Well, the weekend kind of got away from me....

but, it was a fun and relaxing one for me and the family. We spent a lot of time together playing and hanging out as a family. We played disc golf again with my parents, watched movies, talked, tickled the kids, played games, went to a BBQ with friends, visited with far flung family members over Skype, and relaxed. Those kind of weekends are always my favorite and the relaxing part was much needed! Why can't all weekends be 3 day weekends?

So to make up for my lack of posting over the weekend here is a big one with scrapbook stuff and photos :)

These are a few cards I made using one of Basic Grey's newer lines.

I thought I'd get the jump on father's day this year :)

And here are a few layouts I've done this past month. More Basic Grey, some Chatterbox, and some October Afternoon too.

This one is a recent favorite. Blake is in Joy school, and they recently learned a song about how much we wanted him to join our family. He loves that song and has asked me to sing it to him a lot lately. I wanted to capture his joy in the song's sentiment, so of course, I scrapbooked it :)

This one is about our trip last summer to South Padre Island. We had such a good time and thanks to my brother Adam (and some very silly faces and sounds from the grandparents and other family members) we also got a great family photo out of the trip :) Thanks Adam!

This one is another favorite of mine. Lately I've been watching my two oldest boys become closer and closer. They really are best friends and get along so well. I wanted to remember this stage, because as all things, I have to admit it may not last--even if I wish it would!

And I really had a lot of fun with this one too. Ty was voted the Coyote Champion of his 1st grade classroom in Feb. The class votes for a new one each quarter and Ty was very excited to be picked this time. It was especially nice as Ty was sick with the flu and stuck home for a week when he got the medal. It certainly helped lift his spirits! His teacher said his classmates picked him because "Ty is a good friend. He helps you when you need help. He smiles a lot. He is kind to everyone. He follows directions." For those of you who are familiar with Ty and some of his learning difficulties you can imagine this touched our hearts for another reason too. We are so grateful his language difficulties don't keep him from having some good friends. Way to go Ty, we are so proud of you!

Here is a look at some regular sessions from last fall/winter. A regular or standard session differs in many ways from the mini sessions I described below. First of all I try to capture 2-3 different poses of each child. We also will try to get several different poses of the family together. This will include several candids of the family interacting, as well as more posed shots. I'll also try breaking the family down into smaller groups and get them to play together (Mom and girls/Dad and boys/ parents with just the baby etc. or whatever arrangements seem natural and fit with the amount of patience the children have). I'll still try getting the children all together on their own and I'll try getting the parents on their own just as in a mini session, but we may also get some candids of these arrangements--it really just depends on how the kids do and how much time we have. When the family is in a playful, relaxed mood we will most likely get more photos. These sessions take about an hour, and typically yield about 2 dozen photos.

You may notice I said the word try a lot in that paragraph. Please keep in mind I can't guarantee all the above will work out perfectly in any given session. I just try to give you a wide variety of great shots and they typically include these types of shots. Also please keep in mind that I am not a professional and only offer my services because so many people want me to do it, not because I want to make a business out of it :) This is the reason I charge so little, don't take clients from the general public, and only do 1 session every 2 weeks.

That said, also know that I do really love doing photo sessions and look forward to the sessions I have booked. We have a lot of fun during the sessions, and I always enjoy getting to know everyone's family better. The friendship and fun we have during these sessions is a benefit in and of its self to me!

All right enough talk! Here is a look at a few regular sessions I did several months ago:

Thanks for stopping by today!

I know I promised more photo shoots....

...and I will deliver on that, but first you will have to endure some scrapbook stuff. Why? Because I'm the mom and I said so. I actually said that the other day. I can't remember what the boys were doing (or not doing more likely) that prompted it, but I just about cracked up afterward. I didn't think I'd ever say that, but at the moment it seemed like the best choice of words. Much better than the other choice I was entertaining. Anyhow, I was able to keep a straight face and the boys did do as I asked, I remember that much. But I digress, first the scrapbook stuff. These are a bunch of cards using the Melissa Frances French Twist line. I've really been having a lot of fun making cards lately--they are starting to come much more naturally to me. I used to really struggle with making cards.

And now the promised photo shoots. How about some newborn love for today? This little guy is about 6 month old now--so yeah, it's about time he got his turn on my blog.

Everyone, I give you Mason.

Mason meet everyone.

Don't you just love all that red hair? Adorable!

And how about a few of sweet little miss Ruby?

Such a cutie--and such a good sleeper for us! Love it when I get a sleepy one! So that is it for today, but more to come tomorrow!