2 YEAR BLOG ANNIVERSARY

It has been two years since I started my blog so I can help with the family business.  In that time, we have met so many awesome people and have made wonderful friends.  Our lives have been so blessed.  My blog now gets a few thousand visitors every month and mom and I have a lot of fun writing it.  To celebrate the 2 year anniversary, be sure to look for "flashbacks" and contests throughout the month!

November 30, 2007

CREATIVE SESSION CONTEST WINNER

This was such a tough choice for us and mom and dad had a really hard time agreeing on the winner.  But we all decided and the winner of our Most Creative Session contest is Sarah!  She invited dad to photograph her in her wedding gown as she goes PAINTBALLING with her husband and a few people from her wedding party.  Dad has never had a Trash the Dress session where the dress has ended up indeed "trashed" and this was just too enticing  not to mention that it sounded like lots of fun! 

Sarah, give dad a call or send him an email to get the session set up.  It has to take place before the end of January and it will be free.  I can't wait to share the pictures on the blog; I'm sure they are going to be awesome!

Because there were so many other good ideas that dad was excited about as well (a Hollywood Glamour session, a lifestyle Christmas tradition session, the entire wedding party on a swing set, and more!) we are offering 25% off the session fee for everyone who entered this contest.  The session has to take place before the end of December of this year to get the discount.

Thanks to everyone who entered.  All of you had really fun ideas and it made it very hard to choose a winner!

ERIN IS GLOWING!

Not literally of course, but she has that pregnant glow that people talk about and mom says she has never experienced.  Erin and Matt's baby is due in just a few weeks and dad went over to their place for Erin's maternity session.  They have become friends of ours since dad photographed their wedding two and a half years ago and we are so incredibly happy for them.  The nursery was decorated brown and green with wood furniture for a natural, earthy look.  And Erin looked so beautiful!

After pictures at the house, they went to a nearby nursery which was selling tons of poinsettia plants.  Being pregnant with baby due in December, poinsettias are a fitting background.

Erin, motherhood agrees with you.  You look wonderful!  We cannot wait to meet the baby!

LONG WEEKEND

We are going to be taking a couple days off this weekend and though we will still be able to check email and phone messages, we might not respond until Tuesday.  Thanks!

November 28, 2007

LAST DAY TO ENTER THE CONTEST

Tonight at midnight is the deadline for our "Most Creative Session" contest.  Email us your idea for an awesome session and you could win that session free of charge!  It can be anything from maternity to seniors as long as it is interesting and fun. 

SESSION OPENING

For those of you who asked about a session this month but we did not have any openings, we have had a last minute cancellation and now have tomorrow (Thursday) available for a portrait session.  Give dad a call if you'd like to set this up!

CATHERINE AND BRIAN'S WEDDING

Saturday dad had his first wedding at our church!  Dad said that it made him feel even more connected to the ceremony than usual to be in the church we attend every week and have Father Bill as the priest.

Catherine and Brian were both really easy-going throughout the day.  It is wonderful that they were focused on their marriage even more than their wedding.  They were so happy to be a Mr. and Mrs. and to have the rest of their lives to look forward to.

As a surprise from mom, a Rolls Royce was there to take Catherine to the church and later to bring Catherine and Brian to the reception. 

After the ceremony, dad went with the bride, groom, and the wedding party to the University of Tampa.  

Then it was off to the reception at the InterContinental Hotel in Tampa.  Rob Sword of Sword Sounds was the always wonderful DJ and dad was happy to be working with him again.  It was sweet to see Catherine and Brian in love and surrounded by the love of their friends and family.

Have a great time on your cruise!

I'll be back soon with pictures of Erin's maternity session, and to announce the winner of our contest!

November 24, 2007

ENTER THE MOST CREATIVE SESSION CONTEST

Remember that all entries must be sent in by midnight on Wednesday.  Everyone is welcome to send in their ideas for a fun and unique photo session of any kind and we will pick our favorite to win that session!  The details are below in November 23rd's entry. 

OUR CHURCH

Dad was so excited about the wedding he is photographing today because it is the first time he has a wedding at our own church!  It was through the church that Catherine and Brian heard about us.  Mom and I are so excited to see the ceremony pictures!

