Fall Family Photos

I know it's winter now, but now that we have shared our family Christmas card, I can share the rest of our photos from our fall family shoot! :)

This was a completely last minute thing. A sweet family in our church offered to take them for us, and we were so thankful for the opportunity to get some updated family photos! We were able to take them right at the peak of the fall leaves, and the church grounds were vibrant with color. {Seriously, the colors are NOT a filter!}

Jed was so incredibly kind and patient. Our kiddos were not exactly cooperative, but thankfully we were able to avoid all-out meltdowns. Maybe one day when they're older, they will all look at the camera and smile at the same time, without complaining {a mama can dream, right?}  ;)

Aiden definitely had my belt wrapped around his arm haha

He was really able to get some good shots, considering what he had to work with {my goofball kids}, but these are by far my favorites. Which is why one made the Christmas card photo, and the other is the wallpaper on my phone :)

We are so thankful for Jed and Swati and this sweet gift to our family!

Aiden's First Birthday Photos

I did a little home photo shoot for Aiden's first birthday. I made his t-shirt and the paper garlands to match his birthday party theme. He sat about as still as his brother and sister did for their first birthday photo shoot, but I think we were able to get a few cute ones anyway.

True to form, he had his tongue out pretty much the whole time :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Baby Boy! We love you!!

Eli & Maddie's First Birthday Photos

We had our own little home photo shoot for Eli and Maddie's 1st birthday. I made their first birthday outfits and loved how they turned out! And what's more perfect for a photo shoot than cute outfits and a first birthday? :)

The photos are FAR from professional quality...both kiddos had snotty noses and were more interested in the decorations than smiling for the camera. But you know, it's real life around here these days! :)

Happy 1st Birthday, sweet baby loves!!

High Five for Friday!

{one} I am really excited to be a part of the launch team for Christine Hoover's new book Messy Beautiful Friendship! I have been a part of her launch teams in the past {here and here}, and so I was really happy when I got the email that I was chosen again for this one! She is full of so much wisdom, and I am looking forward to reading her thoughts on both the messiness and beauty of friendship.

{two} Finding ways to spend intentional time with the Lord has been a bit of a challenge. The first couple of months when the babies arrived, it was nearly impossible to find time for anything except for feeding babies and catching sleep when I could. I remember praying repeatedly, "Lord, you know I love you. Please forgive me, but I am going to sleep right now." {which, by the way, I do believe sleep can be the most honoring thing to the Lord at times}. Anyway, everything was such a blur as we learned to navigate life with 2 newborns, and I am just thankful for grace in those crazy seasons. But now that the babies are actually sleeping at night and seem to have a little bit more of a schedule, I am settling into a new routine in the mornings. I have been listening to the Bible {I am reading chronologically this year} while I feed babies breakfast, but now I spend a little more intentional time when they go down for their morning nap. And my soul is just soaking up every bit of the Word that I can. 

{three} I am absolutely LOVING my new RIVI vintage inspired felt letter board! I used some of the birthday money I was given to get it, and I am so glad I did. It's just a fun way to be creative, and it's also getting me to practice my photography skills {which still leave a lot to be desired ha!} I definitely look forward to using it to display some fun quotes :)

{four} Speaking of being creative...my creative juices have been flowing, and I have been looking for a fun new project {because I have SO much time on my hands these days. right.} Anyway, I have been doodling here and there and wanting to practice my hand lettering a bit more. So I decided to take some online classes, practice a little each day, and follow some monthly prompts. And I am enjoying it so much! Once I get in some more practice, I might post some of my work. But either way, I think I may have found my newest creative outlet...

{five} So I have really been enjoying listening to podcasts. The babies and I listen to episodes during feeding times, and it's a nice way to redeem some of that time, since I feel like that's ALL I do {feed babies}, all day long. There are 2 in particular that I have been working my way through:

• The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey: I am SUPER late to the party on this one, but I have been enjoying it so much! It's light and fun, and I have learned so much about varying ministries. I now also have an even longer list of books to read :)  I started at the beginning {from 2-3 years ago} and have been making my way through each of her guests.
• Undisclosed: I really enjoyed the Serial podcast, and season 1 of Undisclosed is a spin-off {of sorts} of that. This podcast is definitely more serious, but I am fascinated by the whole true crime, pick apart the case thing. It is definitely more biased than Serial {which they admit}, but it has been interesting to see their perspective on the case. 

Happy Friday! We're looking forward to Grandma coming in this weekend for her spring break!

{30 Before 30} :: Learn to Use My Camera in Manual Mode

I will continually be working on improving my photography, but I knew that would have to start with getting familiar with the inner workings of my DSLR...including manual mode!

I started by reading my camera's manual. While you may think it was a huge snooze fest, it really wasn't at all, and I actually found it incredibly helpful {go figure}.

I found several online tutorials that were incredibly helpful, but ultimately I decided that I needed something a little more structured. I came across an amazing Groupon for an online photography course and just couldn't pass it up. 

