Print Discount

My lab is running a discount on large prints, 16 x 20 and up...and I am extending the discount to YOU! If you have had a past session, and would like to order large prints, you can receive 20% off of your large prints. Please let me know if you are interested via email, and I will make sure that the discount is extended to you! :) This deal ends July 15th. :)

Hope you had a great 4th. We had a lovely celebration with my family...all weekend long! Lucas was in town as well as my brother and his wife and daughter. It was great seeing everyone, and we loved getting to spend so much time with Lucas. Miss him much, but we are hoping to see him again in 6 weeks! :)

Have a great week!

My Repeater

Saturday I had the pleasure of capturing Mr. D, again! Cute isn't a good description of his dimples, or his blue eyes or his sweet peachy skin. The last that I saw this little one was when he was 9 months old...and he is now 18 months old...amazing how fast they grow! It was a great session, and of course I enjoyed catching up with D's parents and grandparents! The morning couldn't have been more beautiful, and D did a fabo job! T, hope you enjoy the couple of peeks...hope to get more up soon!

Oh, and if you haven't noticed the new songs on the left, take a listen. Number 1 and 2 are total favorites! :)

Don't You Wish...

...that you looked this pretty without brushing your hair...

...this cute with a silly little grin...

...and this good naked? Ha! Love my kiddos!

Took these shots this weekend with a quick impromptu photo session with my kids. My only requirement was that the girls get dressed out of their pajamas...and they even picked out their own outfits. This is the best I have gotten so far with the three of them together...I had to shoot fast though, because the girls lost patience after about, oh, 3 minutes! Here are a few more...

...your lip would do this too, if your cheeks were this big...

...about to cry...

...and then I peeked out from behind the camera and got this big smile...

...and these last two are when Cakies decided to run around Geebers in circles as I was trying to get him smiling...I will say, he was entertained!

I had a great session Saturday morning with a repeater...and I love to see my repeaters grow!!!! He is a super cutie, and those sneak peeks will be posted soon! Hope you had a great weekend!

Email Problems

UPDATE: All fixed...email me away! :)

If you have been trying to contact me through email, and I haven't responded, please call or try emailing again. I usually reply to emails within 24 hours...and for some reason it is a little messed up right now and I am not receiving all emails. We are trying to figure out the problem, and hopefully it will be fixed soon!

Have a good weekend! :)

And the Winner is....

Beanie picked the winner out of her daddy's UM hat, and the winner is...

Kelly O'Neill

Although Kelly's comment is not posted on the blog here, Kelly left several messages on facebook, because she couldn't figure out how to comment here. Several of you were having problems with leaving a comment, so I put you in the drawing even if you couldn't post here. Here is what Kelly had stated:

"hey tara i want to know if u can take pictures of sarah and missy.. its her horse.. i need someone (to) take her picture.. u take awesome pictures.. u up for the job? i want to do it in july after the fourth?"

I am super excited to do this session, as it will be the first one with a HORSE! :) I truly was touched by each of your comments, and I am so blessed to have each of you in my life...even if it is just through the computer! :)

And, those of you who know me, know that it kills me to pick a winner and have those of you who commented and weren't picked not get anything at all! I was talking to Tom today and said that I should just give all o f you the "giveaway" deal ...he kaboshed that idea...well, in a kind way of course. So we compromised...and if you (one of you commenters on the contest) do book a session with me this year (2009), then I will add an additional $15 print credit to your session. That would total a $30 print credit with your session fee. So, if you do want to book a session, feel free to email me and I can get you on the calendar. Thanks to all of you who participated!!!!!

Enjoy your summer days this week. I will leave you with pictures from our strawberry picking trip last week.

No, this precious face didn't go strawberry picking, but I cou ldn't post pictures without him... :)

...I love his hat (his dad doesn't!)...

Learning how to really "pick" through the berry plants....there were SO many rows...

Four helping hands...

My beautiful sister and her kid dos...

C-man...."Is dis a purfect one, Aunt Taya?" This was repeated and repeated...he ate a few more than he picked...just check out his face and shirt!

Cakies also "helped" in the "picking"...

Bunny...so proud of her pickings...

Yummo...

These beautiful berries made tons of freezer jam, two strawberry pies, strawberry shortcake, and then two gallon freezer bags filled and frozen with berries...

Beanie and her box that she "picked"...

...tough work...

That is all for now...have a great week!

Comments Are Closed

Thanks to everyone who commented on the blog entry "My Thomas and Giveaway"...and also there are a few who tried very diligently, but couldn't get it to work...and then left a comment on my facebook...I will accept those also! :)

Your comments were very sweet, and each one touched me!