The day before Thanksgiving dad photographed another family that found us through our church.  We had donated a portrait session with a 16x20 gallery wrap to our church's auction and this family was the highest bidder.  The session was at the beach in the morning so the sun was bright, but everyone was great about it and enjoyed being together as a family.  Here are some of their pictures:

Silly face pictures are my favorites!

Earlier today mom had Everett on our "porch swing" (though it is really on our lanai in the backyard) while I played with the dogs in the yard.  She dozed off for a minute or two and when she woke up and looked at me, I was covered in dirt, even all over my mouth!  She asked if I had eaten the dirt but there is no way I'd admit anything like that.  This girl can't deny trying the sand though; she was caught in action!

A big sister kiss .

Having some fun!

We hope your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving together!

OUR THANKSGIVING

Every Thanksgiving we start the morning by watching the Macy's parade.  My favorite float this year was Snoopy as the World War I Flying Ace because I watched It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown so many times for Halloween this year.  To be honest, I wasn't that into the parade (and neither was Everett) so I was playing instead of watching most of it.  But when Santa came to open the Christmas season I ran to the TV!  Dad tried to get Everett to see Santa too, but he was tired.

While the parade was on, mom was cooking.  Our plans had changed last minute and we were going to spend Thanksgiving dinner at Nonna's house instead of having people over our house, but mom had already bought lots of food to make so we made our own turkey, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes to bring over. 

I helped mom with the sweet potatoes.  We first got oranges and cut about 1/4 of them off.  Then we scoop out the inside just like we did with our pumpkins.

We cut sweet potatoes into chunks and boiled them so that they would be easier to mash.

The sweet potatoes go in a bowl with some sugar, vanilla, eggs, and butter.  Mom let me put the butter in.

We filled the oranges with sweet potatoes and put a bit of a brown sugar mixture over the tops.  Then we baked them for a half an hour.  When they were done, we made them look pretty and they were all ready!

I also helped mom with the mushrooms, but most of that was just chopping things so all I got to do was wash the mushrooms and stir all the stuff together in a bowl.

My great-uncle Frank carved both turkeys!  I think it is funny that he wore a "bib" to carve the turkey...

...but not to eat the turkey!

My great-uncle Tom started prayers by saying how thankful he was for Nonna being here because there was a time when we didn't know if she would be.  That is something we are all thankful for.  Nonna is such a trooper, and she looks great with what cousin Michele called her new Jamie Lee Curtis hairstyle!

I was also thankful for having my brother Everett.  It was his first Thanksgiving ever and he was so good!  Dad got Everett ready that morning because mom was cooking, and I think Everett was thankful that dad doesn't usually get to do his hair.

Aunt Kellie was thankful that grandma saw dad make a mess in her room so she didn't get in trouble for it.  Dad is so silly!

Aunt Lora and I were thankful for pumpkin pie! 

Everyone said that I had lots of whipped cream on my pie, but I think my cousin Michele had me beat.

We had so much fun being with our family and thinking about all the blessings we have been given.  I can't wait until we can all get together again.  Mom says that next time she'll be sure to bring me a change of clothes if I am going to be playing with my great-uncle Joe!  Thanks to all of our family for such a fun day!

THE START OF THE CHRISTMAS SEASON

Every year on the day after Thanksgiving we put up our Christmas tree and start decorating our house.  Aunt Kellie worked on the popcorn string for the outside trees while dad and I put together our tree.

As soon as the tree was up and Aunt Kellie and I helped dad put the lights on, Azrael climbed right in.  Every year she knocks down ornaments and chews on any garland we put on the tree!

Our house seems so much more peaceful at night with the light from the Christmas tree.

Tackling the outdoor decorations will be a whole other task!

AUNT KELLIE

Every year around this time, dad does a short photo session with Aunt Kellie since her birthday is only a couple weeks before Christmas.  Having annual pictures done of your kids through the years is so special!  Look how beautiful my Aunt Kellie is!

Hannah Montana style!

She isn't always as sweet as she looks in this picture (just teasing you Aunt Kellie!)

