Hoover, Ala.:

This week is week 4 of the My Four Hens photography challenge, and the theme is imperfection.  I thought that I would come up with some really deep way to express that word, until tonight.  During dinner we were sitting at the table discussing our days, when my son asked if we could go hunting for monsters.  For those of you that don’t know what that is, it’s when 2 or more people hide, and 2 people seek.  All the lights are turned off, so the seekers have to wear a head lamp and shoot the monsters with a Nerf gun.  We did this on Friday and the kids (and the hubby and I) had a BLAST!!!!

As we were getting ready to go upstairs and begin the game, it dawned on me that I should take some pictures of us playing.  After going through the images, I realized that these are perfect for this challenge.  Even though they are FAR from perfect technically speaking, these are images that I will truly cherish FOREVER!!!!  I’m going to share all of them rather than just one.

Loading the gun before the hunt begins.

Ack, I’ve been caught.  After shooting me, he had to reload.

He’s a fearless monster hunter.

Now, off to find that other pesky monster . . . I wonder where could he be?

Nope, not under here . . .

There he is!!!!  GET HIM . . . GET HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Birmingham, Ala.:

You are my family
You are dreamers
You are unique
You are effervescent
You are silly
You are my inspiration
You are my reason for being
You are my LIFE!

Last night, when I closed my eyes, you were tiny.
Small enough to lay on my chest, feeling our breaths synchronize.
You were mine to cuddle all day.
Rubbing my face on your head, your white, silky hair tickling my nose.
Stealing sweet smiles with the slight stroke of my finger across your cheek.
This morning, I awoke, realizing that the quiet, simple moments are the ones to treasure.
When the rest of the world slips into the distant background.
It’s just you and me.
Our moments.
This is what it’s all about . . .
This is life!

This is the second week of the My Four Hens 52 Week photography challenge.  You may remember that last weeks theme was resolution, and I chose to start journaling again.  So far, I’ve been able to keep it up, we’ll see if I can continue.  :)  I decided to use a piece from my journal to accompany this weeks image.  The theme is Life, and I think all mommies can relate to this.  Our babies grow up so quickly, and sometimes with the whirlwind around us, it’s hard to remember that there are some very few (hahaha) quiet moments.

Birmingham, Ala.:

Week 1:  Resolution

I LOVE photography challenges!  They push me to be creative, and I get to discover other wonderful photographers and learn more about who they are and their daily lives.  I’ve been following My Four Hens Photography for sometime, and I’m always enamored by they moments that she’s able to capture.  She recently announced a 52 week photography challenge for 2012, and I jumped at the chance to participate.

The theme for week 1 is resolution.  Although I don’t typically make resolutions (because I fail miserably at keeping them), I decided to try one more time.  I’m hoping that posting this will hold me accountable for keeping up with it.

With this resolution, I’ve decided to get back to basics.  Although it may seem a little child like, that is exactly why I’ve chosen to do this . . . Journaling.  Throughout high school and college, I wrote in a journal every day.  I never really wrote about my day, it was more of a place to jot down creative ideas and poetry.  It was so freeing being able to pull my book out at any time and let my thoughts flow without fears or insecurities.  I want to get back to that way of creative expression.  I miss writing and dreaming, and I hope to release the inner child that I’ve somehow suppressed over the years.   So . . .  I ventured out to a local book store and purchased a brand new journal.  The pages are crisp and clean, awaiting that first stroke of a pen to begin a new adventure.

I remember dreaming
Wishing hoping praying for this day
Now i sit and watch them
The little ones i love so excited by the wait

Hoover, Ala.-As many of you know, I am the biggest animal lover and last weekend, I was in absolute Heaven. I had the ultimate joy of photographing Ashley and her sweet little girl (Ella Kate) at a local barn. We spent the session surrounded by horses, dogs, a rooster, a miniature goat, and a miniature pig. Seriously, could it get any better??!!

This session was extra special because Ashely and Ella Kate are avid riders. Ashely used to own her own barn and compete. Ella Kate has been riding since she turned 1. It’s pretty amazing to watch them ride together, you can tell there’s nowhere in the world they’d rather be. Their love for horses (especially Cloud) is beautiful to witness, and I’m so thankful that I got to see it firsthand.

I hope you enjoy these images as much as we had fun creating them! Be sure to watch the video too!