7 Months Old

Rain Rain Go Away...

I peeked out the window this afternoon and it struck me how beautiful the budding trees were against the dark blue sky...

and now Aubrey's turn to blog: ' ' CVZ 4emxx z k q[

My Sweet Cheeks

Above: It is so hard to believe that our little baby girl is almost 7 months old!! She just gets more adorable every day. What a privilege and joy it is to have the responsibility of raising a child. How fun and amazing it is to watch them discover the world around them, and their ability to interact with others! Aubrey just start waving "bye bye"! Every tiny little thing she does amazes us. Right now i am just so blown away that she is starting to understand us when we ask her to do something like "wave bye-bye Aubrey!" . She also now recognizes her beautiful name and turns her head when called! I LOVE IT!!!


Below : I have also been working on the few photos that I took of our family in Colorado! I love this set :) And we love this family! Gilby and Jocie have patiently persevered, endured, and overcome so many challenges with their son (and our nephew) and the health problems that he was born with. You can read more about their amazing journey and story here : www.gilbertsnuthouse.com . They are an inspiration of strength and patience to us!

When we were in Denver, CO

Above: Me and my 6 month old sweetheart after her first snowy hike

After our short stop in Ohio, Aubrey and I met up with Ben in Iowa where we spent Easter with his family. We then headed to Colorado to see more of his family for a week. Especially fun was to see our little niece (in the form of Jocie's cute belly!) Enjoy this little update!

Morgan Rose

When Aubrey and I left North Carolina, we made a stop in Ohio to see a couple of good friends and their children. Ben and I met Lucinda on our Beach to Bush DTS (with YWAM Brisbane) in Australia back in 2003. Lucinda and I were also on the same outreach team to Malaysia that year. It is always a neat thing when you can keep in touch with people that you made special friendships with, and I am so thankful that God keeps crossing mine and Lucinda's paths. First our weddings and now babies!! When Aubrey and I stopped in for a visit, Morgan was only 5 days old! Isn't she so precious?

Ryan and Lucinda, it was wonderful to see you both again and to also meet Isaiah. You have such a beautiful family and I am so thankful we see each other every so often. Who knows where we shall meet again!

----xoxo ---

Chelsa

Aloha Christie Nix

Christie and I met one another at the surprise birthday party that Lily and I threw for our guys back in November. Lily and Dave introduced us since they knew we both had a passion for photography. I instantly liked Christie. She is one of those women who is passionate for life, love and laughter. She loves people. She loves good food. She agrees with me that good food is full of nutrients and should nourish your body, not take away from it. But should also taste AMAZING. She gets excited over great jewelry designs like I do and she threw a fabulous Silpada party with me as the rep! The list goes on! Over the past months she has come to shoot beside me at my Portrait Sessions, and during these times we have had fun getting to know one another.

We both share an excitement over a great camera and great camera lens'. And we both studied in Hawaii. Not only is she a talented photographer, but her real passion is cinematography! How cool is that?! Check out her fabulous work :

www.angeldearmas.com
www.unaluzfilms.com
http://christienix.wordpress.com

On my big long-long road trip to our second destination (our first was Ohio with photos of a precious new life coming soon!) - Iowa - I listened to an audio book that Christie shared with me to pass the time. The China Study. By the end of my 10 hour leg I had decided that it is the right time for me to say goodbye to animal products again! I had been a vegetarian for 10 years, a vegan for the last 5 of those. But for the past year and a half I decided to eat meat and dairy again in moderation. It was fabulous and delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed my bison burgers and bison smokies! However my body has been telling me that my little sabbatical is coming to an end....and I am so excited to get back on the road of veganism!! I am going to start out slowly, still eating a little goat cheese and free-range eggs once in a while until I can make sure to find vegan alternatives that are calorie-dense for a nursing mama. If you have any great cookbooks or links to share, please pass them along! Here is a great one the Christie shared with me in our recipe exchanging blitz.... veganyumyum.com . I also LOVE havecakewilltravel.com

Enjoy her gorgeous photos!!

Aloha!

Buddy & Karen

Yes, Ben and I are SO blessed to call this wonderful couple "friends"!

Buddy and Karen we will miss you both so much and are thankful for the times we have spent over the last couple years. Thank you for being such a great couple for us to look up to and have fun with.

And thank you for trusting me with your portraits!! Here are a few teasers until I can get settled enough somewhere to work on the rest :)

We love you both!

Chelsa

Patrick, Samantha, Dorian & Maynard

It was the perfect morning for a stroll in the country! Patrick and Samantha hired me during my first year living in Fayetteville, and it was such a pleasure to capture the essence of their family once again. I think the country setting was just wonderful for their family session seeing as how they have a little country in their hearts anyway :)

I promised I would get a few up here for your teasers today!! Whew, down to the wire ;) I hope you enjoy them and it won't be long until the rest are finished as well .

It is always a pleasure to spend a morning with your family, thank you SO much again :) I absolutely love repeat clients, one because I get to see how their family has grown, but also it makes me so thankful that you are pleased with your finished product so much!!

Cheers!

Chelsa

'Square Pants - The Langstons Continued...

Here are a few more snapshots of the Langston crew that I think really capture the personality of their family. Before their session, I asked Jodi if there were any "props" she would like to bring along to add character to the photographs...she decided that since the boys absolutely LOVE Sponge Bob Square Pants (what little person doesn't??!) she would bring along their stuffed characters! I wasn't sure how these were going to turn out....but i really really like them!! I think the that although colour is fun, black and white add a bit more depth to these images.

Enjoy!

~- The Langstons -~

I met Jodi a year ago. At the time I knew she was working hard to get through nursing school, be a wife and also a mother to a young family. I was pregnant at the time and received so many helpful tidbits of advice from her. This weekend I finally had the opportunity to meet the Langstons....and I am blessed all the more because of it!

Bruce and Jodi, your family is so beautiful!! Christie and I smiled and laughed all the way home after your session. Your children are so full of LIFE! And you two work so well as a team, you don't miss a beat. I have to admit I was a bit nervous going into this session...I always wonder how the children will do, if they will be having an "off day" or get camera shy....not your boys!!! We loved that they instantly warmed up to us and were themselves! With all the energy flying around, I was also nervous that I didn't get "the shots" i was looking for....but I am so blessed to see that all the shots I got reflect YOUR FAMILY....I hope you love them!


Thank you for this opportunity and for giving us a glimpse into your lives :)

Enjoy this teaser and I will be in touch when the rest are polished up!

Chelsa

[Samantha in her Cherry Dress]

Yesterday evening Christie and I met Samantha out in the country to take some fabulous portraits of her in this adorable retro cherry dress....it totally suits her! As I went through her images today, I was reminded of a totally gorgeous photograph of my late grandmother - Muriel - in her 20's, on the beach, in a bathing suit. She is stunning and all her 7 kids and 17 grandchildren would know which one i am talking about. One day I'll find it and post it. But the image sticks with us and we love it.....I really believe that Samantha's son - Dorian - and her future grandchildren and great grandchildren will not only LOVE these photographs, but will appreciate that she did them! They say so much about her. (And let's not forget about her hubby Patrick!! I know he will love these!!)

Thank you so much again my friend!!

Dear John : More Amazing Photos of Nellie!