Because, well, I can.

I'm working on a post about our quick trip to Durango last weekend, buuuuut I'm also editing and I just had to share these pictures. I'm having so much fun! This first one is of the Palmer kids, Kale, Kate and Jack...they're laughing at their goofy Dad. Pax managed to crash Jack's birthday party later that day-I would have been mortified when my sister-in-law called in the middle of the session to ask if he could come too, as apparently he was clinging to his cousin and sobbing at the thought of not being able to be there, too...but it was Jill, after all. She's great like that!

 And this one...is little boy-newborn-brother perfection. Our friend the Steph asked me  a few months ago if I could do newborns when their youngest son was born (props to Steph for being up for a photoshoot 5 days after giving birth!!) and of course I jumped at the chance to photograph them again. I'm especially loving the plastic horse up Asher's nose and Kaiden's impressed expression :)

kids.

         I love kids. I love taking cute pictures of them.Or WITH them, if they happen to be my own cuties. But really, when it comes to kids and cameras, you just have to remember....
if you can't beat 'em (or get them to smile), join 'em.

10 days of sweet, tiny snuggles. (OR: We've survived the first week of 3-kid-chaos!!)

I have a million blogs running through my head, and some very cool things that NEED to be documented before I forget. I have a very nice camera that is on the fritz (thank goodness it's still under warranty!!); and my computer needs to be cleaned up, because it's running super slow. So this post took about half an hour to get up...but here are a few pictures from a little 10-day-old session I did last week with our youngest and his brother & sister & daddy...and yes, he's 18 days old now. What can I say? We're head-deep in the newborn fog. And savoring every minute of it. 

                                             I love this one of my 3 kiddos and their Daddy!

       Baby in a baseball glove...and not at all happy about it! Really, he's a pretty mellow baby...but he                         SUPER didn't like this. Too bad, kiddo, that's what you get for being born in April!

There. I feel better now...fulfilling the need of Grammies, Aunties, and friends everywhere who want to see more pictures of the Littlest Bleger. At least until next week!

my favorite.

I'm in the middle of editing some pictures of our good friends, the Palmers, whom I got do a family shoot for when we were in Durango...and I just HAVE to post this one for Jill. It's by.far. my favorite....Or maybe this one is.

Or this one. Ok, so they're just all stinkin' cute!

Wordless Wednesday: Hey there, cowboy...

for Jinny :)

Milo!

This is why I haven't been blogging a lot recently. Well, this little guy, and an e-session, and another little one-year-old session...so.fun. I usually don't put my work up on this blog; but this little guy is special. He's the littlest son of two friends of mine, Chris and Shannon, that I've known since high school, gone on missions trips with, worked side by side with in youth ministry back we were first in college...Chris is one of the first worship leaders I sang with, waay back in the day. They were high school sweethearts and I just love them both. Our little guys are all only a few months apart (Clive is about 2 months younger than Pax and just as train-and-car-crazy; Milo is about 4 months younger than Blythe), which makes playdates LOTS of fun!! So when Shannon asked me to do some pics of Milo for his 1st birthday, I jumped at the chance. Once I left my crying son at home (he was heartbroken that he didn't get to go play with Clive), we had a great shoot. But then, when the subject is this stinkin' cute...it's not exactly hard to get a good picture! You can click here to see more, but these are a couple of my favorites.

Isn't he an absolute doll??

thru Small Son's eyes

My small son is always, always wanting to take pictures with my cameras. Perhaps because he'd like ME to know what it's like to constantly have a camera in my face...anyways. He's not allowed to touch my work (re:expensive!) cameras, but last summer on one of our hikes we let him use the little point and shoot. Now, whenever he sees it out, he wants to use it. After naps one day last week I had it out to snap some quick pictures and he asked nicely....and he found the zoom lens.not too bad for a 3 year old, eh?And yes, I know I look utterly silly (and sweaty! I had been working out during naps). But what, I ask you, do YOU look like when a 3-year old points a camera in your face??

Wordless Wednesday

....have I mentioned I love my job??

Trying to learn...

I stumbled across a shoot I did of Adam and Pax the summer before Baby Girl was born; Pax was about 22 months old. I LOVE these pictures of my two guys...and, since it's a snowy Sunday, I have some free time (!!), and I'm trying to teach myself some new editing techniques with the fantastic software Adam got me for my birthday...I had a little fun. So...voila! A little step back in time. Some of my favorites from that beautiful day in August of 2009

Pax was super cranky that day...I'm pretty sure this is the closest things we got to a smile all morning!

