Tomorrow's Memories by Beca

Hot Pepper Jam {Food Session}

2011-06-24T14:38:00.004-04:00

The recipe for hot pepper jam, as I've had quite a few people ask for this! And some pics to accompany the recipe. I made two batches of this today, one red and one green. I used green peppers and hot green peppers (hotter than jalapenos) and then red peppers and hot red peppers (also, mega hot!) If using fresh peppers, you would want to remove the seeds first, as the seeds add even more heat. I was given my peppers from my sister who chopped them up last year and then froze them, seeds intact. So my version is really hot! Also, for my red pepper version I used apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar. But I'm sure either would work. Enjoy!

Hot Pepper Jam:
2 1/2 c. green peppers (i actually had 1 c green and 1 1/2 c hot green peppers)
1 1/2 c. white vinegar
7 1/2 c. sugar
few drops of green food coloring

remove seeds and finely chop your peppers. mix peppers, vinegar, sugar and food coloring over heat and bring to boil. boil for 6 minutes.

1 - 6 oz packet liquid certo

add certo and continue boiling for 3 more minutes. remove from heat and continue stirring an additional 4 minutes. pour into freezer safe containers. let sit on counter at least 24 hours. then transfer to freezer. enjoy!

Jason & Amanda {Grand Rapids Wedding Photography}

2011-06-01T18:30:00.003-04:00

Click here to see the slideshow from Jason & Amanda's wedding!

Wedding Ceremony:
St. John Vianney Catholic Church

Reception:
Crossroads Conference Center

MC & DJ Services:
MC Entertainment

Kurt & Shari {Wedding Slideshow, Grand Rapids Wedding Photographer}

2011-05-03T16:45:00.002-04:00

Click HERE to see the slideshow from Kurt & Shari's beautiful wedding last week!

Grand Rapids Wedding Photography {Aubrie & Andy}

2010-12-21T20:53:00.004-05:00

Beautiful slideshow from Andy & Aubrie's wedding that was celebrated on my birthday :) Enjoy!

Click here to view slideshow

Venue: St. George Banquet & Conference Center, Grand Rapids

Hair & Makeup: ecouter salon, Lauren Cole, Grand Rapids

DJ: Aim High DJ, Mark Kriebel

Grand Rapids Wedding Photography {Celena & Mike}

2010-11-11T13:33:00.004-05:00

Click here to view the wedding slideshow for Celena & Mike. Enjoy!

Venue: Stonewater Country Club

DJ: Moments in Time, Joe Lober

Print Products: Syd Design, Abbey Fowler

Grand Rapids Wedding Photography {Carly & Dave}

2010-11-06T18:08:00.005-04:00

Click here to see the wedding slideshow from Dave & Carly's October 23 wedding!

Wedding Ceremony: Assumption Church, Belmont

Wedding Reception: Rockford American Legion

Grand Rapids Wedding Photography {Sarah & Jarrod}

2010-11-06T17:55:00.005-04:00

Click here to see the wedding slideshow from Sarah & Jarrod's October 2 wedding!

Wedding Venue: Kingdom Hall, Wyoming

Reception Venue: English Hills Country Club, Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids Wedding Photography {Tori & Steve}

2010-06-16T14:38:00.009-04:00

Ceremony: English Hills Country Club, Grand Rapids
Reception: English Hills Country Club, Grand Rapids
Floral Design: Modern Day Floral, Grand Rapids
DJ: Aim High DJ
Photography: Tomorrow's Memories by Beca, Grand Rapids

Baby B {7 Month Session}

2010-06-16T14:30:00.003-04:00

Baby B was a doll to work with. I have been working with his family since his twin brother and sister were newborns and I did their first session, and that was almost 2 years ago now! I am so blessed to be able to go out to the house and spend time with this special family. Baby B is now almost 8 months old and so sweet. This is my favorite age for childrens photography because the babies can sit up, but cannot crawl or walk away yet :) Thanks again for letting me come play with the family last week!