We had some crazy happenings this weekend, so I will hopefully get the winner pulled and posted by tomorrow!!!!! Thanks again, and Happy Father's day!

Last Day...

Just a reminder, tomorrow at 12 is the cut off for comments on the previous blog posting!

Don't miss it...or you might feel like this...

Notice the red stain of the strawberries...Cakes picked and ate, more than picked and put in basket! :)

My Thomas and a Giveaway

This post may be a little haphazard, but stick with me and you will be glad! I was rocking my little man, Geebers (his nickname that has come of late, along with others), and he was fussy. I was getting a bit frustrated because I knew he was tired, knew he needed a good nap, and knew it needed to happen fast because the girls were getting antsy. So, I kept rocking and walking, and he then calmed down, snuggled in and fell fast asleep. I rocked him. Staring at his sweet eyelashes, curled up nose, pretty (yep, I said pretty) lips, sweet peachy skin, and I had a little ache in my heart. I was reminded of how I miss my Thomas, and how I didn't get the chance to rock, cuddle, snuggle, or even get frustrated with him. With tears in my eyes, I was overwhelmed with sadness, but also greatfulness. Greatful to know that I will someday be able to hold my little babe in heaven, and also grateful beyond measure that I was rocking there, even after being frustrated, with my sweet little Geebers who is so dependent upon me, and I am so in love with him. Geebers brings such sweetness to all of our family, and such a wonderful addition that I am not deserving of by any means.

So, in light of my greatfulness, and my sincere thanks to the many of you who check in on my blog, those who are silent readers, those who are vocal ones, those who I have had sessions with and those that I have not had the pleasure of meeting yet....this post is for you! I am giving away a free session and that comes with a $20 print credit. That is a $70 value for zilch! All you have to do is leave a comment about why you would like a session and what type of session you would like. The session has to be scheduled before the end of the year, and there are no obligations to purchase any prints beyond the print credit. You can also nominate someone you think is deserving of a session, but only comment per person please! We (me, Bean and Cakes) will then take all of the comments and I will have a little hand reach in and grab a winner...it is about as fair as I can come up with at this point! :)

Don't know how to leave a comment? It is EASY! Click on the comment link below this post, and then type your comment in the little box, check either name, url, anonymous and then SUBMIT! :) I will be done accepting comments on Sunday at noon, and then posting the winner sometime on Monday. This free session can not be applied to an already scheduled session...sorry!

And, now I leave you with a few pictures of course...

This is the tree that we planted in our backyard in memory of Thomas...I see it often throughout the day and it is a gentle reminder of his sweet little time here with us...

Blooms from this past spring...

Stone that the girls and I made in the fall...they put all the glass pieces in (with some guidance of course!)

My sister got me this when she saw it a few months back. She said it reminded her of Thomas, so she had to get it for me. She was one of the few that got to hold our little guy, and was there with us during that long day...

Gifted to us from Tom's aunt...it is a Caruth, with a mom and a little baby (the baby is hard to see in this shot)

And, I have some sweet shots of my kiddos that I need to share soon from picking strawberries this past week...it was SO MUCH FUN!

Alright, I am off for a run with my baby sister. Have a great night! :)

Sweet 3 month old...

I had the opportunity to have a session with a beautiful 3 month old, Baby T, and her adorable family...all of them gorgeous! Here are a few of Baby T, and I will have more of her cute sibs posted sometime soon...just had to get these up here!


We got her smiling too, but the sleepy shots are usually my favorites!

We had a fun weekend, filled with family visits, visits with friends, and just hanging out "swimming" and playing in the sprinklers! I am excited for a fun filled week, and the weather looks as though it will cooperate!!!!! Bring on the real summer weather!

My Sweet Niece

You have seen her sweet little face grace the pages of this blog many times before, and here she is again. 18 months old (well, in these shots, which were taken at the end of April) already...how the time flies! She is a super cutie, and I love her little personality that has blossomed the past couple of months! It is also super fun to see her give her daddy some fits... :) So, here are a few of the little princess...

A Gorgeous Senior Session

First of all, thank you to Miss C and family for your patience with me getting your sneak peeks up here! It has been a busy, busy week...filled with editing, and well, filled with taking care of my sweet kiddos! Miss C is beyond gorgeous. She was so easy to capture and photograph, and was a total natural in front of the camera. So instead of continuing to go on and on about her beauty on this beautiful morning last week, I will let the pictures show you!







My baby sister's graduation party is tomorrow, and then graduation Sunday...so a fun filled weekend ahead! Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend!

The Dump

Had to post this, as I am finishing up a session, I cracked up at this shot...