Adam took this one of Pax and me-it's one of the only preggo pictures of myself I actually LIKE. I'm about 5 1/2 months pregnant here.

and, fair warning...the next one is of my husband's booty. But it's my blog, and I like the picture and the edit on it--so, if you don't want to see his rear, I suggest you scroll down a bit :)




Yes, this is what I do to relax now....I think another snowy Sunday next weekend would be just the ticket!

Planning.

I got up early with the intent to take care of some business emails and edit pictures from a family session I had on Saturday...but my son seems to think that if I'm up, he should be up; and so between potty breaks and trying to keep him in bed (and quite) until a reasonable hour, I can't focus on the images long enough to get anything done. So I'm blogging instead. And seriously considering getting my 3-year-old his own alarm clock and teaching him how to tell time. Lucky for me, the emails I had to write were to
a) one of my brides for this next summer, who also happens to be my "little" cousin
and
b)another prospective bride
which means I already have 3 weddings to start planning and dreaming about for the summer....which means a lot of fun, and a little nervousness. I always, always get nervous before a shoot. I think it's good, though-keeps me on my toes. Weddings just tend to make me a bit more nervous than, say, the newborn shoot I did last month, or the Christmas card shoots I've been doing since then. Weddings, in case you didn't know, are a BIG.DEAL. Which means a fair amount of pressure as the photographer to, you know, NOT MESS IT UP. So thankful for digital!

But already having 3 brides for the summer has made me start to think about my business again. I started this whole thing without a very clear idea of where I wanted to go with it; now I'm constantly thinking about that, as well as how my business can be used to bless & help people. It's time to do some serious planning. Not necessarily a 5-year plan; but thinking and praying about a purpose statement for my business-why it exists-what I can do to become a better photographer-some steps i can take in the next year to get there. I don't want this to just "maybe happen". I have a pretty clear idea of where I'd like to see this whole photography thing go and some hard work to put in to get there. But I'm not afraid of hard work. Since things will most likely slow down after Christmas, I'll have some more time to plan and dream. And, even better, to take action. Baby Girl will be weaned in about 6 weeks; I'll have a little freedom to go to workshops and things like that. I'm excited. The only photography class I've ever taken was one in high school, which was mostly about how to develop photos in the darkroom. Photography is something I'd really like to be good at-but not just so I can say I'm a good photographer. I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunities I'm being given, and excited to see where this all goes.

About a month ago, our church had a big Orphan Sunday Concert, raising awareness about the programs our church has that help children both here in our town and abroad who are orphaned or in the foster care system. I was asked to be the photographer; and although it was completely different than the things i usually do (and therefore made me realize just how much I have to learn!) it was so much fun to stretch myself like that.
I know I'm rambling; and since it's now 7 am and Pax is officially out of bed I need to go. Just hadn't blogged for awhile-but obviously not for lack of subjects. I wanted to let you in on a bit of what's brewing in my brain...

Sweet Will

This is what I'm working on right now...

Check the other blog on Monday for more 18-day-old sweetness :)

Friends...

are wonderful things to have. Especially this type of friend; the kind who has been through so much with you and whom you still keep in touch with, even though you live far far away from each other now. Jason is the world's biggest practical joker-half the time you can't tell if you should believe what comes out of the guy's mouth or not (and half the time, you SHOULDN'T); Nicole is my preggo buddy (she's also the world's best packer. I could use her help again..). Our boys were due 4 days apart, and born 4 days apart; our baby girls were due 2 days apart, and born 2 days apart (although I was supposed to be first that time...). We love their big girls, who also love our kids...Pax and Byron are super-buds. Blythe and Peyton will be...they just don't know it yet :)

These great friends called me up months ago to ask if I'd do a family shoot for them this summer. (of course, I said YES!! please!!) then, they decided they wanted to come up here for the shoot...not an easy task with 4 littles! We had so, so much fun with them last weekend...and I had so, so much fun photographing them...and since my "professional" blog is--well--still under construction...I had to post some pictures here of our friends.It was so, so hard to choose...their kiddos seriously all have the most beautiful eyes. THIS is why I love to do what I'm doing. I love to capture the beauty in the people around me; in their relationships with one another. It's a small gift that I can give to people-whether I know and love them, like these guys, or have just met them. I have so much to learn-so much further to go as a photographer-but I'm thankful every day to be doing something I love so much. I mean, aside from being wife to a pretty great guy and mama to two adorable littles of my own...

zach. 2011.

