life {in transparency}

top 21 of 2010.

2011-01-03T12:59:00.000-06:00

Because I'm ornery and couldn't just pick 20.

And these are in chronological order, not order of preference. It was hard enough to pick 20 er, 21 favorites. I don't think I could put these in order.

1. Meeting Vivienne.

So bittersweet, and I think this image captures the duality of meeting your child for the first time. So much joy. And so much sadness.

2. Vivienne - a few months later.

Something about this picture captures her innocent beauty perfectly - flawless skin, pink cheeks, gorgeous eyes.

3. Jude - my devilish imp.

Love his expression. And pretty much love everything about him.

And the light in this room is perfect for portraits.

4. Isabelle - doing what she does best...

loving life.

Here she'd just rolled down a grassy hill and couldn't wait to do it again.

5. Zach - getting so grown up.

Loved the old barn as a backdrop: the texture, the color, the window.

And I was glad to capture one of him looking, well... not irritated at his mother for taking so darn many pictures.

6. My man and me - at the baseball game.

I love this one because it is so imperfect, not well composed - but it captured us just having fun at the ball park.

The colors, our genuine expressions...

and because I absolutely love being on this journey with this man.

He makes me smile.

7. Sophie Lu - looking adorable by the lake.

Loved the preset I found for this one, how it lights up the grass behind her.

And well, I think Sophie is stunning.

8. Fourth of July. If you hadn't guessed.

And no, my man wasn't drinking. He actually never drinks.

He was just being goofy. And he's always goofy.

9. Dalton - at the beach.

For some reason I just love everything about this picture, even though he's not smiling.

The sand on his chest. The rocky beach behind him. The blue of the sky.

It just captures what summer is like in New England.

10. My crew. My sister's crew. Minus Tori.

We had such a blast this summer. And we actually managed to get everyone in this shot, looking the same direction. At the same time.

Nuff said.

11. Vivienne - blossoming.

By August she was beginning to feel solidly entrenched in our family.

And I just love that smile of hers... pure joy.

12. Victoria - at home for the summer.

Those eyes. What can I say? Wish I'd been that genetically blessed.

13. Isabelle and Jude - "Meet the Teacher"

Isabelle took it upon herself to look out for her little brother on his first visit to his new school.

I just love capturing moments like these.

14. Velvet - our old, old dog.

Can't leave out the other members of our family.

At 13 years old, she's definitely not the adorable puppy she used to be.

But she's still cute to me.

15. Shepherd - enjoying the last days of summer.

When this kid smiles, he smiles.

It's not often I can capture it. But this time? I did.

16. The girls - having a "Girls Night In".

We did a fancy dinner, bubble bath, manicure and then a movie.

It was a great night "in".

17. Seamus - being... well, Seamus.

Can any words accurately depict just why this picture is a favorite?

I think not.

18. Asher - at the Apple Farm.

Those eyes. That grin.

We were riding the tractor out to the pumpkin patch. And it was a really great day.

19. Isabelle - waiting for snow to arrive.

Isabelle is really hard to photograph, but this time, I caught her not thinking about the person standing next to her with the camera.

I just love the magical feel of this picture. Makes me think of winter and snowmen. And Christmas.

20. My biggest babies - who I rarely get to photograph.

On this day, the snow combined with the beautiful backdrop at our favorite picture taking spot and made for one of my very favorite pictures of these two.

Plus, they're not hitting each other.

21. Victoria - my girl.

21 and she has grown into her beauty. In a big way.

One of my favorite shots of her ever..

Looking back all all the pictures I took in 2010 has been a great reminder,

God blessed us in some mighty big ways this year.

Can't wait to see what He's going to do in 2011.

brother and sister

2010-12-31T10:55:00.000-06:00

Ahhh. Siblings.

Nothing like 'em.

And these two? Are no exception.

Although there are 5 1/2 years between them, they still fight like cats and dogs.

About pretty much anything and everything.