Amy Wenzel Workshop Giveaway!

2010-03-05T14:23:00.005-05:00

“How you love, serve or inspire other people in your life, and what attending the workshop might mean for your photography journey.”

A loaded question. Not being a writer, I have no idea where to begin. My photography journey started a lot like my personal walk with God. I grew up in the church and never really had that “ah ha” moment some have when they come to Christ. I’ve never had a particularly “hard” life, no major sickness, no abuse, no struggles. I professed my faith publicly when I was 12, not looking back. Of course, there have been peaks and valleys, ups and downs, but I have always felt God holding my hand, leading me. My business started the same way, I kind of fell into it. I started small, learning as much as I could along the way. We had a baby boy in 2002 and I started my business officially that year. I also worked full time at a doctor’s office until we received the shock of our lives and found out we were having twin boys in 2007! After the twins, I went back to the doctor’s office part-time and continued photography. I also branched out into wedding photography, something I told myself I would never do, but actually have a real passion for. I finally saved up enough money to buy my dream camera and just quit my “real” job in January to commit myself full time to wedding photography and my family.

I’ve been watching Amy’s blog for a few years now and have been a huge fan. Her story inspires me with each new post. I have always wanted to attend a workshop, but living paycheck to paycheck, there is no way I could afford a seat. So as much as I hate writing and tooting my own horn, I knew I had to try to win this workshop seat! The opportunity to learn from one of the great Christian women in this industry would not only give me a boost of confidence, but I believe it would allow me to pay it forward and hopefully inspire and help another fellow beginning photographer.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” James 1:17 Most people who know me know that I am pretty outgoing. I like to talk, meet new people and socialize. Lately, I feel like the Lord has been telling me to trust Him, in all areas of my life. Trust He will provide. Trust He has a plan for my life. Trust He will help me make it through the day when my kids are screaming. Trust He will help me reach others and bring them to Him, that He will help me see those opportunities around every corner. Trust He will allow me to somehow inspire others with my photos. What I am reminded of every day is that it is only because of Him that I have this gift, only because of His grace that I am even here to try to inspire others. My prayer every morning is that God will be pleased with me, that my family will be inspired to seek God and know Him by my example, and that my clients will be able to see His “heavenly light” shining out of me, that little something that sets me apart from all the other photographers they could hire. Because in the end, the only thing that really sets me apart from the next photographer is “me.”

UPDATES

2010-02-08T14:01:00.005-05:00

here are a few updated pics...not much happening lately, just waiting for warm weather :)

BAD BLOGGER

2010-01-02T14:56:00.005-05:00

wow, i've been very bad. i haven't made a post in months. it seems facebook now takes all my attention. will post a few updated pics of the twins on here for the couple people who still look at it. i'll get some of justin up soon...

TRYING TO GET A FAMILY PICTURE

2009-10-11T17:28:00.001-04:00

trying to get a picture of my three boys is impossible at this point. i've tried twice now in the past week and each time has been a disaster. i love the one of justin throwing up his hands in defeat. yikes!

BRENDAN 2 1/2 YEARS OLD

2009-10-11T17:25:00.000-04:00

JORDAN 2 1/2 YEARS OLD

2009-10-11T16:57:00.001-04:00

HUDSONVILLE FAIR 09

2009-09-05T07:58:00.002-04:00

took the boys to the fair twice this year. actually for selfish reasons, i love the elephant ears :) on this night, i had a helper, miss marie. it was a fun night!

THE COTTAGE 2009

2009-08-15T19:24:00.005-04:00

what a great week! the weather was awesome, the food was great, the boys were cute (most of the time) and the time was special. i love this week spent with my family!

BRENDAN'S LONG HAIR

2009-07-20T17:04:00.001-04:00

i love this hair!

JORDAN'S FIRST ICECREAM CONE

2009-07-20T16:58:00.001-04:00

jordan had his first icecream cone at mr and mrs meulenberg's house a few weeks ago. blue moon and he quite liked it! just look at that face!