November 23, 2007

ANOTHER WONDERFUL FAMILY SESSION

Dad was so happy to see Teresa, Craig, and their two beautiful daughters for their holiday pictures again this year.  He went over to their house last Tuesday and the two girls looked so much older!  With the girls in the picture it was already cute, but adding puppies just made it adorable.

For our own family pictures, mom loved my funny faces sometimes more than the "real" pictures.  As mom was going through these pictures she thought the same thing about their youngest daughter, who is only a year older than me.

As dad was leaving, the girls were settling in for some good princess time.  I think that looks like lots of fun!  I want to put on my Cowboy Woody costume and hang out with them too!

You have a wonderful family and it was so great seeing all of you again!  Merry Christmas!

MOST CREATIVE SESSION CONTEST

I promised you another contest, and here it is!  This is again open to everyone.  All you have to do is email us your most creative idea for a session.  It can be any type of session:  engagement, trash the dress, family, maternity, baby, senior...whatever you choose!  We are looking for a really fun and original idea.  Tell us what makes your session lots of fun, from where you will be to what you will wear to what you will be doing.  Send us the details of your idea and we will pick our favorite and that person will win their session!

The session must be on the Tampa side of the bay and no further south than Apollo.  If you have any questions as to whether the distance of the location would be okay or not, just send us an email and ask.  If your session is chosen and you are the winner, the free session must be scheduled for some time before the end of January 2008.

All ideas must be sent in before midnight on November 28th.  We can't wait to see what fun ideas you come up with!

November 22, 2007

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We know it may sound sappy, but we are really thankful to all of the couples and families we have met and had the pleasure of photographing.  It is an amazing thing to witness so much love and happiness as part of your "job" and we are so happy that we are able to do this for a living.  Our success is due to all of you and we are grateful.

Also, to all of our friends and family, you are wonderful people and a source of support and happiness for us.  Thank you for being so important in our lives.  Our family is so blessed!  Our Thanksgiving dinner is going to get cold because of all we have to say when we go around the table and say what we are thankful for!! 

But I think another important part of being grateful for your blessings is to remember those who are without.  Samuel Pugh's quote says, "When I have food, help me to remember the hungry; When I have work, help me to remember the jobless; When I have a home, help me to remember those who have no home at all...and remembering, help me to destroy my complacency, bestir my compassion, and be concerned enough to help; by word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted."

With this quote in mind, we were so happy when Amalia, our contest winner, chose America's Second Harvest as the charity she wanted the $50 donation to go to.  We hope that all of you will also remember those who are hungry.  You could be the one to give them something to be thankful for!  Consider donating to America's Second Harvest on their website, www.secondharvest.org. 

And thanks to Amalia for her nice email:  "Thank you so much for making this a contest about giving as well as receiving.  How refreshing!"

Happy Thanksgiving!!  We hope all of you enjoy a wonderful day with family and friends, and have elastic waistbands for your pants!  And Grammy, dad wants to know if you shipped a strawberry pie by any chance *wink* .  We miss you! 
 

SARAH AND JOSH'S ENGAGEMENT SESSION

On Monday dad was at the beach with Sarah and Josh.  It was a fun evening photographing them in the sunset.  The sky was so dramatic with the dark clouds against the colors of the sunset.  Before I go help mom cook some sweet potatoes, here are a few pictures from their session:

I'll be back soon with some family session pictures to share! 

November 21, 2007

INSPIRATION BOARD CONTEST WINNER

Our inspiration board contest has ended and the winning board is number 2:  Flashy, Trashy Yellow!

All images by Jason Angelini Photography

Congratulations Amalia!  Send us an email letting us know what address you'd like the $50 Target gift card mailed to as well as the charity you are choosing to receive a $50 donation.

BARBARA AND FRANK'S WEDDING

On Sunday dad was at the Don CeSar for Barb and Frank's autumn wedding.  When mom was looking through the pictures, she kept noticing how beautiful the flowers were.  The bouquets were silk flowers in browns, oranges, and other fall colors and there were seashells and starfish worked into the arrangements.  Perfect for a November wedding on the beach!  Mom asked dad who the florist was and found out it was the bride herself!  Be sure to check out her website, www.affordable-elegance.com.

