Carlos and Kellie's Wedding

I had the pleasure of photographing Carlos and Kellie’s garden wedding earlier this month.  It was a beautiful spring day and the location of the Crystal River Inn in San Marcos was the perfect setting!

 

I had so much fun with Carlos and Kellie and I just had to share a little peek into their wonderful day!

Perspective

My boys and I experienced a unique part of quintessential small town America last week.  It was an experience I hope will have a lasting impression on my boys - it certainly will for me.

While driving back into Marble Falls for lunch last Thursday after picking strawberries, we noticed people lined up and down 281 holding American flags.  Police cars were beginning to block streets and the crowd grew as we drove to Bluebonnet Cafe to park.  We decided to join the crowd before going to lunch to check out what was going on.  

We quickly came to learn that a local soldier, recently killed in Afghanistan, was coming home to Marble Falls. 

 Army Pfc. Payton Jones was killed on March 1st.  He was 19.

 

 

Pfc. Jones' community was lining the streets to honor him and his service, albeit too brief.  Police cars, fire trucks, the patriot guard riders, and countless cars drove down 281 escorting Payton Jones' body to the funeral home.  The only sounds came from the engines of the vehicles and the flags snapping in the breeze - no voices.  Spectators held flags or posters, and saluted with hands over their hearts.  I didn't know Payton Jones, but I was still moved to tears.   

Breathtakingly beautiful, sad, overwhelming, humbling.  I felt honored that we unknowingly happened upon the event.  It certainly was not something we would see in the big city.

Perspective.

 I'm so thankful for my beautiful sons - I will hold them close and protect them as long as God allows me the opportunity.

Payton Jones died a hero, but his parents lost a son too soon.  It make makes my heart ache to think about it.

Thank you for your sacrifice, Pfc. Payton Jones.   

Spring Break - STAY-Cation Style

Life has been a little crazy in our house since January.  Hudson’s ongoing medical issues have kept us close to home, in and out of hospitals, and going to lots of doctors’ appointments.  All this medical stuff is of course on top of the normal busy-ness of school, sports, and other activities for both Carson and Hudson.  Because of all the chaos, we purposely did not plan much for Spring Break except for sleeping in, no schedule, and playing with friends. 

That lasted all of 3 days…

 

By Wednesday afternoon, I’d had enough of “doing nothing” and was itching to go do SOMETHING!!  {My family and friends will tell you, I don’t do “doing nothing” very well.}  After seeing the posts of several friends who had been strawberry picking in the Hill Country, the boys and 

I decided to go to Sweet Berry Farm in Marble Falls and check it out for ourselves.

The weather was cool and the sky cloudy, making it a perfect morning for berry picking.  Since March is early in the season for strawberries and considering we’d be there with the Spring Break crowd, I was concerned that we’d have plenty of berries to pick.  Those concerns were completely unfounded!  The boys and I enjoyed perusing the rows for our perfect berries, and when we were done, we ended up with over 6 pounds of strawberries!

What am I going to do with 6 pounds of strawberries????  Please send recipes….

As we left the farm and drove back into Marble Falls, we stopped at a pretty little patch of bluebonnets I’d seen on the drive there.  More pictures - Mom and her camera strike again!! 

After pics in the Bluebonnets and lunch {and pie!} at the Bluebonnet Café, we headed for home.

Our little road trip to Marble Falls and Sweet Berry Farm was a fun, inexpensive, and relaxing way to break up our quiet week, and Hudson and Carson gave it 2 “thumbs up”.

  Maybe we can go back once we finish all these berries…

I need those recipes.

Super Girl!!!

Addie is a 4 year old SUPER HERO, and she is such a cutie in her pink cape!

I was so excited to photograph Addie’s unique birthday last weekend, complete with capes, “Secret Decoder Rings”, a bounce castle, and a Spiderman piñata.  The party was of course styled by Joanne of Oh Goodie Designs and Style.Inspired, cookies and decorations by CookieCraft, and all the adorable printable were designed by Addie’s mom, the very talented Erica of Harper Gray.

The colors were vibrant pinks, purples and blues, and all the kids had their own super hero capes!  The kids snacked on sandwiches, cake and cookies, and bounced and bounced and bounced!   

What a fun day.

Happy birthday, Addie!!

Kids at Play

What happens when you put three kids, ages 2, 3, and 4, on a playground in a park for a photo shoot??

Three moving targets and tons of fun!

Zachary and Preston (ages 4 and 2) had their 3 year old cousin Jazzy visiting from Washington state last weekend, so their parents wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get some pictures of them all together.  I was up for a challenge!

Their very resourceful parents came armed with bubbles, lollipops, and animal crackers.  I’m not above bribing (I mean encouraging) a preschooler for a good picture!  Who doesn’t need an incentive sometimes???

We (me too) climbed, stomped, jumped, blew bubbles, caught bubbles, nature walked, found awesome sticks, climbed trees, and even found some treasure in an old tree.  Really – Preston found a quarter!

I enjoyed watching the kids interact with each other and seeing their little personalities emerge!  Jazzy was such a sweetheart and Zachary was always ready with a smile.  Preston was his very independent little self and was not always interested in what the rest of us wanted him to do!  That’s what makes photographing kids so fun!

Photographing kids (especially your own) can be a challenge at these ages.  The best thing is to just let them play and be themselves.  Follow them like the paparazzi and catch the candid smiles and joy.   Trying to pose them for any length of time will just leave you totally frustrated!!  Just let them run and play and don’t plan to sit and rest – they’re moving targets!!

And don’t forget your bribes … I mean incentives.

The Perfect Peacock Party

Katherine LOVES peacocks!!  So naturally, what kind of party did she want for her 6^th birthday?? A Peacock Party, of course!  And she had the perfect Peacock Party, I think.

Katherine’s mom is the amazing Mika Beverly of CookieCraft, and she teamed up once again with the creative machine that is Joanne Wuneburger of Oh Goodie Designs and Style.Inspired, to put together a vibrant party full of fun, sparkle and sweets.

(Pretty perfect for a 6 year old Peacock Party, if you ask me.)

Katherine and her friends all sported glittery party hats and enjoyed playing in the park, caricatures, candy, cake, cupcakes, and Mika’s beautiful peacock cookies!  Every detail was bright, cheerful, and beautiful.  I think I want a peacock party, too!

Happy birthday, Katherine!!