FAMILY PICS 2009

2009-07-06T19:09:00.008-04:00

attempted tilma family pics this weekend. the twins were not good at all and it was pretty warm, but we managed to get a few pics that were decent and i might put on the wall.

JUSTIN ALMOST 7

2009-06-21T07:55:00.002-04:00

justin is getting to be such a big boy. he likes to hit the ball back and forth with karl in the driveway.

JORDAN 2 YEARS OLD

2009-06-21T07:52:00.002-04:00

here are a few of jordan. he loves to put on his new life jacket and walk around in it. who knows if he will actually wear it when we get near water?

BRENDAN 2 YEARS OLD

2009-06-21T07:48:00.001-04:00

some pics of brendan. i just love his hair!

PLAYING OUTSIDE

2009-06-21T07:39:00.002-04:00

the boys love to play in the driveway in their little red cars. justin loves to play with the hose and he especially loves to "burn" leaves with his magnifying glass. he is only allowed to do so in sight of mom or dad, as it does start a fire faster than i thought possible. mom sits in the lounge chair and supervises.

WISCONSIN TRIP 2009

2009-06-02T22:04:00.007-04:00

so me, oma and aunt sara took the 4 kids to wisconsin for a long weekend on the ferry. fun weekend, but a ton of work. i am exhausted. but great-oma was so glad to see the kids. and aunt mary had so much fun having justin stay at her house :) justin had fun playing with milo too and fishing at aunt deb's house. i guess i'll be doing it again next year.

JORDAN'S HAIR

2009-06-02T18:50:00.002-04:00

pic #1: the toy room before. pic #2: the toy room after. thank goodness i have a toy room and this isn't in my living room every day! the rest are just a few of jordan with his hair fixed! love it!

NEW FLOOR AND MISC PICS

2009-05-22T07:55:00.001-04:00

here are some pics of my new floor being put in. it's done now, i'll try to post some pics of it all done. the other pics are just misc. my one question, what is it with boys and not wanting to keep their pants on? all three of my kids love to run around in their underwear and diapers?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JORDAN AND BRENDAN!

2009-05-19T19:26:00.007-04:00

the twins turned 2 today. we had their party on sunday. i am hoping that because they started their "terrible two's" already, maybe they will be done with them that much sooner! :) the party was lots of fun!

ELSHA 6 MONTHS

2009-05-08T20:35:00.001-04:00

here are some pics i took of my niece, elsha, for her 6 month pictures today. just a quick 5 minute photo shoot.

A DAY AT THE ZOO

2009-05-04T13:16:00.003-04:00

here are some pics from the zoo. one friday mom and grandma tilma took all the kids to the zoo. it went pretty good. then McD's afterward.

AT THE PARK

2009-04-17T18:30:00.005-04:00

took the boys to the park the other day to get out in the fresh air. papa tilma met us there. it was lots of fun!

LOST TEETH

2009-04-17T18:25:00.003-04:00

justin has lost both top front teeth now. he looks so cute. i love this, before the big chiclits come in. so cute! now if only i could get him to smile nicely....i thought i had another pic of him without the teeth, but can't find it. here he is on easter eve with his star wars tie fighter egg.

EASTER 2009

2009-04-12T19:19:00.003-04:00

easter eve justin and i colored eggs together. he had fun. we did a star wars theme. easter morning all were up at 6am. hunted for the baskets and then got ready for church. all my boys wore ties today. then after church went to papa and oma essing's house for lunch. the family pic we got was not very good. the twins are not in to sitting for any type of picture these days. i think i'm the only one smiling in the family shot.

JUSTIN IN THE TUB

2009-04-04T17:46:00.001-04:00

and here are a few of justin in the tub too. he has a very "fake" smile now, i have a hard time getting him to smile normally. but here are a few.