The Don was having its bridal fair that day and dad was able to stop by quickly to say hi to a few people.

Jennifer from A Friend of the Bride was the coordinator for the day and dad was happy to finally meet her.  Darla Stafford was there for hair and makeup and everyone looked fabulous!  The bride and bridesmaids all wore flowers in their hair of course.  The bride's gown was so pretty.  The texture and embroidery gave it such a romantic look.

During the ceremony, one of the bridesmaids sang to the couple and dad thought it was a really sweet moment.

Another cute ceremony moment:

And of course, the bride and groom!

It was beautiful to watch this couple and their families come together.  Thanks for letting us share such a special day with you!

SERVER UPGRADE

Over the next few days, our hosting company for our website will be upgrading their server.  There may be a few issues as this happens, but we will still have access to our email:  jasonangelini@aol.com or you can always give us a call:  813-240-6611.

LOTS MORE TO COME

Dad had an engagement session Monday, a family session Tuesday, and a family session today so check back soon for lots more pictures...and for another contest starting on Black Friday!

Good luck to all of you who are cooking Thanksgiving dinners.  We are going to brave the grocery store later today since we didn't get a chance to go earlier in the week.  Then mom says I have to help her get some of the food ready tonight so it can just go right in the oven tomorrow.  Good thing I have my own chef hat!

And Erin, dad can't wait to see you on Sunday, and mom and I can't wait to see the pictures of your beautiful baby belly afterwards!

November 19, 2007

GIFT IDEAS

This week is Thanksgiving, which of course is followed by the busiest shopping day of the year...Black Friday.  Here are some gift ideas that I found for the variety of people on your list.

My Twinn:  The Just-Like-Me Doll.  You send in a picture and they will create a doll that looks like the child.  Then buy matching outfits for the girl and her doll! 

My Twinn Doll

www.mytwinn.com

For your voyeuristic friends, a sneak peek into strangers' love lives in the book Other People's Love Letters:  150 Letters You Were Never Meant to See.  Some of the letters are odd, true, but not as odd as the idea of some guy going through other people's stuff collecting these notes and letters!

Other People's Love Letters:  150 Letters You Were Never Meant to See

www.amazon.com

The Goorin Brothers describe themselves as "bold hatmakers" with an underground inspiration catering to individuals who are not swayed by trends.  While all that may be true, it was one of their bags that mom loved!

"Cloves" Canvas Bag

www.goorin.com

Living in Florida, imagine the cool videos you could take with a waterproof camcorder!  If mom and dad videotaped me under the water, I might be convinced to dunk my head more often like they told me to in swimming lessons.

Sanyo Xacti E1 Camcorder

www.sanyodigital.com

Another great Florida gift!  Here is a sled that you can use on grass!!  It comes with ice trays that you attach to the bottom so you can use the sled with or without snow. 

Slicer:  An All Season Sled

www.mypolkadots.com

Here is something on my Christmas list!  Mom says I have way too many toys so if I ask for any more for Christmas they have to be really cool.  Stacrobats are magnetic figures and balls that attach together for you to balance and play circus.  It looks like lots of fun!

Stacrobats

www.sparkability.com

A great gift for teenagers, or really for anyone who loves their IPod, is a set of personalized ear buds from Things Remembered.  The ear buds can be hearts, stars, or dollar signs and the charm pendant can be engraved with a personalized message.

Red Star Ear Buds

www.thingsremembered.com

For your REALLY lazy friends, Hammacher Schlemmer makes a voice activated grocery list organizer.  You speak the name of an item you need to buy and it stores the shopping list for you to print later.  It saves you all that time and energy of simply writing down what you want!  Mom wanted me to put this on my blog because she thinks it is too funny, but it could be a good gift for people who are really into electronics, who have long shopping lists, or who easily lose scraps of paper.

Voice Recognition Grocery List Organizer

www.hammacher.com

Here is one of our favorite gift ideas.  It is an awesome way to show off all the great pictures dad took of you!  Brookstone has digital photo Christmas ornaments that stores 50 images and plays them in a slideshow.  You just download pictures from your computer to the ornament and they are displayed on the screen.  How cool!   