Oh my golly...

Those three words remind me of my Grannie, who I get to see at the end of this week!!!! Yippee!!! Anyways, those three words also are an excellent use of words for this little sweet 3 week old baby girl, Miss E. Oh my golly...her cheeks, her lips, her little fingers, little smiles...I had a terribly hard time picking out which pictures to share here on the blog. She is just precious. It was also so fun to meet her, because her momma and I used to go to church together...so it was fun to see her little family and her...because it has been so long! Her older sister, A, purchased a photo session and print credit for a baby shower gift for when Miss E arrived. I thought it was a perfect idea! ;) I won't leave you waiting any more...here is the sweet little scrumptious thing!

She was seriously smiling in her sleepiness...

...I love perspective shots...her tiny little finger clingy to mommy's...

...cheeks, lips, preciousness...

...the little smile again...

I included this one of Miss E's grandma. Visiting from California, I somewhat convinced them to get a few quick shots with Miss E. It was sweet to meet them, and it was fun having them there watching, and ooooing and aaahhhhing over the little bundle of sweetness. I knew when I snapped this one it was going to be precious...

...does anyone get tired of seeing baby feet? Not me!

...just relaxing on her momma's shoulder.

So fun! S, I hope that you enjoy the peeks, and I will let you know when your gallery is complete! Thanks for letting me come to your home to capture your little lady!

AND, if anyone is wishing to purchase as session for someone else...baby, family, doggie ;0, I will custom make a gift card for you to give as a gift to a loved one! Just email and ask about it!

That is it for tonight. I do have sneak peeks yet to post from a beautiful senior session that I had Saturday morning...couldn't have asked for a prettier girl, or more perfect morning!

Seriously, I am done writing now! :)

More to come...(Updated)

UPDATED:

Here are a few more sneak peeks of the cutie pies! Here is Mr. B, inside his Momma's belly...his first shoot. And here the two kiddos are again when B was just 6 weeks old. And, now they are both a whole year older, and oh so cute! I love, love, love repeat kiddos! :)




...but this is my favorite one from my afternoon session this weekend. Mr. B is SO big now...almost one year old. His first photo session was when he was in his momma's belly (I will link it later). And, Miss S is still as cute as ever...but you will see more of her later also! For now, just this one...
I know...my favorites aren't always client favorites, but I love the look on B's face and the way he had just attacked her when we were trying to get them to do something different. So very sweet!

Cakies Is Three!

My little Cake-a-roni is three today! And, although her party isn't until Friday, we celebrated from the moment she woke up. Bean and I sang to her as she walked into the family room...and her response..."No singing to me!" She isn't the most pleasant when she wakes up, it takes about a half hour until she is her sweet sassy self! We snuggled, and then when I asked her what she wanted to do today, because it was HER day..."Red Robin!" Ummmm, well, that will be dinner my dear! "Chuckin Cheese", was the next response, so we got the cheese out of the fridge and threw it around the house! HA! I do make myself giggle! Okay, so I talked her out of Chuck-E-Cheese. We then decided on the park...and then I opened the curtains...it was wet and rainy. We weren't off to that great of a start!

So, I suggested she pick out an outfit, and we do a quick birthday photo shoot...and she could even sit on the table. This sparked a happy spot, mainly because she could sit and lay on the table like a centerpiece!

After pictures, we played games, and then I thought of giving the girls pedicures and manicures. They LOVED it! It was the full work up...soak, wash, scrub, nail trim, lotion, massage and of course a fresh coat of paint. It was a complete highlight! We took a walk around the neighborhood with umbrellas even though the rain had stopped.

Dinner at Red Robin, and then on to Beanie's soccer game, and followed by an ice cream treat and a visit with great friends!

All in all, I think Cakies had a great day...I know I did! Hard to believe that three years have passed, and my baby girl, is no longer a baby, nor a toddler. She is a complete spark in all of our lives. She keeps us laughing, snuggling, playing, (sometimes pulling our hair out...but I won't speak of such things on this day!) and most of all...she has brought us more love to our family. I remember being first pregnant with her, and worrying that I wouldn't be able to love her the way I loved Bean...I should never have worried. We fell in love with her from the first moment we saw her, and the love we have for her is infinite.

Sweet Cakies, I love you...someday, you will understand the love I have in my heart for you when you have a sweet little one of your own to love. "I love you all the way up to Jesus...and back."

Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment!

Bean couldn't stand the thought of missing out on the table laying!