JORDAN IN THE TUB

2009-04-04T17:33:00.003-04:00

so i got a few pics of jordan in the tub tonight and sitting on the couch. now aunt sara won't think i forgot about him completely.

BRENDAN IN THE TUB

2009-04-03T19:57:00.003-04:00

sorry justin and jordan, brendan just happened to be in the tub when i got the camera out tonight. there will be more of the other boys soon, i promise.

BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR

2009-03-28T09:16:00.003-04:00

brendan loves this book. justin used to love it too at this age. here are some pics of him reading it and a video, if you listen carefully you can hear him reading it.

HAIRCUT BY BRENDAN

2009-03-28T08:56:00.004-04:00

this is a funny video i took a few weeks ago of brendan giving karl a haircut with a toy power tool. maybe he'll take after his aunt sara and go into the cosmetology field :)

JUST HANGIN' OUT

2009-03-20T13:58:00.000-04:00

GOODBYE CRIBS, HELLO BIG BOY BEDS

2009-03-15T09:11:00.004-04:00

so, we finally did it. the twins have been climbing out of their cribs now for a few weeks, so we decided to transition them into toddler beds. last night was the first night, and it was quite the nightmare. i was up there yelling at them to stay in their beds from 7pm to 9pm. finally karl went in there and laid down the law, then it seemed to settle down. they were up twice in the night, but otherwise it seemed to go ok. everyone keeps saying the first few nights are the worst, let's hope so.

CHI-TOWN OVERNIGHT

2009-03-03T20:22:00.004-05:00

we took justin to chicago on the train this past weekend for an overnighter. it was fun to ride down on the train. stayed in a nice hotel. did a little shopping on michigan avenue, ate at the cheesecake factory, took in a penguins/blackhawks hockey game and spent the day at the field museum. i, unbelievably, forgot my camera so we had to use karl's cell phone camera. the pics did not turn out too bad considering.

MORE MISC PICS

2009-02-15T18:03:00.004-05:00

here are a few more pics i took recently. i just love brendan's curls. i hope these last. the other two kids get buzz cuts because of their pin straight hair. i'm going to grow brendan's out as long as i can stand it or as long as it stays curly.

justin made a gingerbread house this year. it turned out pretty cute.

and the other pic is just a typical friday when i am babysitting elsha. don't ask me what is on jordan's head. he likes to wear hats and scarfs...

FUNNY VIDEO

2009-02-15T17:25:00.004-05:00

here are a few video uploads. one is of jordan in the tub tonight, might want to turn the volume down on this one, he's my loud one. and another is of the boys trying to "help" with elsha's paci. they definately make me laugh daily! probably won't be laughing as much when they are 15...

BOYS PART TWO

2009-02-14T12:57:00.004-05:00

ok, so i tried again to get some shots of the boys today. i cannot, no matter how hard i try, get a shot of all three of them together. i can barely get one of the twins together. here is some of what i got. my goal is to get some good pics of them for the twins 2nd birthday coming up in may. we'll see how that goes.

JUSTIN

2009-02-02T09:51:00.002-05:00

and here are a few of justin in the tub. he likes to get in there with the twins, but that doesn't leave much room.

JORDAN

2009-02-02T09:46:00.002-05:00

some pics of jordan while he was in the tub. he loves to take a bath.

BRENDAN

2009-02-02T09:41:00.002-05:00

some new pics of brendan after a recent tubby. i love the curls. i'm going to try to not cut his hair until after the summer, we'll see if i can hold out.

LOST TOOTH!

2009-01-20T19:33:00.002-05:00

justin lost his first tooth this weekend. what excitement! he has a few slightly loose ones, and as he tried to tear open a plastic bag with his teeth this one fell out. after the initial shock wore off, he thought he was pretty cool. the tooth fairy came and brought $3. granted, she only pays big for the first tooth, the rest are only worth $1 a piece.