Digital Photo Christmas Ornament

www.brookstone.com

Of course the best presents are those that come from your heart and make a difference.  Here are a few websites to visit where you can give gifts that will change people's lives, and in some cases even save a life.

www.FoodforthePoor.org

Food for the Poor's Gift Catalog has you choose gifts that give people food, water, shelter, education, and other things to help the very poor.  You are then given a card for you to give to a friend or family member that describes the good that has been done in their name. 

www.Markmakers.org

Markmakers is geared toward young people.  Your present is a virtual gift card to markmakers.  The recipient can then go to the site and "buy" from the various shops, such as the Protect the Environment shop, the Fight Hunger and Poverty shop, and the Kids in Need shop.  There are many causes to choose from and the recipient of the gift card can decide how to allocate their spending.  It makes the process of donating fun for kids!

Please consider giving from your heart this holiday season.  What a better gift for your friends and family than making this world a better place.

CATALOG CRAZY

Most of the shopping ideas I just shared came from the mountain of catalogs we have received lately.  It is insane how many catalogs come in the mail every day!  Dad decided to save all the catalogs we got from now until Christmas to see how big the pile would get.  It has only been one week and mom says it is just too much clutter so she took a picture of them all and put them into the recycle bin.

I guess if we did decide to keep them, they could make a colorful wreath!

One of our brides sent us an email at just the right time!  Danielle gave us a link to Catalog Choice, which lets you reduce the number of unsolicited catalogs.  It is easy to do and free, so visit the site and sign up to help save natural resources.

Danielle is not only planning her own eco-friendly wedding, but she is also a wedding coordinator in New York (Chic Celebrat!ons by Dani) and offers services to her brides to help them plan their own green weddings.  Thanks for the link, Dani!  We know your own wedding this May is going to be beautiful.

November 18, 2007

ONE WHOLE HAND!

Dad has a blast hanging out with the family he photographed on Friday.  They did a few family pictures, then dad got to hang out at the park with their son to get some pictures of him since he is about to turn 5 years old!  This family is such wonderful people; dad said they were all smiles and laughs.  That is what a portrait session should be like!  Not only should you get great pictures, but the session itself taking those pictures should be fun too!!  Here are a few images from the session:

One of mom's favorites:

At the park:

What a beautiful and loving family!!  Dad said he had so much fun and made a new friend .  He can't wait to see all of them again.  Happy Birthday and have a really awesome One Whole Hand party!! 

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE INSPIRATION BOARD

It is time for you to decide who should win the inspiration board contest!  Here are the entries:

Board One:  St. Pete Beach Wedding

"My board would be my inspiration if my husband and I were to do it all again and have a St. Pete Beach wedding!"

Board Two:  Flashy, Trashy Yellow

"I have seen a number of wedding boards done in black, white and yellow that are always so classy and crisp.  I thought it would be neat to use the yellow in a more relaxed and spunky way.  I wanted to design a wedding that was fun and romantic.  I can see the event taking place in a big ball room with crystal chandeliers, white and black table linens, and each table topped with a ton of yellow flowers."

Board Three

Board Four:  Starfish and Sunset

"Florida weddings mean being barefoot in the sand and exchanging vows with the waves crashing onto the shore in the background.  After the ceremony, you share romantic kisses in the sunset."

Board Five

Board Six

Board Seven:  Romantic Elegance

Board Eight:  Trash the Dress

"I am already married, but would love to do a Trash the Dress session!  So that is my inspiration."

Board Nine:  Beach Bliss

"Got my inspiration from your photographs using pictures that reflected a beach atmosphere, with blues and natural tones."

All of the pictures in all of the boards are by Jason Angelini Photography.  The exception is board 6, so that is the only board that will not get the 15 vote bonus.  Only one vote per person is allowed...the voting system will not accept more than one vote from the same IP address.  Voting will remain open until midnight on the 20th and the board with the most votes at that time wins

Good luck to everyone who entered!

This contest has ended.  Congratulations to board 2:  Flashy, Trashy Yellow!

November 17, 2007

CONTEST UPDATE

We cannot wait to share the inspiration boards we received for the contest!  We will have them on my blog tomorrow and then voting will begin!