I absolutely LOVED this course. This was the next best thing to taking an actual photography course {which I wanted to do, but didn't really have the time and couldn't really spend the money}. So this was the perfect solution for me! It helped refresh me on photography basics, and I learned a lot of new things too. And because I am a nerd, I just really enjoyed the format of lessons, homework, and interaction with online tutors :)

I also signed up to be a member of Click it Up a Notch. There are SO many fantastic tutorials, and I love getting photography tips in my inbox. The whole site is designed to get you more comfortable with your camera, prompt you to actually use your camera more often, and ultimately help you take better photos. Not to be a professional, but just to have better memories! She talks in easy-to-understand language and offers great examples.

I don't know if I have necessarily improved my photography {yet} but I at least know how to operate my camera a little better. Which can only help me as I continue to practice and work to improve my photography, right? :) 

Hello DSLR Camera!

Today, this wonderful item arrived:

Source

My camera is here! And I am SO so SO excited :) As I had mentioned before, I want to develop my photography skills this year, and the first step was purchasing a new DSLR camera. With the generosity of some Christmas presents and my sweet husband's contribution from some extra side jobs, I was able to order the camera I have been eyeing and it arrived today. I feel like a little kid in a candy store :)

I was really proud of my purchase. I had done my research to find the make and model that I wanted; I don't need all the bells and whistles, but I wanted a good introduction camera as I start tinkering and developing my skills. I had a Canon before, but everything I have read about Nikon, particularly the D3100, made me go that direction. For the features and the price, I think it was a good purchase. And the fun part is that with the packages that you can find on Amazon, I got way more for my money!

So excited to start refreshing and relearning the world of SLR! :)

Happy New Year!

We said goodbye to 2012 with some sweet friends, and it was a night filled with laughter and fun. We have missed many of these friends since moving to McKinney, but are so blessed to be able to spend sweet times with them when we can.

Yes, it was a plaid-themed party :)

Today I am curled up on the couch, sipping hot chocolate, and just enjoying a day off. I have been able to catch up on some reading and some emails, but am planning to spend the day resting. Which also gives me a good opportunity to reflect and plan for the new year :)

I am usually not one to make new years resolutions; not because I don't agree with them or have something against them. I simply just try to make resolutions as the Lord lays them on my heart; January 1 just seems so daunting sometimes so I try not to add the pressure of expectation. But with all the new changes around the corner, I feel like this is a good time for me to recalibrate and set some definitive goals to work toward in 2013.

Goal 1: Intentional and Deep Time in the Word
I have seriously neglected this time in recent months. It's the same old story...things get crazy and busy, the time slips away, I get lazy, etc. So my first commitment is to read through the Bible in a year. So help keep me accountable! :) I started my new Bible reading plan this morning, and I am really pumped about it. It's similar to reading plans I have done in the past, in that it takes a few chapters from the Old Testament, wisdom literature, the Gospels, and the New Testament each day. But it comes in this handy bookmark form so it can easily slip into my Bible to help me keep track.

Goal 2: More Intentional Prayer Time
I really don't mean to be cliche, but this is another one that I need to be more intentional about. I have been so humbled by the prayers that have been lifted up on our behalf, that it has challenged me to be more in prayer for others. With our Pray nine3eight campaign kicking off today (it's not too late to join us in committing to pray for 100 days!), it has challenged me to spend more time in specific and intentional prayer. As we move forward with our church plant, prayer will be such a vital component. I want to be a woman of prayer, for all aspects of our lives- the church plant, ministry, marriage, health, relationships.

Goal 3: Be the Best Matron of Honor I Can Be!
SO SO excited that 2013 will be filled with planning for Laura's wedding! :) I plan to take my MOH duties seriously and help her plan her special day however I possibly can. We are starting to schedule planning events, dress shopping, etc. and I cannot wait to get started. So excited for my sweet friend! :)

Goal 4: Become a Crohn's Expert
This one is kind of funny, but I am committing to learning any and all I can about this disease. I have signed up for newsletters and even downloaded a GI Buddy app to help track everything. It's still all a little surreal and strange...I mean, an app to track your symptoms? There truly is an app for everything ;) But I want to be proactive and get ahead of this as much as possible. I would certainly appreciate your prayers throughout this process, for wisdom and direction on knowing the best course of action. This goal also encompasses some overall health and fitness goals, as I seek to find ways to exercise and eat healthy to help manage my symptoms. I don't know what that looks like just yet, but I am committing to figuring it out!

Goal 5: Develop my Photography Skills
I have wanted to do this for awhile now. I took photography classes way back in high school and fell in love with it. For a long time I had an SLR camera, but ended up selling it because it was just too expensive to develop film. And who uses film these days anyway? ;) So part of my Christmas present from Mike is to start saving for a new DSLR camera! Part of my goal is to actually purchase a new camera, and then start tinkering with it. I'm not looking to be a fancy professional; but I do want to learn more and develop my skills. Even if it's just to take better pictures for my blog :)

Happy New Year!