I’ve had lots of babies with older siblings lately.  It was the same when I was pregnant… right before Sadie was born, I had a huge wave of newborn sessions!  And now that Savannah & Alex are enjoying their baby sister…  I get older siblings and they’re so sweet with the little ones!!  It was no different with Blake and Lanah Claire! 

Here are some of my favorites from our session… 

And because we all know how much I like shots that are not *standard*… I love LC’s little baby hand reaching out! 

I hope you enjoyed the preview, Susan!  I can’t wait for you to see them all!  We had fun!! 

No,  life isn’t all smiles and laughter but I count it as a blessing when we get shots that parents never think we got!  We know that children can’t be controlled…  we have to learn to go with the flow when it comes to photo sessions!  {Or at least that’s my philosophy!}    Connie wanted to capture that moment in the post below because it is part of life with Lauren!  It’s as much a part as the smiles and laughter.

Life’s blessings…

                                     …because life IS Art. 

Yes, it’s true…  life IS Art.  But God didn’t promise it was always going to be smiles & laughter.  Sometimes I feel like doing this and today is one of those days…

If you’ve kept up with my life (again, me… personally… not Kim Kelley, the photographer, but just plain ole Kim) then you kinda know what’s been going on…  busy with work, new baby, new baby has colic, husband has a new work schedule, wrecked car, find a new car, STILL can’t get things settled with the insurance company…  yadda, yadda, yadda…

Well, in the last few days, Savannah has had strep and a mystery fever that lasted 4 days.  Then Alex got the mystery fever.  I took them both to the doctor yesterday (we practically LIVE in the office!).  Then Shane had problems with his truck and we haven’t been able to find something else for him yet…  We’re only looking for what everyone is looking for now!  {something affordable that gets great gas mileage for him to go to work in!}   ha ha ha….  So, it feels like one thing after another…  And just as I’m about to let it all overwhelm me, I think…

God won’t give me more than I can handle.  But I get out my bible and find that that’s not exactly true.  Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians beginning with chapter 1 verse 8:

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia.  We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.  Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death.  But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.  He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us.  On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.  Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

And as I’m flipping through my bible, which has sheets of paper spilling out of it…  {I stick stuff in there at church and it doesn’t get cleaned out as often as it should.}  I’m thankful for one paper {a mini-book written by Savannah} I find…

Title: All about my mom

My mom is nice she helps me with my homework she is nice I love her so much She is sow nice i could maker Her out of chocolate

Love

Savannah

And just like that, I feel better.  On a day that I’ve started out overwhelmed, I’m going to depend on God and together, we’ll get it all done… with prayer and one step at a time.  He already lifted my spirits…  If I hadn’t been feeling down today, I may not have searched for that scripture and been given a peace that only He can give.   

I thank God for my family… for a wonderfully supportive husband and heathly children who think I’m sweet as chocolate.      

It’s been a while since I shot a wedding.  My last one was in August when I was 12 weeks pregnant with Sadie.  I realized then that my pregnancy and weddings wouldn’t work well together.  I was SO tired afterwards.   

I had not planned to start wedding photography again until June when Sadie is a bit older, but I made an exception for my cousin, Stashia.  She and Shayne were married on April 12th.  The wedding was beautiful!  They were beautiful!   This moment was captured right after they had walked back down the aisle as husband and wife.  I think it’s a mixture of happiness and relief…  We all know how stressful weddings can be, but it’s my job to help to relieve as much of that stress as possible by working with the bride to capture her special day!

Here are some of my favorites from Stashia & Shayne’s beautiful day…

Wow!  It’s been over a month since I posted pictures of Sadie on here!  (Well, other than the one picture from Savannah & Cierra’s dance session)…  she’s grown SO much! 

I took Savannah to the doctor on Thursday and since we were there, we weighed Sadie and she’ was 14 lbs 14 ozs and she’ll be 3 months on May 6th!  She’s all cheeks and legs!  ha ha…

I was working on a 50th Anniversary DVD Slideshow a couple of days ago and it made me really think about something… pictures and music both are so powerful!  I feel like I’ll always remember these days (of colic, lots of bouncing and sweet baby smiles)… but I have two older children to prove that the memories start to fade.  I sometimes struggle to remember if it was Savannah who walked at 11 months or Alex who got his first tooth at 7 months…  I’m so glad that I have pictures to document all of that stuff!  Life…  I started to realize that I’m making my slideshow now.  I’m living it.  We’re right in the midst of it all.  Our babies will grow up and they’ll have babies and there I’ll be…  with my camera… freezing as much as I possibly can.  Because it all happens so fast.  Wonder what the music of my life will be?  I hope it’s fun and happy and upbeat or sweet and sappy.  Or perhaps a little of it all…

I won’t even care that this image is slightly out of focus because this little face lights up our world…  Savannah and Alex say all the time that they’re so glad to have a baby sister!
 

…because life IS Art.  (mine & yours)

This new collage is perfect for seniors, babies, familes, weddings… for anyone!! Show your personality with this 11×14 collage of images from your session!  This collage can be personalized with your name, favorite quote or anything you wish! 

{shown in a simple black frame}

It’s almost graduation time and to prove that… I’ve had a burst of Seniors lately!  When I first started my business, I concentrated mostly on children and families.  I never thought I’d have this great desire to shoot high school seniors or weddings!  But I really enjoy them both!!  Of course it helps to have nice kids!  And it’s ok for me to call Seniors, "kids" because I’m still a "girl". 

I had fun with Chelsea and her Mom!  Chelsea was so easy going and fun to work with!  Here are some of my favorite shots from her session…

{click images to view larger} 

Well, the rush and craziness of the dance recital is over.  And if you’re a Momma with a daughter in the recital, you know exactly what I’m talking about! lol…  Brianna (my sister-in-law) and I took Savannah and my niece, Cierra, out to Aunt Sue & Uncle Charlie’s house to get some shots of them in their ballet costumes.  Their yard has to be the most beautiful I’ve seen!  It’s purely magical!!  See what I mean…

And let’s not forget Sadie Claire… not quite big enough for her ballet costume yet.    This was the only shot of her that we got before she got fussy and the rain started to move in!

Thanks for peeking! 
 

Hannah & Lily are growing up… literally right before my eyes.  I’ve posted about them before here.  Lily will be walking before we know it!  It’s one reason that I think photos are so important.  They allow us to capture a moment… moments that we, as parents, never want to forget. 

I know that I leave sessions with memories etched in  my mind.  I remember how Hannah has always loved my flower!  I remember how she always wants to set up the shots…  maybe we have a future photographer here?!    And now I’ll remember how Lily didn’t want to play with the eggs in her Easter basket, but how she loved pulling the grass out! 

They’re growing up and it’s so important to capture each and every moment of it.  I want all of my clients to have these prints for their homes because these moments are their life!  And I believe that life is Art.

Maggie came to see me the other day!  She brought along her parents and her awesome big brother!  Her first visit was as a newborn and gosh, how she’s growing!!  She had the sweetest smile that truly lit up her whole face! 

How could anyone resist this?!

I love my job!  I’m so blessed… anytime I need a smile, I can go through my files and find tons of baby smiles.  After all, not much is sweeter than a baby smile!  {Not even iced coffee!} 

I hope you enjoy the little sneak peek, Kristen… of course, there will be more to come later!