November 16, 2007

LAST DAY TO ENTER OUR INSPIRATION BOARD CONTEST

All inspiration boards must be sent in by tonight at midnight for our contest.  Remember, the prize is a $50 Target gift card as well as $50 donated to the charity of your choice, so send in those boards!  This contest is open for anyone to enter.

November 13, 2007

JILL AND RODNEY'S WEDDING

Dad was back at the Sandbar on Sunday for Jill and Rodney's wedding.  Jill got ready for her day at a beach house that her mom rented for the wedding.  Dad said it had such cute decor, with old surf photos and flip flops hanging on walls.  Right outside the house was a canal and lots of beautiful coconut trees. 

Jill looked so happy as her mom escorted her down the aisle to become a Mrs.

The wedding colors were brown and green.  Jill and Rodney had chocolate brown linens and chair covers.  Green chair bows and green candles at each place setting accented the brown color.  Guests also got brown boxes of chocolate tied with a green ribbon.

The Newlyweds:

Sunset was gorgeous that night:

Congratulations, and enjoy your honeymoon!

INSPIRATION BOARD CONTEST

A few of our brides have been talking more and more about their "Inspiration Boards," a collection of pictures that displays the ideas, colors, decor, ambiance, theme, etc that they are using as a basis for their own wedding plans.  Here is an example of an inspiration board that mom loved from Snippet & Ink:

Nordic Winter

www.SnippetandInk.blogspot.com

So for our next contest, we are challenging you to make an inspiration board!  Here are the rules:

At least 4 of the pictures on the inspiration board have to be images dad took.  You can get them from your own event, from someone you know, from our blog, etc.  If ALL of the images you use are by Jason Angelini Photography, you get a bonus of 15 votes added to your total number of votes at the end of the contest.

You must give credit for all of the images you use.  For example, here are the credits for the board above as listed on Snippet & Ink:

Top row from left: Brioni satin tie from Neiman Marcus, Ron ben Israel cake via Black Eiffel, photo from Jef Maion, bouquet from The Knot
Row 2: invitation suite, bouquet and cake all from MS; napkin detail from Brides, Alan Hannah separates from Brides UK
Row 3: flower girls from Brides UK, photo from Carolyne Roehm, word bubble guest "book," snack box from Matthew Mead, Reem Acra dress from NY Magazine

It must be an original, meaning you must make it yourself rather than send one you found.  You can send a sentence or two describing the theme of your board, but you do not have to do so.

Boards should be sized at a resolution of 72 and a width and height no greater than 10 inches.

You can only submit one board per person.  The contest is open to everyone!

All boards must be emailed to jasonangeliniphotographyorders@yahoo.com by midnight on Saturday, the 17th.  We will show the boards on my blog on Sunday the 18th and have people vote on their favorite.  Voting will be open until midnight on the 20th and the board with the most votes will win! 

The winner will receive a $50 Target gift card and $50 will be donated to the charity of their choice!  Start gathering your inspiration!

November 12, 2007

LINDSEY AND BRIAN'S WEDDING

Saturday was Lindsey and Brian's wedding day!  They were married at Episcopal Church of Ascension (the coordinator there is so nice) with the reception following at the Carlouel Yacht Club.

Look at how adorable this little boy is in his bow tie.  Maybe I need a bow tie to wear on Christmas.  

The ceremony began just after sunset so twilight lit the church as the guests arrived.

The reception had different food stations from sushi to sundaes.  Dad thinks everyone should have sushi at their wedding!  Matthew's Sushi Catering rolled the sushi right at the station.  The cake was very elegantly decorated with lots of little flowers.  Mom thought it was so pretty. 

Chad Whelan of Digital Wave Productions was the videographer and was great to work with as always.  Southtown Fever rocked the reception!  Dad said they sounded great and had an awesome variety of instruments and musicians.

At the end of the night, the bride and groom left the reception in the Endless Summer...a great name for a boat here in Florida.  The boat brought Lindsey and Brian to a house where their limo met them.  Here are a couple pictures of the newlyweds:

Congratulations Lindsey and Brian!  Enjoy your honeymoon!

