This Is Life

Like so many women, I have recently discovered the blog, Momastery.  I am totally in awe of the author’s writing. She speaks truth and is full of inspiration.  If you haven’t already, please go. Read.

The post that made everyone sit up and take notice was, Don’t Carpe Diem.  (and again, if you haven’t already read this one, please go. read.  or read again).  In trying to learn from this awesome advice, I’ve been trying to enjoy all the ‘Kairos’ moments in my day.  And my, it feels good.

So, this morning was pretty typical…we wake up late, rush the kids to get dressed (please get dressed now. I said, ‘please GET DRESSED NOOOOOOW!), eat (please eat your cereal, really, we have to leave in like 5 minutes!) Then, during all of the usual morning stressful things, William told us that he had to go potty.  Now, don’t get me wrong, we are NO WHERE near potty training, but the boy loves to sit on the potty. So, in the middle of the morning chaos, I put that sweet boy on the pot, and ran for my camera.  It was very Kairosesque for me.  And these photos are ones that I know I’ll cherish forever.

Taking some time ‘off’ during the winter is so good for me.  But, I have to say, that THE best part of winter shooting, is sweet squishy newborn babies. Oh how I love them!

Here is Harper, born in December. I have loved getting to know her family though the many stages of their lives.

Pretty Christmas lights for a pretty Christmas baby!

When I saw this awesome bowl, I knew we had to put the baby in it…(thanks for trusting me with this one, Harper’s mommy)

And one of my all-time faves Haper with big brother Carter. Ah! Too cute for words! 

Siobhan, Cory and Carter, congratulations, your baby girl is simply perfect! 

Balance is my ‘word’ for 2012.  You know, instead of a ‘resolution’ I have a ‘word’. It works for me.  Its just something I want to keep in mind this year, something I would like to really focus on.  Last year was ‘love’.  My lovely and truly inspirational friend, Aubrey, does this too. (I love reading her blog, I always learn a little something.) 

So, balance.  Here were are toward the end of January and I’m all, Uhhhh….where! is! the! balance!?  I’m pretty sure that I thought that by stating ‘balance’ as my ‘word’ I’d be like, you know, totally balanced.  Hmmmmmm, not so much.  Like most important things in life, this is going to take some work.  How do I juggle a small business and my most important job of mommy-hood?  How do I spend quality time with the kids and get the housework done?  How do I work to maintain long distance (and not so long distance) friendships as well as the relationships in my own home?

I’m still working on it.  Maybe, oh! maybe the housework doesn’t get done because I played cars and babies all morning!  Would that be so bad?  Balance.  Maybe just maybe I say ‘no’ to a few commitments so that my schedule is more free! Balance.  I don’t have it all worked out yet, and chances are, I never will. And I’m totally okay with that. Hmmmm…maybe that’s where I’ll start my balance…letting go a bit.  I remember some advice my mom gave to me once when I was really young.  She said to stop swimming so hard, to put my feet up and float for a bit.  (Darn you, MOM! Always having the best advice!).  Crap. Did I just talk myself into a new word?!  Float.  I like it.

Anyway, if you’re still here, thanks for listening.  And now here’s why I know you stopped by….some pics of our babies.

Will says, “heeh-oh” to the phone and “A…A…A…A” to any letter. 

He says, “Appa-bee” for apple juice (Its one of those things that’s so adorable that I may never correct.  He’ll be the only 1st grader who can’t say ‘apple juice’ because his Ma thinks its just too darn cute!)

Oh! And he’s still full of squishy goodness when he gets up from his nap!

And when he’s upset, his big sisters are always there to make him feel better.

Speaking of big sisters…

Some after school hot cocoa and silly faces.  Yes, please.

And the biggest big nut-ball sister…

Thanks for stopping by!  Do you have a ‘word’ for this year? I’d love to hear it!

…not just for smooth faces.

Back in November, I had one of the best days ever!  I was so thankful to the 13 families that singed up for Holiday Mini-Sessions.  The weather cooperated, the kids cooperated and we all had a blast!  And now….2011 Mini’s!

Jeff, Tara and sweet baby Kendal

Bret, Kristin, Abigail and Emma

Jamy, Melissa, Katie and Abby

Danny, Heidi and Molly

Tim, Michelle, Grace and Michael

Eugene, Robin, Peter and Kate

David, Meghan, Maximus and Afina

Chris, Audra and Parker

Donnie, Megan, Ali and Grace

Noah and Rowan

Matt, Betsy and Jack

Kevin, Emily, Eva and Henry

Keith, Missy and Nathan

Have you ever in your life seen so many beautiful families all in one spot!  Thank you ALL again for such a great day.  I must also thank my husband for being my official assistant, he did a great job helping and it was so nice to get to spend the day with him too.  2012 Mini Sessions? Yes, please.

I follow a lot of bloggers and photographers who always do a “best of” post for the year.  I’ve never done such a post, until now.  I feel like I’ve worked really hard this year trying to grow my business and discover my “me-ness” in my creativity and my photography.  This year I have taken my photography from a  hobby and “a mom with a cool camera” to a real, thriving creative little biz.  And you know what? I’m pretty darn proud of that.

I have learned so much this year.  I have grown leaps and bounds in my technical skills and working with all of you wonderful people has been the icing on my cake.  I’ve been able to take some beautiful photos and capture countless beautiful memories.  But, you know how it is, there’s always that little voice that says, “Am I good enough? Can I really pursue this?!”  I’ve listened to that voice a lot this year and I’ve even learned how to quiet it some.

