merry christmas : down under

We saw this little guy on our "Walk through the Manger" - Aussie style ;)


There were the traditional animals too!




We took a little day trip on our holiday break up to the hinterland town of Monteville, QLD.  Very charming with lovely little shops and fantastic views!


"...Swingin' my hips like yah..."   :) Love this.


Rustic old telephone booth.

rain rain go away: bree

We had a week of non-stop rain! Thankfully we are back to mostly sunny, beachy weather here on the Sunshine Coast of Australia.  But a rain here and there is a great way to cool us off every now and again....just please not for a week straight!

When my mom and sister were visiting we took Aubrey to splash in some puddles and get some fresh air once the rain finally stopped. Needless to say she loved it!

 



One of our favourite Bree expressions :



Yes, yes she did pick this up, (ew):



So happy to see her Nana:





This is the other day after a good sleep-in, Bree and Daddy skyping with a friend:

selah & ziah : beach babies

Christen is another awesome mom that I have met here on the Sunshine Coast. Her and her husband are the leaders of a DTS (discipleship training school) here at the YWAM Sunny Coast.  Since the day we arrived they were so generous in making sure we had everything from toys to blankets for Aubrey, it was such a blessing and helped us settle in that much quicker.  Aubrey has really enjoyed trying to follow Selah around, and I have enjoyed getting to know Christen!  We had a little mini-session with them at Mudjimba Beach before they headed off to Canada for Christmas a few weeks ago.  We miss you guys and can't wait to hang out more when you get back to Oz!  Enjoy this little peek at your photos!   
















Selah giving a hug goodbye to Aubrey...Aubrey really enjoys playing with Selah, she is a sweet big girl!

aubrey : suds in the bucket

 Remember that song "Suds in the Bucket" by Sara Evans? That is what goes through my head with these pictures! I love it!!







I met this lovely mum at our playgroup, and she happens to also be a photographer! I have had so much fun getting to know Gemma already and talking "photography".  She is so talented and specializes in black and white images.  She is SO good at it! I definitely love my colours, but Gemma's work really inspires me to not forget the beauty of monochrome photography! So I have been playing around, and trying to get a few tips from her ;)





And one more in colour because I just can't get away from it!!



Yep, my beautiful girl keeps growing and changing every day.  Aubrey you take my breath away.


You might have already noticed but my URL has changed! Same blog-site, but new design and new address.  Now you can simply type : chelsaschaefer.com  instead of all that big mouthful that it used to be. Much simpler.  In fact, "simplify" is my new business motto for 2011.  There are a lot of things I am going to simplify in my business. Being in Australia grants me some great focus time to invest into this!

In our world of technology, anything we want is at our fingertips with the press of a few buttons.  Literally. Sometimes don't you just feel overwhelmed by all the choices and options you have for one little thing?  I'd love to hear from you - what are some ways that you are simplifying areas in your life? Please leave a comment!

Skater Boy [Tahj]

Meet 6 week old Tahj.  He may not be able to ride a skateboard yet, but just wait. Both mum and dad are skaters and I'm sure the love of it will be passed along to Tahj and his adorable big sister.

It was such a blessing to find out that there is a playgroup at the YWAM base here on the Sunshine Coast (Australia).  I wasn't expecting there to be so many families, but it is so nice for Aubrey and I to make friends right away. This group is where I met Tahj's mum, Lauren.

I am excited to announce that while living on the Sunshine Coast, I will be offering FREE newborn sessions! Babies are sleepiest before they hit 6 weeks, so this offer is for you if you have (or are going to have ) a newborn under 5 weeks old.  You'll receive 10-20 professional and artistic images of your precious child :)  chelsa@lykal.com

Now for the pictures!





Tahj is SUCH a darling boy! 



I LOVE the colours in this one!!


Lauren thanks for letting me snap some photos of your sweet boy!!  Aubrey and I both had fun visiting with you :)

My Baby Girl is ONE

If you don't already know, Ben, Aubrey and I have relocated to the Sunshine Coast of Australia for the next nine months! Ben is doing an intensive YWAM Biblical Studies course here and Aubrey and I are keeping busy.....today she turned one! This year seems to have flown by.  The other day we listened to some recordings of her when she was a newborn...and it seems so long ago that she was cooing like that! Her voice has always been so sweet and darling, it is just crazy how fast it all changes! We are so in love with this little girl it just overwhelms me to try and put it into words. 

Here are a few pictures from our day :)



We went to Under Water World at the Wharf in Mooloolaba.



Then headed to the beach...Aubrey's favourite place. She is such a little water girl :)

[Kenny & Christine]

This is the second time that I have been able to take photos of this beautiful family. My family always enjoys spending time with Kenny, Christine and their two beautiful children because they are so warm-hearted, considerate, and nice to be around. Of course I have always thought that they were a beautiful family, but it's great to be a photographer and get to go through all of my images of them....and WOW, I was just struck by how seriously GORGEOUS they all are!

I had so much fun capturing these images. Matthius was the best sport EVER! I let him snap a few with my big camera and he let me take his photo too :) Annaliese gave me the run around....I'm not gonna lie, it is a lot of work to get a good picture of her! Christine you're right, she is always on the move and she has a mind of her own! But I love that!! She is so darling and funny!

It was also nice to take a few photographs of just mom and dad this time :) You two are LOVELY together and you have such a fun family. Christine you are a stunning woman! Even Kenny was such a great sport for these photos....must have been that cat-nap in the middle of the session ;)

Thanks again for hiring me! I hope you enjoy this sneak peek :)

Chelsa

Loni, Chelsey & Beckem

Let me introduce to you my girlfriend, Chelsey, her husband, Loni, and their adorable 15 month old son, Beckem. Chelsey and I reconnect every few years, and I am SO glad that this year was one of those times! We have a lot in common but our paths don't cross very often. As you can see, she has a gorgeous family. Not only are they beautiful on the outside, but they are great people. Genuine, kind, loving, and fun. I always enjoy my visits with her, and this portrait session was no different. I really enjoyed getting to spend the afternoon with them all. Even though Beckem was so tired, both mom and dad did an excellent job at just letting him be himself and not getting stressed out about it. As you can see from the above images I managed to get a few good shots of this busy little boy!

I especially love the top image....1. Because we got a smile out of Beckem, but 2. i love that you can see the family lake cabin in the background. Chelsey wanted to do the session out there because it holds special memories for her and her family. Chels I am glad that I was able to capture a shot like this for you!

You guys are awesome!

Warmly,

Chelsa