Story time: Tom and I could be charged for defacing money. Such a crime. Fortunately, it wasn't us! Yesterday afternoon we were getting ready to go to Mimi's house (my mom). Tom and I were upstairs, and Cakes comes up with money in her hand asking if she could take it with her. Tom told her, "Sure, but put it in your pocket so you don't lose it." (I am making a long story short, because really she came upstairs whining and wailing away because she could only find one of her moneys from Grannie Wells, and she wanted the others and carried on for about 5 minutes with this nonsense...and then after going on a search, she found the others...okay back to story.) So she left. She then returns with a whiny little voice, "My can't get the moneys in my pocket. I made them small. I wipped them all up, but I can't do it!" My reaction, "You ripped the money?" I think my face scared her more than anything, and she quickly realized that she shouldn't have ripped it up, and she was feeling quite sad. Lots of snuggles and explanations later, she was a-ok. Thankfully it wasn't the $20 bill she had brought up originally, and thankfully I put that up high so she didn't try to put it in her pocket.

This is what I found on the bottom of our steps:

I personally think that each piece should be worth about 10 cents, since she ripped it into ten pieces...the other dollar is ripped into 5 or so...so those are worth even more!

And, yes, I know this has nothing to do with Cakes, but my Little Man was so darn cute in all of his nakedness yesterday that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to capture the cute little, chubby, dimpled buns of my four and a half month old! Tom cringed at the thought of me posting this...I will delete someday when LM is older...like in Junior High when the kids somehow go through a particularly mean stage!

He seriously loves being naked...and just airing himself out! :)

Off to bed I shall head!

Maternity Session and Miss Z

I had a great time Saturday morning meeting this beautiful maternity momma! I could hardly believe my eyes...she had a perfectly shaped belly, with perfect skin and is due July 1st. It is a little unfair to be this cute this far along in pregnancy! And her daughter, Miss Z, was so much fun the entire time. I loved their house, their property...it was the perfect setting! In fact, I loved so much of it, I asked if I could bring future clients...and she obliged! :)

Loved this yellow door...

...and this cute little face.

Where's the baby?

I am in love with the sweetness of this image...

...and this one too...

Perfectly pregnant!

Today is Cakies birthday, and I have a fun post to hopefully get up here tonight. We are off to dinner at Red Robin (kids all time favorite), then to Bean's soccer game, and then a little ice cream celebration afterwards. Busy night, but wouldn't have it any different!

Thank You...

To all the men and women who have and who are serving our country, I thank you. Thank you for sacrificing for us....and thank you to the families who are here waiting on their loved ones return. Your sacrifice is also greatly appreciated. Many prayers to all of you on this wonderful Memorial Day.

Mr. B is ONE!

I had such a great time at this session. One, the little guy was adorable, smiley, and had those beautiful blue eyes that sparkle and shimmer and melt your heart. Two, I got to catch up with an old friend that I haven't seen or talked to really in the past 10 years or so. J and I went to high school together, and played softball together. She cracked me up then, and continued to crack me up at the session. It was so fun to see her as a momma, and see how in love she is with her gorgeous son. I came home from the session beaming, because it was so great to see J (and her mom). What a great family! J, here are a few sneak peeks. I am so glad we found each other on fb, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to capture your little guy for you! Hope you enjoy, and I will let you know when your gallery is ready!

Super sweet piggies...

Love, love, love his hairdo! :)

He was covered in red frosting from his cake. I know it was messy, but it was perfect...the bright colors of the frosting made the pictures even better! Bathtime was a must after this though!

Loved this little series...you can see the laughter starting, and then turning into a big belly laugh!

Welcome Baby M, Loved by Siblings C and R

Welcome to the world, little Baby M! He is absolutely adorable, and absolutely adored by his big sister and big brother. It was so fun to hold his littleness, and see his sweet sleepyness...at just 13 days old! Loved it! Thanks B for letting me come meet your newest one, and visit and capture your "big" ones again!

M was just snoozin' away...

Love this one...don't they look like they are just adoring every little piece of him!


Loved this brown satin blanket...


Sweet little feet, and cute little rounded up buns...


You all know, and if you don't, you do now...I love baby wearing! Before I left, I was helping B out with the Moby Wrap (which, B, you knew exactly what to do), so I had to catch one of these! AND, not fair to look this beautiful only 13 days after having your baby...she was so put together, unlike myself, I think I was still in p.j's at that stage!


Big brother and Big Sister with their sparkly blue eyes!

To bed I go...have a great night!

Busy...

We have been busy in our household! I have many sessions with sneak peeks to post, lots of editing to do, and of course being a momma of three brings busyness in itself! Right now, my girlies are with my in laws, and Little Man is snoozin' next to me...so, with that being said, I am going to work some more and hopefully get to a point where I am feeling a little caught up! Have a great weekend, and stay tuned for some cutie patooties!!!!

