JFP photo blog

A Few More

Here's a little secret for you.  I always wish I could be sitting with people when they first see their images.  A)  I like to see peoples' reactions and B) generally speaking, I have very specific reasons why I choose to keep each image and I always want to tell you.  (Be sure and let me know if you want to come over to see your gallery for the first tme and I promise to have warm, gooey, fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookies.)  That is especially true for this session....so you are going to get my running commentary this morning (as if that is too different from the usual!).

 

 

I adore this photo because it is, at least in my opinion, an incredibly accurate depiction of how this family is together.  So, so happy, a little crazy (well, they do have 2 year old twins for Pete's sake) but always good for a laugh at the craziness, and always present in the moment with their girlies (which I know from experience with my own is not always easy).

 

 

I think that one is pretty self explanatory.  Adorable.  And they make a great team...bringing many different talents to the table (yes, I said table, and I meant it, YUM.)

 

 

The quintessential 2 year old squinchy face.  Cracks me up and melts me all at the same time.  (Note goldfish in hand...how much more "2" can you get?)

 

 

Perhaps you know my weakness for fun tights and feet/leg shots?

 

 

See comment above.  (And this one has a little different  proportions and is going to be super cool kind of longer and skinnier than normal)

 

 

I love that dad is checking on his girls (making sure no one is making a run for the cliff right there).  I love their choice of coats/fashion (so fallish and cozy).  I LOVE that mom is absolutely, adorably photogenic (yes, I'm a little green with envy).

 

And this one is totally different than anything you've ever seen here before.  A couple months ago mom sent me a link to something similar and was thinking about doing something like it in their new house.  Here's my stab at it....

 

 

Pretty cool, don't you think?  I particularly enjoy that it captures this phase of their life..note that neither girl will hold hands and one of them is leaving.  I think it would make a cool series to do this every year.

Happy Friday!

 

 

 

The Little Man Turns THREE

I can truly not wrap my brain around the fact that my little cookie monster of a nephew is three.  It's totally cliche, but I'm going to say it anyway.  They grow up too fast.  I don't think it was that long ago that he was all curled up on that towel up there in the blog header, and now look at him....

 

You know I am not one to pass up any excuse for photos, especially not birthday photos!  So my mom and I dragged him down to the bridge and while having his picture taken was not high on his list of priorities, we got some really cute "portraits" in the first 10 minutes or so and then let him do his own thing which I think always makes for more fun photos.

 

 

 

 

 

And as I like to do, my favorite for last....

 

Love you Jam!  Happy, happy birthday!

A Teaser

A true teaser as I have barely had a chance to upload the photos from this session, never mind pick my favorites...  That being said, here are a few that jumped out at me while they were being sucked into my computer....

 

 

 

More from this fun session coming soon!

Singing in the Rain

I am always glad to see this family.  This year we decided to try something a little different. We were going to meet at a beautiful park for gorgeous outside photos but it was blustery with sideways rain and we decided to cross our fingers and try for another day.  We totally lucked out (as you know, Ocotber and Novemeber can be tricky that way).  These guys were absolute troopers and while it did sprinkle on us a little, we ended up with one of the better hours of the day together.  (Not long after we finished, my girls' soccer game began and by the end we were all soaked through.)  Here are a few of my favorites...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Just so you know, I started writing thoughts under each photo and it startred getting redundant.  "This one is my favorite."  "This one is my favorite."  Oh no, THIS one is my favorite."  You get the picture.  I love them all...but especially the one above! 

 

 

Or maybe this one is my favorite?  So quiet and serious.  Thanks for a fun morning guys!  Happy Friday everyone!

A Comedian

This last week I had the pleasure of getting to know a few of my neighbors a little bit better.  Turns out the little man is quite the comedian.  He as cracking me up, non-stop, with his very own, made up knock knock jokes.  I'm not going to give away his jokes and rin his whole act, but just know that he will be one to watch out for!  Here are a few of my favorites....

 

 

Pretty darn cute, right?

 

 

He doesn't just crack me up.  Cracks his own self up too.  Gotta love a really good joke.

 

 

Those are some pretty big muscles.  Just one more person I don't want to run into in a dark alley!

And guess who he brought with him...

 

Cute, cute, and more cute!

 

 

Isn't she just the most adorable little bug ever?

 

 

So dainty with the crossed ankles and soft and fuzzy too.  Look at her soft hair...don't you just want to snuggle her up under your chin so you can feel how soft she is?

 

 

She has the bluest eyes, and soft, pink cheeks, and perfect little lips.  OK, so I could go on and on, but you can see for yourself just exactly how adorable she is!  I had such fun with these guys!

 

 

Happy Horror Halloween!

Just a little morning after glimpse at what it looked like at our house last night...and to all the little kids in he neighborhood: it will be safe to come over soon!

Our green vampire...sadly we didn't get the blood oozing down her chin like she wanted.

 

 

Our purple witch.  Don't think I want to run into her in a dark alley.