Taking a minute (or forty) to look back on my JLP year has been good for me.  I am able to see images that I am proud of…so, I guess that’s why the “best of” post this year.  I’ve worked darn hard, met so many amazing people, formed new friendships and I’m thankful and proud.  Reflection is good.

So, here are a few of my favorite Jaime Lenhart Photography photos from 2011…thank you lovely subjects. 

My last family session of the season were my sweet friends Greg and Kim and their most adorable little family.  They were the perfect way to end my shooting season!

The {A} Family had one of my most favorite photos from 2010 Mini-Sessions (posting of 2011 Mini’s aaaaany day now )  This time they opted for the full session and we had a great time.  It’s always so comforting to me to chat with families who are in the exact same season of life as my family.  We seem to really have the same (sometimes small) victories and same struggles.

Sweet Ava.

This one is sooooo Jack to me.

Baby Owen.

Love this one.

Gorgeous children!

Hahah..now this is life!

Thanks so much you guys, I had a great time with you!  Your family is adorable and your love for one another was a pleasure to capture! 

We’ve known this delightful couple for a long time now and are thrilled that they’ll be tying the knot soon!  Jon is my sister-in-law’s brother and Erin has been his girlfriend for, like, ever. It’s always such a thrill for me when someone close to me trusts me with their important memories. I was way excited for this session.

Aren’t they just adorable!

Jon and Erin were the best sports ever during the session.  There was lots of, “Ooohhh, your hair looks so cute!  Do you mind laying down in those half wet leaves?”   To which Erin would reply, “Sure!”

These next two are some of my all time favorites.  If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times, I LOVE the story-telling aspect of photography so much.

So after our beautiful Fall-ish setting, we headed downtown for a quick location and outfit change.  Hehe..like this one?  They’re getting married September 15th…get it?

Jon has recently moved back in town and works as a mechanical engineer and Erin just finished her Speech-Language Pathology degree.  They truly are so sweet, simple and loving.  Jon has always been an amazing uncle to our nieces (which I have always admired about him) and Erin has already jumped right into her new “Aunt” Erin role.

And here again, I saw that delicious light and asked the two of them to sit right down in a (somewhat questionable) parking lot.  To which they both again replied, “Sure!”.

Jon and Erin, you two are all kinds of awesome.  Thanks SO MUCH for trusting me with these photos. Have fun planning this wedding and CONGRATULATIONS!!

My friend Alissa and her boys are among my most favorite subjects. Alissa always has awesome ideas and this time around she said, “We want to do a family shoot with Superhero shirts!”. Oh how I love her.  So, I thought about it for a minute and then said, “Ooooooh! We have to go to the fire-station…you know, where the real-life superheros are!” She loved it and we had sooooo much fun!

My favorite…

You remember Kelly, Nathan and Carter, right?

My man, Nathan.

Carter-I-could-eat-you-with-a-spoon (that’s his full name).

After the Fire-station we went to the park for a few more.  The air was getting chilly and the light was beautiful.  It was all perfect!

Thanks so much guys for (another!) super fun session!

We enjoyed family, food, presents, giving, and traditions this Christmas.  Oh we are so thankful for it all!

But first, a quick pict of us gals on our way to the Nutcracker.

Christmas Eve is always at my parent’s house. When I was growing up, Santa always made an appearance at my Gram and Pap’s house.  Oh the anticipation! It was the highlight of the evening!  This year, my brother and I decided that our kiddos were ready for this awesome tradition.  The kids were THRILLED!

Then we enjoyed visiting with family and eating good food.

Will with his 3 most favorite people…Daddy and “The Papa’s”. 

Oh yes, I should mention that the girls were sick for all of the festivities.  Strep throat, high fevers, antibiotics.  They were troopers through it all, as a matter of fact, they’re still trying to get better today!

Our house, Christmas Eve….ooooohhh how I love this photo!

Christmas Morning!!!  Well, there was a tad less excitement this Christmas morning. The girl’s fevers were back up and they we not themselves.  We dosed them up and coaxed them into opening gifts, which made them feel a little better.

The top left photo of the girls here was, for Corey and I, the most anticipated moment of Christmas morning.  We wrapped up a toy airplane and Cinderella’s castle and told them our gift to them, WE’RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!!!!  This photo was the most excitement they could muster, the poor things. Oh well, the anticipation of the trip should get them excited, right?

Christmas Day was at Corey’s folks and what a delightful day we had!  It is always the most inviting and relaxing day, we LOVE it!

I think Will’s favorite gift was his Thomas tray.  The girls have princess ones that they use all of the time. As soon as he opened it up he knew just what to do!

So, despite the sickies, we had an incredible Christmas weekend. Our parents always go out of their way to make sure that every family member has an amazing Christmas.  We love them all so much.  We also realize how lucky we are to have so much family to spend the holidays with.

Throughout all of the holiday preparations this year I had one phrase going through my mind over and over.  It’s from one of my favorite Christmas carols, “Joy to the World”…”Let every heart prepare him room.”  I like this idea. I like the thought of mentally and physically preparing room in one’s heart and one’s home.  It makes me feel hopeful and humble. It reminds me that I can prepare my heart for the space to let so many wonderful things in.

Merry Christmas and thanks so much for joining me on our little family’s journal all year.