I have no idea how I missed blogging my own son's senior session, but I did! Better late than never, I guess!
Where to even start with this?? I am crazy proud of this kid, his determination, his creativity, his intelligence, soccer skills, work ethic, and kindness.
I'm sure I should have so much more to say but honestly - my brain is just kind of scattered right now as we're preparing to move him into his dorm at Ball State tomorrow! So I'll skip the words and you can just enjoy some of my favorite images from his senior sessions!
I never got around to doing a photoshoot with Joey back in the spring when I did the other kids because he had a broken arm, then had to have surgery, so he had a cast or brace on for over two months (and actually still has so wear the brace when he's playing), so these photos were long overdue. I took him (and his sketchbook) out and tried out some different places around Clinton.
Joey wants to be an artist when he grows up (or a preacher...or a football player...or a movie producer). He's been on a zentangle kick lately.
After we tried out all the places I wanted to use, we headed to our church. Joey plays the tambourine on Sunday mornings and wanted some pictures with it. I love that kid!
I had a great time with Joey. With four kids, it's hard to find time alone with each one but this was a good day. He even said it was fun, and he usually hates having his picture taken. Maybe bribing him with McDonald's helped a little.
Joey got a new camera for Christmas and it has been so much fun to see him start to take his own pictures. We went for a drive in Parke County a couple of weeks ago and he took his camera along to get pictures of the snow. He's so proud of them and has been showing them off to anyone who will look. This summer I plan to spend a lot of time teaching him about photography and taking little day trips with him to practice. My dad and I used to do that together and it was one of my favorite things we did, so I think we might take a day out with him too! Anyway, here are some shots of my little photographer in action:
And here are some of the shots he got (these have not been edited or cropped by me at all, I just added his name for fun):
I took my kids out for a little photo shoot yesterday afternoon. Abbie wasn't really too happy for most of the time we were out, so I tried to keep it short. I always ask them (well, the oldest two anyway) if they want to do pictures. If they don't (and won't be bribed) I don't even attempt a photo shoot. Luckily, they're usually happy to pose for me. So yesterday I asked her and she seemed very excited about it, so we drove up to Rockville. There's this really cool staircase and red wall there that I've been wanting to use for a long time, so I thought this would be a good time. Well, I should have known better than to try to take photos when it should have been nap time...Abbie was cold and tired and that is NOT a good combination for her! She's usually ok to skip a nap, but I forgot that she missed it on Saturday too. So anyway, I felt like a rotten mom for dragging her out, but I think I got some cute shots anyway!
Jack is 10 months old now! It won't be long before he's walking and talking. I am SO not ready for that yet! The first year always goes by so fast!
A few years ago, I hit some yard sales and thrift shops and collected some cool old cameras. I got a few of them out to use for props for this shoot. The kids were fascinated and terribly confused by this one, an old TLR (twin lens reflex).
Every time I ask Joey to pose for me, I always have to take turns with him. He'll try one of my ideas, then he'll get to try one of his own. This one was his idea. Sometimes it's really best to let kids do their own thing!
Joey (my oldest) turned 6 this month! I know
every mom says this, but I just can't believe how fast the time has gone! It seems like just yesterday I was holding a positive pregnancy test and now today I have a six-year-old who is going to school, riding a two-wheeled bike and learning to read! I took him out Sunday for a "date" - lunch at Dairy Queen then to the park for pictures! Here are a few, if you want to see some more,
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My oldest starts school next week!!! So we've been trying to really enjoy the last few days of summer before school starts. Bubbles, bikes, sidewalk chalk...tons of fun! I love how easy little kids are to entertain!
By the way, I have been making our own bubble solution this summer and it rocks! Here's the recipe: 4 cups dish soap (I use Ajax grapefruit scent just because it smells super yummy, but any kind would work), 1.5 cups light corn syrup, and 12 cups water. Shake it all up in a gallon jug and that's it! It works a lot better than the cheap stuff for blowing big bubbles, and it's a lot cheaper than the expensive kind. Just make sure to shake it before you use it each time, because the corn syrup tends to settle at the bottom.
This is Abbie learning to write her name. She hasn't really been too interested in learning her letters, but for some reason the sidewalk is a much more appealing canvas than paper for a 3-year-old.
Joey on his bike. He took a pretty bad spill on it earlier this summer (just a couple of weeks after learning to ride on 2 wheels) and has refused to get back on. We finally found a bribe that worked (money) and now he's riding again and loving it!
All 3 kids in the same picture, looking (pretty much) in the same direction, and NOT making goofy faces...can't really ask for much more that that! After 6 long months of trying, I finally got this one shot that I'm proud of! I can do group shots of other people's kids, no problem, but for some reason it's so much harder with my own! I took this picture on one of our "bridging" days, so I wish I had a covered bridge in the background, so I might try this shot again...but if it doesn't work out, I'm pretty darn happy with this one! Click here to see more shots from that day:
http://coveredbridgesummer.blogspot.com/2009/07/mcallisters-and-crooks-bridges.html
I searched for just the right wagon (and just the right price) and finally found it! So, sorry if it shows up here a lot, I had lots of ideas!! I took it to a session last week and the little boy insisted on calling it a cart, not a wagon. It took me the longest time to figure out what he was trying to say! Anyway, here a few pictures of my kids enjoying their new toy/my new prop.
Joey and Jack wore these shirts for Easter but I forgot they had these adorable hats...I think Jack's was still too big at Easter, so that's why they didn't wear them then. Aren't my boys so stinking adorable?????
Not a lot to say...I think these pictures speak for themselves! Just kids being kids in the summer...doesn't get much better than that!