 

A witch who's all about the accessories.  (A girl after her auntie's heart.)

 

 

If you were unlucky enough to be a kid from his school, he probably came put out the bushes and scared you half to death.

 

It wasn't all so grim around here this week though...a little Monday morning cuteness...

 

 

 

Wee, adorable nephews to balance out all the spookiness.

 

And here's a little taste of what the boys around here spent a substantial chunk of time on....

 

 

The ghoul had red flashing eyes and was rigged up on a pulley so it flew over the trick or treaters' heads.  Definitely spooky but not the creepiest part of the whole deal (at least in my opinion). 

 

Check out the guy in the window operating the ghoul.  Yikes!  No wonder so many small people refused to come up on the porch.

Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween!  Good luck surviving your sugar-fueled beasts for the next few days!

 

Peace, Love & Ice Cream

I am new to this whole "have your birthday party somewhere" phenomenon.  We are boring, old, stay-at-home-for-your-party kind of people.  But this year we tried something new....maybe because we have a new Ben & Jerry's in our neighborhood?  Maybe because I was less than organized?  Who's to say?  Regardless, I am a changed woman.  I am officially adopting Ben & Jerry's slogan of "Peace, Love & Ice Cream" as my own personal motto and swearing out my allegiance to them here and now. 

BEST.  PARTY.  EVER.

Here's a little taste of the birthday girl's fun....

 
(You can click on the photos to see them bigger)

And my very favorite shot of the day....

 

Someone was super excited that her dad came to her party.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that one (and yes, I know she is a little out of focus, but I don't care...sometimes catching the moment is more important than technical perfection.) 

Moral of that story:  life is better with Ben & Jerry's.

It's a Little Buggy Over Here

And I mean that in the best, cutest way possible!

 

 

I'm so excited that the weather cooperated and we got to go outside...perfect for little bugs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can't begin to tell you how much I love these little girls (and their whole, entire family).  They are my special little bugs.

(Sorry for the complete lack of writing this morning.  Not enough coffee yet.)

Sunshine at the Beach

Remember those days?  After a stormy weekend and a night laying in bed listening to the pouring rain, those days seem like a lifetime ago.  Could these photos possibly have been taken just last weekend?

 

I absolutely adore these guys.  Every year it is so much fun to see what is new and hear what they are up to.  AND, I love that they can totally wear the orange...not everyone can pull that off so well...and it is absolutely fabulous at the beach.  Talk about a "pop" of color....perfection.

 

 

He has the most gorgeous eyes.  I swear that he is going to be some sort of naturalist/scientist (or perhaps he is just ALL boy) but every time I see him, he finds/picks up some kind of creature.  This year, a really cool all yellow, fuzzy caterpillar...nice.   Last year, a frog....hmpf.

 

 

Ever once in a while you run into a kiddo who happens to be totally in the mood for photos.  That was Mr. {A} last weekend.  Hewas finding locations, posing people, snuggling mom and dad....I'm starting to wonder if I could hire him as an assistant??

 

 

That is my very favorite shot of mom, EVER.  So glowing and beautiful and happy.

 

 

See what I mean?  He really was having fun posing and snuggling....hooray!

 

 

Love this shot and this brick wall. 

Will happily venture back to Golden Gardens anytime for this wall and all the rest of the completely gorgeous spots.

And an artsy shot, just for me.....

 

A completely fun afternoon at a most beautiful spot with some of my very favorite people and my camera.  What more could a girl ask for?  Thanks guys for traipsing all over heck and gone with me and being so willing to play!

A Mind of Her Own

My baby is SEVEN today.

I still a little stunned by how fast that happened.  Pretty sure she was a tiny baby yesterday.

 

Squeak.  Love her.

So here's the thing.  You know how you want to raise your daughter to be a strong, self-confident, sure-of-herself kind of girl.  Well, apparently that's working too well.  She knew exactly what she was going to wear, how her hair was going to be, and where we were going to take these photos.  No help needed from the riff raff.  And here she is in all her self-styled glory.

 

 

She has the best laugh.  It is a high, squeaky, school-girl kind of laugh and it will make you giggle, every time.

 

 

I can't get enough of it.

 

 

 

Also a pretty good "thinking" face.  (She's pretty much this animated, ALL the time.)

 

 

With "her" dog.  She's an animal nut.  I'm pretty sure she's going to be a zookeeper when she grows up.

 

 

My sweet girl.

At 7 she is confident and capable.  She is thoughtful and is constantly on the lookout for other kids who might need help.  She is cuddly and hilarious.  And she really doesn't give me much to worry about...with the exception of the THREE head injuries last week.  (Clumsiness due to growth spurt leading to a scraped chin, a black eye with large egg, and a soccer cleat to the other eye. Yikes.)  Luckily for me (and her siblings) she has outgrown most of her "super naughty" phase which included  fun things like cutting her own hair (more than once)and putting gum in her sister's hair in the middle of the night.  But even at her most mischievous it is impossible to stay mad at her.  Love you sweet girl....happy birthday!