well over 9 pounds of sweetness…
Chris & Jenn’s Wedding…. Sneak Peek!
chris and jenn have been together for 9 years and you would have thought it had been 50 the way these families loved and celebrated this couple! they got married at sherwood country club and the sunshine decided to come out in the midst of all the rain we had been having – so great! jenn was a great sport, pulling up her wedding dress and hiking thru all the overgrown awesomeness that surrounds sherwood (adorable betsey johnson heels and all…thanks, jenn)… we played in the tall grass and rode around like kids in the golf carts for their wedding portraits. this was all followed by one of the most heartfelt ceremonys i have ever witnessed and then a reception that kicks the butt of any other reception!!! lots of fun and LOTS of dancing. i also have to give a shout out to my second shooter, rochelle… she not only shoots with a smile on her face but is quite a good partner in the photo booth. 
such a fun day all around.
My Gracie is THREE!
i love that when i asked her to smile for my camera, instead she lifted her dress up over her head and started shaking her tushy. i love that when i gave her the jellybeans, she scattered them all over her piano and said she was “just giving the songs a prettier outfit”. i love that she (of course!) decided to put 45 tattoos all over her arms and legs the day before this planned photo shoot. she is her own girl now… my baby is three. so that’s three years since my heart has been walking outside of my body, which scares me and humbles me every moment of the day. but she is the sweetness that is worth rolling out of bed for before the sun comes up and the joy that reminds me to press on. i wanted this shoot to be full of her favorite things… making up silly songs, playing her piano, dancing like crazy, colorful candy, sweet smelling flowers, the letter “G” and sprinkle donuts. here is my gracie in all of her birthday girl glory.
The Williamson Family… in Iowa!
this was a fun, fun shoot for me! not only did i get to photograph this family against the beautiful background of an iowa winter, but their home had fantastic character all on it’s own. the mama, kirsten, is a sewing and crafting genius and had adorned every inch of their house with quirky, artistic touches that i just couldn’t get enough of! i knew as soon as i saw the larger than life rooster made of recycled tin on their front step that they were my kinda family. we ended it all with a big bubble bath to warm up after playing in the snow… it was the cherry on top of a very sweet shoot!
Iowa
we are in iowa… enjoying family, life and trying hard to just be in the moment. it is blissful. there will surely be a long blog post when we get back of all the fun things we have done, but i had to post this one of my little brandon just for now. it has been verrry cold here (negative 6 today!) so i barely could have him outside for 5 minutes, but i got this one shot that was a keeper. he is on his new (old) rocking horse… one of many fantastic finds that i will be shipping back home… next time i will need to rent a uhaul! i am so thankful for my sweet babies. i hope everyone else has begun 2010 with as much joy as we have. happy new year!!!
California Grown….
this little guy made his debut into the world on my blog a few posts back – A Child is Born - but, of course, I had to give him his very own photo shoot. i planted this garden a few months back with my gracie girl in hopes that it would be fully grown in time for me to put jacob in it, and it all worked out according to plan. :) so here he is, jacob dean murray, photographed at 9 days old, california grown from toe to head…
Ella in the belly…
this is the catalan family. they are tender, genuine and they live their lives with great purpose. we met anna a few years back when she was coordinating a wedding we photographed. she was waddling around joyfully with a huge smile, 8 months pregnant with caleb (the big brother to be) and we instantly fell in love with her. donny and i visited them this past weekend (anna with baby ella ripe in her belly) and as we walked down their driveway afterwards, our hearts were full. donny grabbed and held my hand tighter and with more conviction than any other time i could remember, and we drove home talking about our hopes, our children and what we can do to live life more like this beautiful, selfless family. i can’t wait to meet ella, whose name so appropriately means, “bright light”.
“for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. i praise you because i am fearfully and wonderfully made.” psalm 139:13-14.
Sweet Emery, Newborn
introducing emery, 2 weeks new… he just couldn’t have been any sweeter. he gazed longingly into my camera, gave me little smiles as he slept peacefully and nothing made him happier than being snuggled by his mama.
A child is born…
jacob dean murray, born at 1:08am… 8 pounds, 15 ounces, 21 inches & perfect in every way. i have anticipated this sweet baby’s arrival for what has seemed like an eternity (you may remember this beautiful mama from this shoot). i have known and loved my friend, jenny, for years… leaned on her, grown with her, stood beside her on her wedding day, held her hand as she learned to nurse her daughter, laughed with her, cried with her…. yet i have never been so in awe of her as i was as i witnessed her labor (drug free!) birthing her precious son. she labored for 14 hours with amazing grace and patience and the worst thing i think she said was “oh my gosh”. not to say she was not in pain, as there are not words to describe this type of pain, but she handled it in a way that was so humbling and beautiful. her husband, doug, was there…. holding her hand, rubbing her back, gripping her, swaying with her, whispering in her ear, supporting her… the kind of love that only the bible describes. i am proud to know this family and i pray that my children will have the blessing of growing up alongside theirs. as i was photographing jacob’s birth, i could barely see thru the tears streaming down my face to even focus the camera. and when i walked outside of the hospital at 2:00am after it was all over, i just dropped to my knees and thanked God for this beautiful moment in the midst of the harshness of this life. it must have been 75 degrees out, there was a warm soft wind blowing, the sky was amazingly clear and it seemed as though every star is the sky was shining brighter than i had ever seen before. it was the kind of night for a miracle. :)
by Joy
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