LINDSEY'S BRIDAL SESSION

Now that Lindsey is married, we can share some images from her bridal session last month!

She is such a beautiful bride!

November 11, 2007

OUR FAMILY PICTURES

On Friday my family and I took our pictures for our Christmas cards.  Dad set everything up and Aunt Lora came over to take the pictures for us.  We took some at home and then headed out to the park for a few more.  Here I am looking in the mirror as I get ready for the pictures.

Mom and dad told Aunt Lora to take lots of pictures because when you have a two year old and a baby in pictures, it is going to take a lot to get a few to come out.  They wanted to make sure we all had fun so we took lots of breaks and read my new favorite book, I Love You Stinky Face, many many times.  And of course I played lots when we took pictures at the park.

As we were looking at the pictures afterwards, mom loved all the funny expressions I made.  Instead of passing over the pictures where I wasn't looking at the camera or smiling, she decided to make a collage.

Everett wasn't quite as funny as me, but he tried!

Aunt Lora said that some of her favorite pictures were the outtakes we had when mom and dad were silly to be sure I was having fun, and when I was getting bored and needed a break.  She told mom that she should send one of the outtakes as our Christmas card picture.  Mom thinks that would be fun, but she LOVED one of our "real" pictures at the park and is going to send that instead.  But here are two of the outtakes that could have been funny card contenders:

Even Everett is staring at me as I try to get away in this picture:

Mom says she doesn't want me to show the pictures she is thinking about using for the card because she wants our family and friends to be surprised.  So you'll just have to wait, Grammy !

Thanks to Charles Anthony for coming over to do mom's hair and makeup for her!  He is available for weddings as well:  charlesanthonyfl@aol.com. 

My poor Aunt Lora got bitten by something at the park and ended up in urgent care this morning.  Her entire foot is gigantically swollen and very red.  She got really worried when she had trouble moving her toes and couldn't feel her foot any more.  The urgent care doctors gave her 3 shots and 4 prescriptions and told her to keep her foot elevated and on ice.  She has to go back tomorrow unless it gets even a tiny bit worse.  They said if that happens she has to go right to the ER.  Aunt Lora is coming over tonight so mom can help her since she isn't allowed to walk around at all and mom is going to see if she can sneak a picture.  That's what big sisters do!

VETERAN'S DAY

Thank you so much to all of you who have served in the Armed Forces.  We are grateful for the sacrifices you have made for us and our country. 

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS

And the winner of the Caption This contest is...

"Hands-free bouquet catching guarantees not only the next marriage, but free drinks!"

Katie (who wrote the winning caption) and Erica (who sent in the picture) each get a Target gift card!  We chose Target because we like their new commercials showing that they give 5% of their income to education, social services, and the arts. 

Send us an email letting us know what address you'd like your gift card mailed to and we'll get those out to both of you!

Thanks to everyone who sent in pictures and captions.  You'll have another chance to win something soon!  A new contest is starting on Tuesday, and be sure to look for our BIG contest later this month!  You won't want to miss that one!!!

November 9, 2007

FAMILY SESSION

Two of the biggest joys we get out of being photographers are capturing all the details, moments, and emotions that people will want to remember forever, and having those same people who invite us into their lives become wonderful friends.  Allison and James have given us both.  Dad has photographed their wedding, maternity session, newborn session, Christening, and now he was thrilled to do their Christmas session.  WOW, their baby girl has grown! 

Flashback:  A picture from the newborn session in March '07's blog.

Look at her now!

They are an amazing family.  Mom and dad both just love their adorable baby girl (who wouldn't!) and when Allison and James play with her the smiles don't stop and the love is overflowing.  This was one of mom's favorite pictures because she thinks it is so funny that Allison and James are more entertained by the squeaking toys and singing turkey than their daughter is.

This picture just makes you say, "Awwwwww." 

I was so happy to have made a new friend.  She shared a cookie with me and gave me a kiss.  It doesn't get better than that!

It is very hard to believe that time is going by so quickly and a first birthday is coming up in just a few months!  We are so excited!!  By then she's going to be so much bigger and standing on her own, maybe even walking!

NEWBORN MINI SESSION