So we got a dog

We have a dog. His name is Gus. Our story begins here.

I've never had a dog before - always cats. Always black or black and white cats. I don't know how to raise a dog and, compared to cats, dogs need raising. Dog people always seemed like crazy zealots to me (yes you Barb, Dad).

Bill and I have debated for years the proper place of a dog in the family - with emphasis on IN the family. Bill was raised on a farm with OUTSIDE dogs. I'm from Pennsylvania where it's cold, so what the heck is an OUTSIDE dog?? All dogs go outside right? No no, "they live outside," says Bill. "What on Earth is the point in that," says me??? So on and on we went with my friends piling on in support of INSIDE dogs when they had the chance (thanks Linda and Donna).

Flash forward about a year: Bill warmed up to the idea of a family dog and almost immediately we were standing in the SPCA adopting a dog. Gus is a 4-month old lab (boxer?) mix. He was a stray and we rescued him.

He's adorable. He's a lovey. He's hard to potty train. My house is now filled with dog toys and supplies. The kids love him, I love him. I'm tired, I smell like dog. I've questioned our decision a few times. He's doing better with the potty (thanks Taylor). Bill likes him.

And now I'm crazy zealot with, of course, a black and white dog. He lives inside.

I know, I know - I'm behind

Okay, so we've been back from Disney for a month, and I'm finally getting around to uploading my photos. A lot's been going on since our return - I have a new dedicated computer just for photography, I've entered in to the world of Photoshop (and am seemingly paralyzed by my new options), the boys started t-ball (in two different leagues), I was sick for a week, traveled to DC and also entertained my parents for a weekend. But, enough excuses . . .

Disney was AMAZING! Yes, we froze every morning. Yes, it was one of the coldest weeks on record for that time of year, but nothing was going to deter the Andersons from making the most of it darn it! I have to admit I was a bit of a slave to my little Weather Channel app on my Blackberry praying somehow the forecast would change, but eventually I got over it and just piled on the warm clothes I did manage to pack for us.

This was longest amount of time I've ever spent at the Magic Kingdom (a week!), and it was worth every second. We got to see Grammy and Grandad, my brother and his family, we ate and ate, park-hopped every day and saw just about every Disney character ever created. I don't know what it was - maybe the time of year - but they were everywhere.

It really was a special week. There was no drama, the sun managed to shine, the hotel and other services were great, the boys were SO well behaved (and boy we saw some doozy kids while we were there - Veruca Salt comes to mind), we worked the Fast Pass system to the n-th degree and we all pooped out by 9pm every night (that's not lame, right?). And, for those of you who know how my husband feels about Disney (I mean the evil empire), even he managed to enjoy himself, "through the eyes of the boys" of course.

And, because I indicated this was our first family trip to Disney, we also got some fun perks: a voicemail from Goofy welcoming us to the hotel for our first family stay, a postcard from Mickey hand-delivered by a castmember wishing us a fun first stay, and a special escort on our last day to the front of the line (and boat) of Pirates of the Carribean by a castmember who noticed our first visit pins (yes we wore them). I just love all the ways Disney tries to make everyone's stay unique and special.

Anyway, here are a few pics from the trip. They're a bit all over the place - I've been playing with Photoshop and am still finding my way. Jenna if you're reading this I may call you for a quick tutorial. :)

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Sam!

On Monday this week my Sam turned 6 years old. In that time we've laughed a lot: at ourselves during those initial attempts to "swaddle" (still never got that), at Sam sulking while sucking his fingers in a giraffe costume (say that 10 times fast), and at each other during countless trips to the park, impromptu dancing in the kitchen and watching our favorite animated features together as a family (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a must-have).

Anyway, Sam is a really great kid. We're biased of course, but it pleases me to no end when teachers, neighbors and sometimes complete strangers comment on how sweet Sam is. Bill thinks that means a constant pummeling at school, but I'm content with my sweet kid. And besides, he'll manage even if he has to outwit any would-be bully with simply his brain. You can count on that one for sure. (Yeah, I talk tough but really I want to bubble wrap him until he's 37. Bill says no.)

So in honor of Sam's birthday, I'll leave you with the song I wrote for him when he was a week old. I was inspired. It goes like this:

Sammy is my Sammy, uh-uh-uh-uh-uh (syncopated of course)
Sammy is my Sammy, uh-uh-uh-uh-uh
Rinse, repeat

Great huh? Love ya kiddo.

I love Christmas cards!

I love getting holiday cards. Every day from about the first week of December through Christmas day, I run to the mailbox to see what cards came. I love all the variety, the extra touches, the funny and sweet photos chosen and of course the personal correspondence saved especially for that time of year.

But, this year was a little different. As you know, I photographed several families specifically for holiday cards. It's always a treat to get a card in the mail, but when I actually received each of those families' cards I was really floored. It was so rewarding to review each, see what photo or photos each family chose, and to receive their notes. I'm so glad I started this little side business o' mine for so many reasons, but to be able to spend time with such lovely people and give them the images they are proud to send to everyone special in their lives is, well, right at the top of the list. Many thanks to the Harveys, Swords, Leas, Wearnes, Cerrutis, Laus, Braswells and Rayburns.