Zach was my first senior shoot of the summer....
He's a pretty sweet breakdancer.

he also happens to be my (baby) cousin. Don't tell him I called him that, though.

So fun...went to a few locations I've been eyeing for months....

didn't get the police called on us, so I guess we're good to go!

FYI, this will most likely (hopefully) be the last "business" post on this blog- I'm working on a mini-blog specifically for photography stuff that will be attached to my website. The pictures will be bigger, and my clients can see a peek of their proofs thereSo, of you usually get here from the site and want to continue to hear stories about my life & hubby & kids-then click the little button on the lower right and "follow" me. Or bookmark it. The other blog will be (mostly) photography stuff...I'll let you know when the big switch is about to happen!! Hopefully this weekend...

It's pretty cool...

....when you see God's promises active in your life. I see this in so many ways; but a few weeks ago, out of the blue, I had one of those revelations...one of those moments that just make you smile and thank God for His goodness! But first, a little intro...when I was about 5 months pregnant with Pax (May 2007), we had a speaker come to our church who prays prophetic words into people's lives A LOT. He came to teach about the prophetic, how to hear God, and at the end of each session, he'd pray for different people, speaking into their lives what God was sharing with him. One night, as I sat in the audience, he picked me out and began to pray over me. He shared several things about the creative talents God has given me, and how He would use them (this guy doesn't really know me...just knows how to listen to God, so he was right on!). One of the things that stuck in my mind was that God would use my pictures..."Your pictures will set people free," were his exact words. I've pondered this for the past two and a half years, praying about what exactly it meant. I paint a little, but couldn't see how anything I painted would set anyone free. At the time, I had no plans to start a photography business or even to move out of Durango; photography was just a hobby I loved to experiment with.
Fast forward a couple of years +. As I ran around this fall, trying to get all the licenses and taxes figured out to make SunflowerEyes Photography a reality, I've known that it couldn't be just about photography. I felt that God wanted me to use this gift He's developing in me; not only to help provide for my family, but for some bigger purpose in His kingdom. I've prayed and thought about what this meant. I felt that God was leading me to tithe (give 10% or more of the money) off of what I earned from the business; I knew it was to go to orphans or children in need. But where? Here in Ft. Collins? The state? There are over 500 orphans available for adoption in Colorado alone...most people just don't know about them, because they're tucked away in foster care. To one of the many families we have relationship with that do long-term missions? I just didn't know. So I continued to pray.
When Adam and I joined our church here, last September, we went through a series of "classes" about the church. At the first one, the senior pastor and his wife shared about themselves, the church, their individual passions. Bonnie (the wife) is very involved with a ministry called UCOUNT. The missionary our church supports in this ministry (it's much, much larger than just our church) is in India, where she has a home for girls/women/children whom she buys out of prostitution or other kinds of slavery, andvteaches them about God, as well as how to live and provide for themselves in other ways. I became intrigued with the ministry...something about it just tugged at my heart. I couldn't stop thinking of all the women, many very young teens or children, who were in sexual slavery and couldn't leave...couldn't stop thinking of the children sold into slavery so their families could survive, or because their parents were promised their children would have a better life. I began to pray about and research whether or not this was the ministry- and in particular, the missionary- God wanted me to give to. One afternoon, a few weeks ago, I was resting on the couch, not even really praying...and the words that had been prayed over me more than 2 years ago came into my head : "Your pictures will set people free,". It all fell together-my photography, stepping out and starting this business, knowing it was about more than just photography...this woman, this missionary, is the one I am to give to out of God's blessing on my life. And she will use the money to LITERALLY set people free!! Free of slavery of the worst kinds...free to know God and love Him...free, free free!! I couldn't believe it! I'm crying as I write this...overwhelmed at how good God is, how faithful to His promises...this is the last meaning I even looked for in the words prayed over me that May night. But it's so wonderfully RIGHT! I will tithe out of my little and have faith that God will do big things in the lives of women and children on the other side of the world...I believe He will use it to set them free. Not only physically free, but also spiritually free to know Him. And someday, maybe, I'll get to meet some of them and show you just who God is setting free through the gift He's given me.

"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me," Phil. 4:13

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD; " plans to prosper you and not to harm you; to give you a hope and a FUTURE," Jer. 29:11