I had a Runner...

That is what I like to call these little ones...


...you know, where you see them from behind more often than you do from the front!

But, Runner's give you pictures like this...


...and you can't ask for anything better than this...






AND, if you think this little face looks oh so familiar from a session just a few weeks ago, well these little guys are cousins...but I swear they could be brothers! Adorable as ever! Thanks for a fun session N! I enjoyed getting to capture Mr. M once again! Enjoy!

Four Months Old, Prom, Mother's Day, Soccer

Here is a catch up of what we have been up to the past week!

Little Man turned 4 MONTHS old on the 7th...what in the world...where did four months go? He is an excellent little baby. He weighs in at 15.10 lbs and is 26 inches...putting him at the 50th percentile all around. He rolled over two times three weeks ago, and hasn't done it since! Too much work to do that, so he is content rolling up onto his side and scooting around in a small circle. He sleeps through the night, most nights...and is up for a feeding around 5:30/6:00, then back to sleep he goes. He sucks on his fingers and thumbs all the time, but uses a paci when he gets sleepy. He still loves to be swaddled when he sleeps, still likes to be carried around in my sling, and loves to giggle at his silly sisters. They make him laugh the hardest! He is very ticklish along the sides of his belly, his thighs and his chin. Tickling is sure to bring a smile; even when he is cranky. He has brought so much love to our little family, and it feels like he has just always been with us. :)
(I am too tired to fix the above being like it is...bear with me!)

My Mother's Day was wonderful. I worked in the church nursery that morning, where I ended up rocking my Little Man the whole time. Three workers and three babies...you better believe I was rocking my own! He just chilled, and it was relaxing to just be there with him and not worry about "wasting" time by just rocking with him...I fret over that all the time at home...always feel like I am taking time away from the girls...momma guilt, never ends does it! After church, I had a family session. I know, some think I was crazy to do it on Mother's Day, but it was the best time for that family, and it was during nap time at my house...so all I missed was a nap! Don't get me wrong...I love myself a good ole nap! :) We spent the evening at my mom's...pizza and family! I got some beautiful lillies, that I have yet to take a picture of...yikes! An extremely sweet card from my husband, and one from my kiddos...and then all the homemade projects from Bean. One from preschool melted my heart...it was a fill in the blank about me...it is priceless and goes into my keep forever box (I am picky on what goes in there!) :)

I was being attacked with kisses...loved it!

My baby sister went to her Senior Prom this past weekend. It is sad that all of the dress up days are over...and I can't believe she will be graduating in a few short weeks. We have been watching/taking Prom or Homecoming pictures for the past 12 years...it was weird to think that this was the last. Anyways, my little sister, Kiersten, is absolutely beautiful. She had a beautiful red dress (I wore red my senior year...to Tom's Prom), her hair was gorgeous, and she was glowing. She had a great time with her friends; and I am so happy that she went.



Bean started playing soccer this year and she loves it. Her first game was this past week, and although she really wanted to score a goal, she was beyond thrilled that she kicked the ball...tons. Tom and I were pleased that she actually paid attention to the game itself...we were worried that she would be too concerned with her hair, or just want to sit and socialize...but she liked it, and she slept like a champ that night. The park and her game added up to a tired girl!

I love this one...if he doesn't have a paci or a finger/thumb, then his bottom lip will do for sucking upon!

Jumping picture...her idea!

Monkey see...monkey do!

The blonde ponytail near the ball...

The E Family

I had a great time this past weekend with this family. The littlest one is Mr. P, from a few posts previous to this one. They were a fun loving, energetic family. They put up with the crowd at the Botanical Gardens, especially with the parking! Thanks for giving me the opportunity to capture your family!

Saturday's Windy Session

Mr. B was as cute as ever again this past Saturday. The day started out looking quite pretty, and even a nice temperature. Lo and behold, time for the session came, and it clouded over, wind blew huge gusts, and it was almost cold out! Mr. B however, was a champ, and even though the session was quick, it was a great one! Thanks D and J for allowing me to capture your little guy again! :)

Pretty, Gorgeous, Marvelous, Beautiful

The girls were playing Barbie's...still are. I was feeding Little Man...no longer am, wouldn't be typing! :) And here is a quick bit of conversation that I hear:

Cakies: My girl going to be pretty. No, her be Borgeous.
Beanie: Oh, Cakes, do you mean Marbleous?
Cakies: Yeah, them all bootiful.

I had to hold my laughter in...love my little girls and their sweetness! :)