Get 'em while you can

For this family shoot, I've decided the theme was "catch that baby." Everyone sat down, Sutton promptly got up and galloped toward my camera. Everyone gathered over here, Sutton managed to be over there. She is 1 1/2 after all - what else would she be doing?

Anyway, we managed to corral everyone together for a few shots on a lovely Fall afternoon the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I've photographed these children before (you remember Jack or Sam's future wife Charlotte), and was happy to reprise the role of photographer for the whole family.

Sutton, Charlotte and Jackson are our neighbors' children and my kids just love playing with them. Their ages are just about the same as Sam and Jack, so the boys are able to look up to Jackson and hang out with the girls at the same time. Per-fect! Needless to say, we had great fun playing in the leaves and finding acorns on a beautiful day. Aren't they a handsome family!

Referrals are great

I just love referrals. Yes, the business is nice, but more than that it's such a lovely compliment that someone liked my images enough to recommend me to someone else. This is actually how my latest family shoot came about.

My friend Taylor's mother-in-law was looking for someone to photograph her and her husband with their four grandchildren, and Taylor told her about me (thanks sister). Whoo hoo! I just love the idea of a grandparent/child photo! My grandparents have passed on, and it's this time of year especially I find myself thinking about them even more. I loved holidays with them and while I spent more time with my mother's parents than my dad's father (my paternal grandmother died way before I was born), I have such lovely memories of all three.

Simply put: There's nothing like the grandparent/grandchild connection (my children have been blessed with FABULOUS grandparents) and it was so apparent with these lovely folks too. Here are some of my favorites.
I think this one is my favorite - probably because from this angle Wiley looks sooooo much like my Pop-Pop.



Oh, and Jane and Susan's parents got into the act too.

Somebody catch that dog

Right before Thanksgiving I photographed friends of ours from church. They were one of the first families I photographed shortly after launching my business, and I was so grateful to have them return. This time, however, they wanted to include their new puppy, Bogey. Uh oh. Great on paper, but I wasn't so sure about it in practice. When I arrived the dog ran around like puppies do, pulled us around the yard and actually escaped into the cul de sac for a short while.

Well the funniest thing happened! As soon as we sat everyone down and I started clicking away, the dog transformed into the perfect subject. Sat completely still, tongue wagging and everything. We were all amazed and I was so happy to deliver the image the family was really after (not seen here - can't do that silly, it's for holiday cards). Yeah Bogey!

Way behind

Well, here it is December and I'm way behind in my family posts. Below is a recent shoot I did with good friends Janna and Drew. I photographed their son last year for holiday photos, but this was the first time I got to hang with the whole family. Drew had been after Janna for some time for an updated family photo so I was happy to help.

These guys were troopers -- this session was rescheduled at least six times because of the God-awful weather we had seemingly every weekend. We finally got it in, AND got the gorgeous day we wanted. Below are my faves.

Smushy face, Huggie bear

On Saturday, my brother, sister-in-law, niece and brand-spankin-new baby nephew came for their first visit to Suwanee. For reference, this is my Army brother who was just recently stationed at Fort Gordon, GA. The boys were so excited about the visit this weekend and couldn't wait to see their aunt and uncle, and I couldn't wait to get my mitts on that baby.

At two months Liam is already smiling and is just the cutest thing! He looks nothing like my brother Ian, although I did see flashes of him in certain instances. He was such a good baby the whole day and was passed from person to person without much fuss. I forgot how often the ity bity ones need to eat and be changed -- this kid ate every 90 minutes or so and hollered for it each time. (Yup, we're definitely done at two, thank you very much. No going back to those days!)

Liam (baby, baby Liam, baby Leo according to Sam and Jack) also generously slept through dinner while the rest of us chowed at our favorite local noisy Mexican cantina. Certainly nice of him don't ya think?!

So, while I didn't want to have the camera in the baby's face the whole day, I HAD to get a few while they were here. I'm just glad we'll have them around these parts a while so we can watch this little guy grow up.

Pumpkins are here!

My favorite season is the Fall. I love the crisp mornings, having a great reason for decadent hot chocolate, wearing jeans and a t-shirt (in Georgia you can do that), and I just love the changing colors of the season. I also love pumpkins and the quest to pick the perfect gourd. It's sort of an obsession for me. I don't know about you, but I much prefer the fat squatty ones to the tall thinner ones. There's just something about a round, fat pumpkin that is pleasing to the eye (at least mine).

So, off we went to Uncle Shucks with our Sunday School class. This year was a little disappointing though - the pumpkins were a bit picked over, and the gorgeous, sky-high sunflowers from last year were nowhere in sight. I'm sure this awful rain had something to do with it, but I was SOO looking forward to watching the kids run through the giant stalks.

Anyhow, I snapped a few pics before we left and ended up stopping at another pumpkin patch on the way home. There we found three for the price of one at Uncle Shucks. I guess I know where the Andersons will be pumpkin shopping next year! The boys loved the pumpkins we picked and of course haven't stopped asking me when they'll be carved. Stay tuned for the before and after pics. Happy Fall!