MY NEW CANVAS'S

2009-01-20T19:25:00.003-05:00

ohhh, i am so excited, i got my new canvas prints of the boys today! these are 16x24 and up in my dining area. it's hard to tell from the picture, but they are awesome! the previous pic is what i had up before, but these were over 1 year old, so it was time to update. opening the box, i was like a kid on christmas morning.

MISC PICS

2009-01-18T17:35:00.002-05:00

here are just a few new ones of the boys. i've been slacking :)

ELSHA BAPTISM

2009-01-18T17:10:00.003-05:00

elsha was baptized today at church. oma tilma made the beautiful baptism dress. grandpa bytwork did the actual sprinkling and papa tilma sang for the service. here are a few pics.

NEW YEAR'S DAY

2009-01-01T11:06:00.003-05:00

new year's day, 2009. here are a few of the pics i took this morning. hoping to have one of each kid made into a new canvas for my wall. time to replace the 8 month old pics i have up of the boys and the 5 year old pic i have up of justin. new year, new pics.

PHOTO SHOOT, ESSING STYLE

2009-01-01T10:52:00.003-05:00

ok, so here is a little video clip of what i go through to try to get one good pic of my kids. as i say in the video, what a nightmare!

FEW MORE PICS

2008-12-25T19:36:00.003-05:00

a few more from christmas day.

CHRISTMAS BRUNCH AT TILMA'S

2008-12-25T19:27:00.004-05:00

we spent christmas brunch and afternoon at papa and oma tilma's. we ate a great brunch and then opened gifts. the twins actually took a nap through the presents, so they opened their gifts after they woke up. it was a wonderful day. and i am thanking god for the best gift of all, his son sent as our savior. merry christmas!

CHRISTMAS DAY AT HOME

2008-12-25T19:22:00.003-05:00

we spent christmas morning (early morning, let's say 6:30am) at our house. santa brought only 3 presents for each child today, just like the three wise men brought for baby jesus. it was a great tradition that we started this year.

CHRISTMAS EVE AT ESSING'S

2008-12-25T19:12:00.003-05:00

spent christmas eve at the essing's. it was wonderful to see the whole family. papa and oma, tracy and brian, erica and bradan. justin had a blast and the boys did well.

MISC PICS

2008-12-22T17:49:00.002-05:00

just a few pics from this weekend. the boys, the boys holding elsha, elsha in her bumbo seat, me and mandi who is home for the holidays from new york. just a weekend in the life...

ELSHA WITH SANTA

2008-12-14T20:36:00.003-05:00

ok, because i am not able to get my twins to get within 10 feet of santa, i have to live vicariously through my niece, elsha.

HAVING FUN

2008-12-14T20:23:00.003-05:00

just a day in the life of the twins. busy, busy, busy. again, jordan with his hat on. they love to jump on the furniture too. must be a boy thing.

HATS AND PJs

2008-11-30T17:08:00.004-05:00

the boys in their hats and jammies this morning. jordan has not taken his off all day and brendan will not keep his on for more than 30 seconds. go figure.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2008-11-27T18:09:00.003-05:00

happy thanksgiving to all! spent the afternoon at mom's house and all was well and good!

INDIAN JUSTIN

2008-11-22T09:14:00.001-05:00

justin came home from school today with this cute costume on, face painted and all. happy thanksgiving all!

BIG BROTHER JUSTIN

2008-11-22T08:38:00.003-05:00

i love this video clip i got the other night. justin likes to "take care" of the boys. here he has jordan all tucked in a little "bed" and he just keeps adding things to the pile. it is so cute. i love the look on jordan's face, he just lays there and puts up with it. so sweet.

CONGRATS DAD!

2008-11-15T08:41:00.005-05:00

congrats to my dad who has been working at the same company for 25 years! last night they threw him a little party and the whole family was there to celebrate. i am very proud of my dad for having worked at the same place for the past 25 years, every day heading to work with a good attitude. there are not many family owned business' like this left; a thriving company with good christian owners. congrats dad, i love you!

