and dad who own First Chair Music. If you are looking for private lessons click on the link above. They also offer early childhood music programs that not only expose your toddler to instruments, but the classes also develop your child in the areas of sharing and playing with others, experimentation, imagination, and cognitive skills ( meaning it's healthy for their brain). I highly recommend them so take a look!
Captured by a lady bug.
Doing a very good job keeping up with his sister.
What beautiful bug blue eyes.
Set on the playground stage he sings his very own song! Well done!!!

Their mom kept popping out around the corners!! If only you could hear their laughter and giggling it was better than the feeling on Christmas morning.

This is one of my favorites! Pure joy!



Back on the train! CHOoooo CHOOooo

Praying before French Fries.
Playing in the Leaves!!!!!

Juicy Juice. When I was little I use to call a juice box a drinker.

It was a warm day, but all of our noses were still running a lot.

Another favorite.
Two absolutely beautiful children on the outside and inside. Inside they carry great joy and the love of Jesus. Children are such gifts from heaven. They draw us nearer to Him.

Skate Park

Our church held an outreach event at the skate park!! Tournament, food, tons of kids, and God...what could be better? Take a look at some of these kids in action!




This boy is only 9. By the way that is a full flight of stairs!

This guy not only jumped the stairs but he sailed over the cement railing as well!


Okay so a little too much saturation in this picture. I am learning that 100% is not always the best. Every day I am learning more and more about editing.Wow!! This is nothing compared to the roller hockey I played when we were little. First of all mom made me wear pads since I was playing with my older brothers and their friends. And Second, when we were getting out of control on the driveway we skated and threw ourselves on the fluffy grass. This was pure cement everywhere!

One little boy was wearing pads that his mom made him put on. He was complaining about them and the helmet and I feel his discomfort. They restrict you from your game, but at the same time. Way to go mom.