Summer Is....

Softball. At least in Leedey it is. I'm not kidding you when I say they live & breathe softball/baseball in this town!

My DD (that's "internet talk" for "dear daughter") up to bat. I promise that neither of my children get their softball skills from their mother. Or any athletic skills whatsoever, for that matter! I was more likely to be in Student Council than on any kind of team that involved sweating! lol!

Aw...this kiddo's not mine, but I love this picture.

This kiddo, however, IS mine. Now that's a bonafide ballplayer, complete with visor, glove and bubble gum in the side of the mouth!

Her coach could tell a good story...thank goodness! He kept the masses entertained when we were waiting for games to begin. Do you know how hard it is to capture and keep the attention of a bunch of kids ages 3-6? Near impossible! I'm telling you--he's got talent!

I told you they l-o-v-e ball in Leedey. They start 'em young here! (No, I did not alter the color in this photo: baby girl was simply that HOT!).

One last shot of my big girl either taunting the other team from the bench or cheering on her teammates.


Summer is for softball and so much more!

The Torch Has Been Passed

Not too long ago, I was on my friend Bethany's case about needing to update her blog. She self-titled herself "the lame blogger" (or "LB" for short). Well, I guess the torch has been passed because it's been a while since I have updated my own blogspot!

In my defense, it's been kind of a wild summer. June was packed with sessions and softball games. I've spent two different weeks on trips with our church's youth group (a mission trip and youth camp) and was co-director for our Vacation Bible School. Oh yeah, did I mention that I am also in summer school?? Crazy, I tell ya.

So, all this to say "sorry" that I've become an LB, but I'm planning a series of photo posts entitled "Summer Is..." Stay tuned!

Back in a Sec

FYI--I may be out of phone and internet access for a bit, so please be patient if you call or e-mail and don't get an immediate response. Also, if you are expecting an order delivery, it will arrive next week. Thanks!

Harrison & The Attack of the Chiggars

Say "hello" to Harrison!

I'll just get right to it...this was my favorite shot of the day. Three cheers for beautiful bokeh! Hip-hip-hooray! For those who don't speak "photography," bokeh is related to the "blurred out" background and the shapes that appear therein. In this shot, there is an abundance of circular bokeh in the background, but other shapes can be created like polygons. The purpose of bokeh (not to be confused with boekh which, apparently is some kind of Mongolian wrestling that comes up when you misspell words in the search engine--lol!) is to put focus on the subject of the photo rather than the surroundings.

And, while this shot is not much different, I couldn't keep coming back to it because I kept thinking of a Calvin Klein ad or something. I have no idea why (except that Harrison is a mighty handsome little model)!

And, let's talk about the location for a sec. This was taken in the pasture behind his house. In fact, the old house in the background was the house Harrison's great grandpa grew up in. Cool, huh? The light was beautiful and the grass was green and tall, but there was a hidden danger lurking in that beautiful location.

Chiggers. Loads and loads of chiggers.

I didn't find out until the next day when I awoke to tons of little itchy spots all over my body. I've been in plenty of pastures and overgrown lots this summer, but I have always remembered my boots, jeans and bug spray. Obviously, I forgot the latter this time!

Harrison's prized possession: the antique airplane! So shiny! So fun!

I know some people won't like this shot because it is not centered, but I happen to love it. And it doesn't violate the rule of thirds...another boring photography discussion that you probably don't want to have after all the talk of bokeh. : )



This was my last shot of the day. Harrison took quite a while to warm up to me, but I finally convinced him to try the red chair. He sat in it, gave me a smile and an unsolicited "Cheese!" and said, "Thank you!" a.k.a. "Thank you--you can leave now!" lol!

Kids....they always keep me on my toes!

Little Miss Sunshine?

The thing with kids--especially babies--is that you just never know what kind of mood they are going to be in. They get hungry/sick/tired at the most inconveinient times for their parents....like when you've scheduled a portrait session. lol! How well do I know! My kids are the exact same way.


Lily was having an off day for some reason. She's usually pretty smiley according to Mom, but on the day of our session, it was more like...

Not even the bright colored walls could chase the blues away!

Meanwhile, big bro Toby showed us how it's done.

She looks like she's considering a smile....

Toby kept the smiles comin' (it might have been with a little bribery--mom was taking him to White Water Bay the next day) ; )

Maybe she was checking him out for some tips...




Yay! One toothy grin!