Music.

Movies.

Who gets to ride shotgun.

But in the end, even though I'm pretty sure they'd deny it, they love each other.

A whole lot.

And now I've got the photographic evidence to prove it.

summer. fun.

2010-08-24T14:16:00.000-05:00

Summer is ending.

It's been a really, really good one.

So a chance to post one last beach picture is something I don't want to pass up.

See it on black here.

See more beach-y moments here:

Fourth of July

2010-07-08T18:56:00.000-05:00

I had such fun taking pictures of the fireworks this year. It was my first effort shooting at night in manual and I had no idea how they'd turn out. While I'd have preferred a different lens, one that wasn't fixed for starters, I was still pleasantly surprised with how these came out.

I edited them a bit in LR, just for fun, mostly using Sarah Ji's Meadow. Who knew it would work for night shots?

Anyone have a favorite?

Sunday Snapshot: {my faves}

2010-05-01T18:26:00.001-05:00

Sunday snapshot: Dalton {the overflow}

2009-11-23T08:34:00.003-06:00

Dalton, Asher and I ventured out yesterday to get some pictures for Dalton's turn at Sunday Snapshot. I wasn't sure where we'd end up, but we remembered a spot we'd recently found and decided to return there.

And I am so glad we did. We had the funnest time, goofing off and giggling... just enjoying time together on a Sunday afternoon! I posted Dalton's Snapshot post on Ni Hao Y'all, but wanted to post more of the pictures here.

Many more ;)

i <3 faces {sunflare}

2009-11-23T08:25:00.005-06:00

After taking a bunch of pictures for Dalton's Sunday Snapshot post, since the sun was setting so beautifully, I decided to mess around with my settings and see if I could get some sunflare... something I really have no idea how to do. But I'd read about it on Miz Booshay's blog a while ago and figured I'd give it a whirl!

Then I saw on i <3 faces that this week's challenge was just that: sun flare!

So here's my entry. Not great, but I'm just a beginner. And at least I've got some flare goin' on!

a walk in the woods

2009-10-18T17:06:00.002-05:00

apple farm!

2009-10-10T16:50:00.003-05:00

picture day

2009-09-17T12:36:00.002-05:00

Wow, has it really been three months since I've posted here?

Where have I been?

Clearly, I haven't been taking many pictures, or they'd be here, right?

Hope to rectify that soon now that most of the littles are in school for at least a half day...

And soon, Miss Vivi will be home! I hope she likes having her picture taken :)

Isabelle turns 5

2009-06-26T11:13:00.004-05:00

high park

2009-06-23T22:08:00.003-05:00

northwest in bloom

2009-06-16T21:28:00.003-05:00

pool fun

2009-06-02T21:09:00.004-05:00

the park

2009-05-24T16:44:00.003-05:00

Isabelle's last day of school

2009-05-21T08:52:00.003-05:00

Today is Isabelle's last day of school. She has come so far this year, yet she still lags behind her peers. We've come to a place of joyful acceptance in this fact, she is who God created her to be and we celebrate the precious child He blessed us with.

Isabelle often insists on *smiling* with a cheesy grin when I take her picture, so I thought twice before pulling my camera out this morning. But she looked so cute sitting on the porch, waiting for the bus.

I couldn't resist.

So I ran back in the house and grabbed it, and hurried to get a few pictures before the bus arrived. In an effort to avoid her default camera face, asked her to tell me a joke. And you can see, she finds herself pretty darn funny.

leaving guilin

2009-05-21T08:35:00.002-05:00

travel to and around hong kong

2009-05-19T22:00:00.005-05:00

guilin

2009-05-12T08:24:00.003-05:00

celebrating sophie

2009-05-07T15:36:00.001-05:00

Three years ago I arrived in China to bring home my Sophie Lu. Here are some of my very favorite pictures of our time there.

d ~ toothless times two

2009-04-30T11:49:00.000-05:00