HALLOWEEN FUN

2008-11-01T07:35:00.006-04:00

here are a few pics from trick or treating last night. i'm having a hard time getting used to my new little "take-along" camera. i'm not happy how these turned out, but what is one to do. i should have just gotten the big camera out and used it. i learn something every day.

MORE ELSHA

2008-10-31T17:53:00.006-04:00

just a few more pics of elsha for all our far away friends and family. that means you aunt marzo and uncle ron! i'm so glad you both check this and keep up with us!

INTRODUCING...

2008-10-24T07:22:00.002-04:00

introducing our new niece and cousin, Elsha Rose Bytwork! born last night weighing 7 lb 10 oz, 19" long with light brown hair. we are sooo excited to have a girl to buy pink for, well at least i am :) now i can't wait to get her home so i can take some good newborn pics! fun fun.

IN YOUR FACE

2008-10-13T16:39:00.001-04:00

i love this picture of brendan! with jordan in the background, it is just classic!

ROCK AND ROLL

2008-10-11T11:53:00.002-04:00

my rock and roll superstars playing on the chair together. they are actually not each others biggest fans yet, maybe that comes later with twins, i don't know.

SUPER HERO JUSTIN

2008-10-04T19:50:00.001-04:00

these are just plain funny.

OVERALLS

2008-10-04T19:13:00.003-04:00

twice a year i am able to go to a members only twin's club garage sale. the grand rapids mothers of twins club hosts this and as a member i am able to get in the night before it opens to the public. i try to get to this every time because the prices are so good and there are tons of clothes. picked up some new overalls for the boys. there is nothing cuter than a little boy in overalls. i love it!

ALMOST 18 MONTHS

2008-09-30T18:39:00.003-04:00

tried to take some pics of the boys yesterday at my studio. jordan sat very nicely and let me take a bunch of shots. brendan, on the other hand, only let me get 3 shots. of the 3, this is the only one that looks decent. found out today he has a double ear infection. maybe that was why he was not in the mood for pictures.

BUSTA MOVE

2008-09-29T17:22:00.005-04:00

don't ask me where they get their groove? must be from the grandpa's on both sides. papa tilma took african dance in college and i hear through the grape vine that papa essing knew how to cut a rug in his day too. what rhythm, wow.

LAUREN'S SENIOR PICS

2008-09-28T08:26:00.003-04:00

i had to put a few of these up on the blog. this is my cousin lauren, and i did her senior pics a few fridays ago downtown GR. what a beautiful girl, inside and out. i had so much fun. and i think these are some of the best pics i have taken to date.

KLACKLE'S ORCHARD

2008-09-28T08:05:00.003-04:00

well, like the insane woman i am, i took all three boys to klackle apple orchard in greenville by myself last wednesday. it actually went ok, brendan (go figure) was the hardest to handle. but that is nothing new. here are a few pics. justin had fun picking apples all by himself and the boys had fun doing it all. mom was just plain tired when she got home :)

SITTING PRETTY

2008-09-16T17:42:00.003-04:00

some of the twins in their new outfits from aunt sara. it was very hard to get them to stay sitting next to each other, they both just want to go, go, go.

SNEAK PEEK FOR MELISSA

2008-09-11T07:13:00.002-04:00

here is a sneak peek of the wedding i did last weekend. just a few of my favorites.

OUR NEW SHOES

2008-09-10T09:27:00.001-04:00

jordan and brendan got new shoes this week. i figured that since they are both walking now, they need to have shoes on when we go out. neither one is too sure about them. and as soon as we get in the car seats, they pull them right off. but they sure look cute.

JUSTIN'S FIRST DAY

2008-09-02T19:25:00.004-04:00

first day of kindergarten today for justin. mom and dad both went with for the 1 hour orientation. tomorrow he will ride the bus and actually have a regular day. he was so excited to go today. i love that he still likes school and hope he keeps this enthusiasm for a few more years.

PLAY TIME

2008-08-25T17:04:00.003-04:00

i couldn't resist adding this video of the boys playing outside today. they make me laugh every day with their jibbering and jabbering. sorry that it's a little long.

