Our weekend.

It's been quite the weekend and we're ready for bed, but had to share a little before it comes to an end.

The wedding I photographed Saturday was beautiful. Our good friends, Ryan and Becca were so happy and I had the pleasure of following them around capturing their day. Here's a little taste.

She wore Converse sneakers.


































































Charlie is so handsome :)












Since a bunch of friends were in town for the wedding, we got together for a cookout. It was like re-living the glory days from youth group, only now we have spouses and babies. We laughed till we cried, bringing up embarrassing stories and watching way old mission trip/retreat videos. It was such a good time!
Lisa, it was so much fun to hang out with you. You have to get on facebook so we can keep in touch! ;)


















Die hard youth group buddies back in the day!










































After Sunday school and church this morning, we had a family Birthday party for Abby. Tomorrow is her B-day, so you can see all the fun we had and the pictures to prove it.

After the party, Brian and I drove straight to church for the night service and to photograph baptisms. As we walked into the building Brian was confronted with the news that one of the high school seniors (Matt) was in a car accident. On the way to church, his car flipped over and EMS were in the process of getting him out. Matt's best friend was going to be baptized, all his friends and family had just left a party to celebrate beforehand. Brian spent the evening with students in the prayer room and he is now at the ER. Matt is ok and the latest CAT scan showed nothing wrong. I know it shook a lot of people up, including Brian. His job definitely isn't 9-5, it's more like being on call 24/7. If you are reading this please pray for the high schoolers, their family and Brian, for the Lord to guide him during this time. Also, praise God for his protection.

love this image

clearing off cf cards to shoot a wedding tomorrow. it's amazing how images accumulate with digital. i ran across this one of tim and jess holding baby ashley.

taking it easy...

Abby picked up hands, foot & mouth disease from childcare, so we had to cancel everything this week. I think the Lord knew we needed a break. Here some pics of us chilling inside. Abby is definitely feeling better, though she is still contagious.

Before I was a Mom...

Someone sent this to me and it's so true. Thought I would pass it along for all those special moms who can relate...

Before I was a Mom
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop
the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important
and happy.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to
make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,
the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Mother Daughter Bonding Time!

Distractions

This morning Abby and I were at our playgroup. She was hungry, so I was giving her baby gold fish out of my hand. I was in the middle of talking with the other moms, so I didn't notice how many she had put in her mouth. I looked down and noticed she was choking on the goldfish and couldn't catch her breath. She coughed up some, but was still turning red. Just as I was about to ask, "does anyone know the Heimlich" she threw up a gob of gold fish and some of her breakfast.

I'm not saying this to scare anyone. I really didn't have time to get upset or overreact. However, it did get my attention. It made me realize how quickly we can become distracted and in that matter of time, something serious or harmful can happen. I wanted to pass this along so that other parents or caregivers can have a reminder (without experiencing it) that we need to always be cautious. It's easy to become comfortable and fall into bad habits or take chances when things are going well.

Men have a need to tear down and rebuild.

As evidence of the men in our family, there is a need for making things look better within the home and there is no project too large to tackle. Somehow, the projects are always more work than predicted. We used to have a half bathroom, now I call it a toilet in a closet. Brian, you are doing a great job! I mean it :-)
before...


















during...