GOD'S BEAUTY

2008-08-24T20:31:00.002-04:00

this was the sunset i caught last night. how great is our god! his beauty is all around us.

TILMA PARTY CONT...

2008-08-24T19:52:00.002-04:00

a few more pics...

TILMA PARTY 2008

2008-08-24T19:41:00.003-04:00

we had the tilma party today at my parents house. my dad's whole family with all the kids, around 40 people. it's always great to see all the cousins and their kids. i love to see how everyone has grown. i did not get to talk to everyone i wanted to, too little time and too many people i don't get to see often enough. here are a few pics from the party.

JORDAN IS WALKING

2008-08-17T18:53:00.004-04:00

i think jordan is almost officially walking. here is a video i tried to catch tonight. look close, you'll see a view of my house and how it looks on a daily basis! yikes! toys and gates everywhere.

WEDDING PEEK

2008-08-13T17:56:00.001-04:00

here are a few shots from a recent wedding...

THE COTTAGE 2008 CONT....

2008-08-11T07:48:00.007-04:00

a few more pics...

THE COTTAGE 2008

2008-08-10T19:48:00.002-04:00

we spent the past week at a cottage my parents rent every summer for a week. it's my parents, my sister, me and the boys. my sister's husband and my husband come out a few nights to visit, but it's mostly just the immediate tilma family! we had a lot of fun and justin learned some new cannon ball moves! jordan and brendan had fun enjoying a lot of freedom.

NEW STUDIO

2008-07-27T09:03:00.002-04:00

oh boy, i am so excited to announce that i am working on setting up a new little studio in jamestown. it's a huge space that needs a lot of TLC, but i am excited to have this great opportunity to have my own studio space. here is a pic of what it looks like now. i am hoping to have an opening date of the first week of september. yeah!

BATH TIME

2008-07-26T08:57:00.002-04:00

i hate to do this to justin, but i couldn't resist. i told him he needed to take a bath. he asked if he could take one in the pool. without giving it much thought, i said sure. i look outside and this is what i see. i couldn't resist running to get the camera and capturing this naked, white butt. someday i will use this for blackmail. you mom's know what i'm talking about...

FAMILY PICS

2008-07-20T20:34:00.002-04:00

i was honored to be able to take family pictures for an old friend of mine, amy. what a beautiful family. i had more fun on this shoot than i've ever had. on the way out to the park, it started to rain. i was fretting because some in this family came all the way from oklahoma, not a shoot we could easily reschedule. but they were all so much fun, willing to do anything, including jumping in the freezing cold stream all for the sake of the picture. thanks you guys for making my weekend! a few of my favorites...

WATCHING THE CLOUDS ROLL AWAY

2008-07-20T20:21:00.003-04:00

on wednesday night a storm rolled in. and when i say rolled, i mean rolled right in. justin and i were playing at the neighbors when the thunder started faintly. the wind whipped up and the dark clouds starting coming in from the north west. the whole storm moved very fast. we got the kids inside and i ran back out with the camera to try to catch the feel before getting wet. the pictures do not do this justice. it was awesome!

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY JUSTIN

2008-07-17T20:30:00.004-04:00

our little guy turned six this weekend. i can't believe he is six years old already, how time goes by so fast. here are a few pics from his special day.

JUSTIN'S LATEST STORY

2008-07-11T14:51:00.003-04:00

this has been justin's story for the past couple weeks...

justin: "mom, you know how i'm growing out my hair this summer?"
mom: "yes...."
justin: "well, i want to grow it all the way down to my zit."
mom: "hmmm...your zit huh? and where is that?"
justin: " right here mom, i want to grow it all the way down to this zit. i want it to look just like ozzy's."

so, the zit is actually a big mole he has in the middle of his chest. and yes, he wants it to look like ozzy osborn's hair. i don't know what scares me more, the fact that he wants his hair down to the middle of his back or the fact that he knows who he is and what ozzy osborn looks like. just a sign of the times...

WE TRIED

2008-07-06T07:27:00.002-04:00

well, we tried. sara and i took the boys out to the park and tried to get some good pics of them in their overalls. but the stars were not lined up in our favor. the boys were sour pusses, could hardly get them to crack a smile, and when they did i wasn't ready. the park was completely muddy and torn up. poor aunt sara had to tromp around in the mud in her nice clothes and got all dirty. what a great aunt. here are a few of what i got. nothing i'm going to hang on the wall. and justin has been gone all weekend camping with a friend and his family, so i didn't get any new shots of him either. try, try again i guess.

MY WIERD SON

2008-07-01T20:13:00.002-04:00

ok, so jordan is officially wierd. here he is, sitting in the bottom of the oven drawer after pulling everything out of it. and now tonight i came home from work to find him all tucked into the toys. he looked so cute, like a big doll, staring out at me with his big blues. gotta love it.

QUICK UPDATE

2008-06-30T16:45:00.003-04:00

a quick update for all those who may live far from us... brendan is now officially walking. he still crawls around every once in a great while, but it's mostly all walk now. jordan, on the other hand, has no desire to walk anywhere. he is crawling all over, but buckles his legs when you stand him up to practice. his favorite thing to do this past week is crawl all over the four chair legs and bottoms under the table. right now, he is under his highchair finding an old spoon from this morning and some left over cheerios to snack on. and brendan is recently fascinated with birds. saying the word "bird" and trying to make the sound, seeing them at the bird feeder, hearing them singing outside. we also hear a lot of "what is that"? we can walk through target and get a continuous feed of "what is that"? it's pretty funny.

justin is having fun at summer recreation during the week. it's sponsored through the rec league and is held every day at his elementary school. i send him in the afternoons and he does crafts and plays games in the gym. they also go outside to play. he is also into the indiana jones lego video game and is playing that now as i sit here. lately, he has been very loving and cuddly. we were sitting here on the couch last night and he said:
justin: "mom, i love you so much i just don't know what to do."
mom: "how about you just love me forever and ever."
justin: "ok, i will."
mom: "even when you're like 16 years old?"
justin: "of course, mom. and you can pinch my biskies anytime you want."
gotta love a free pass to pinch the biskies anytime i want. :)

karl stays busy with his computers and video games, with a little bit of work thrown in for good measure. there is no hockey to watch right now, but he is up to date with the latest and greatest rumors and trades. if i'm not mistaken, free agency starts tomorrow, so i'm sure he'll be all in a twitter tonight and tomorrow when some big deals will probably get made.

i have been busy with pictures lately. lots of babies all of a sudden and pregnant mommies. also a few seniors and weddings. then i balance that with working three days per week at the office and taking care of this whole house of boys. i have it pretty easy i'd say.

SNEAK PEEK FOR LAURA

2008-06-22T19:12:00.003-04:00

here is a sneak peek for laura and alex. what a beautiful mommy-to-be! some of my favorites.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

2008-06-15T15:30:00.003-04:00

since we had justin, karl and i have started the tradition of going to the zoo on father's day, doing a picnic lunch. we had a beautiful day today, although we skipped the picnic lunch and ate right inside the park. easier that way with the twins. we had a great time and i even got to be in some of the pictures. karl enjoyed his day and the boys loved it too. happy father's day honey, thanks for being such a great dad!

i also want to say happy father's day to my own father, who every time i talk to him still sings to me and tells me he loves me. god blessed me with a wonderful dad, who has taught me that my heavenly father is always there for me too. i love you dad!

CHEAP ENTERTAINMENT

2008-06-13T20:27:00.002-04:00

tonight a laundry basket made for cheap entertainment. karl put the twins in the laundry basket and pushed them around while they laughed hysterically. as soon as he gets home from work, the twins try to crawl all over him. and then justin gets in on the action. soon there are bodies all over the floor.