He Family | Indianapolis Newborn Photographer

I first ran into them once at the CVS drugstore down the road from us. It was about 2 years ago and I only vaguely recognized them from church. I don't remember if Kristen was pregnant or if she had just given birth, but I remember that I thought it was odd to see them there. After all, I was just certain we were the only family from our church who lived more than 5 minutes from the church building.

Buddy and Kristen are supported missionaries at our church. And as it turns out, Kristen's parents live rather close to us.When she first called, I tried to run her name through my mental Rolodex but came back blank. Finally it came to me when she said, "We're missionaries."

Kristen, I'm so glad you found me through Cari's blog! (Thanks, Cari!) And dare I say...I'm really glad you weren't able to schedule an appointment at St. Vincent? ;) It was really great getting to know you during your session. You have two lovely little girls!

Seriously?? | Indianapolis Baby Photographer

Tweak Boutique | Fabulous Jewelry for Fabulous People

Go check out the details on this gorgeous jewelry over here on the senior blog!

For a Girl!

Wednesday evenings are one of my favorite nights of the week. During the school year, our church holds Wednesday evening activities for children ages 2 and up. They hold activities for adults as well, but Daniel and I prefer to indulge in our weekly (almost) date night. Savannah goes with us since she is only 6 months old and does qualify for our church's "free child care" (that's what I call it!), so it's not exactly a date, but we really enjoy our time together and our time with Savannah.

Some Wednesday evenings, there is an errand or two to run. Tonight was one of those nights. I dropped my husband off at Walmart with a short list, delivered a client order, picked up my husband, and we headed to Chickfila. We ate our dinner rather quickly as time was running short and then I asked my husband if he wanted me to get him an ice cream cone.

When I got to the counter, the girl on the other side asked what she could get for me. I realized I hadn't considered what size cone Daniel wanted. He was just a few tables away, so I called over, "Did you want a large cone?" I'm sure I could have worded that better. He stalled just a moment before joining me at the counter and responding with resounding "Sure!" I handed the girl two dollars, she handed me my change and suddenly there was a HUGE ice cream cone in front of me.

I'm not joking when I say that I don't think I've ever seen a cone that tall. "Wow!" I exclaimed, "that's a big cone!"

"For a girl!" Daniel retorted.

And so I held the cone tight all the way out the door, into the van, and all the way to church....licking my dear sweet ice cream cone that was much too big. But only for a girl. My husband begged and pleaded, but you simply can't pry someone's fingers off an ice cream cone without making a huge mess. Trust me on this. I'm experienced. Apparently so is he, because he waited until we got to the church before forcing me to hand over his large (now) medium cone while I went in to gather the kids.

To those of you who work in the children's department on Wednesday nights and take care of our children so we don't have to so we can go on a date....thank you. I mean that.

Indianapolis High School Senior Photographer

I forgot to mention last week that there is a new senior post up over on the senior blog! Go check out this beautiful girl!

Thank YOU!

Drumroll please..........

I'm so very excited to announce that Indy Photography's Haiti fundraiser raised a total of $452 for Compassion International's Disaster Relief Fund! Thank you SO MUCH to those of you who participated in the event! All of you collaboratively raised enough money to get basic medical supplies to treat up to 225 people!!

Now Offering Gift Certificates! | Indianapolis Photographer

I'm so excited about this! Along with lots of other changes that are currently taking place around here, I recently got my very first round of gift certificates printed! And they are darling, if I do say so myself. Endowed with the simple phrase 'for you', these gift certificates are perfect for birthdays, baby showers, engagements, or just because!

So...come one, come all! Buy your friends and family members a gift they'll truly cherish. No more unwanted baby booties or useless kitchen utensils! Now they can have a gift that they'll hold dear for years to come!

Gift certificates can be purchased with any major credit card in quantities of $50, $100, or $200 by casting a glance over to the right hand side of my blog where you'll see this:

Got questions before you buy? Shoot me an email and I'll get back with you ASAP! :)

Spring Has Sprung | Indianapolis Photographer

As much as I like to pretend I really love autumn...I know that it brings along the impending doom of winter. So, having reevaluated my liking of that season, I think I've come to the conclusion that spring is indeed a much better season. Everything is blooming and blossoming and turning green, and the world comes back to life!

This week, while out running errands, I stopped several times to take pictures of the beautiful trees and bushes and plants. Sure, I felt kind of silly sitting in the driveway of an old abandoned home as the rush hour traffic swept past me....but I was so happy to capture some of the beauty around me!

I Missed Easter

I meant to post a picture yesterday. I had it all planned out. I was going to dig up one of the images from our vacation - a beautiful palm branch - and then type 'Happy Easter' or 'He Is Risen' or some other catchy Easter phrase in the corner and post it here so that all of you could be wished a Happy Easter from Indy Photography. But do you want to know why it didn't happen? Because I was busy spending time with my family. And I'm pretty sure that's acceptable.

I am so excited to share some of our vacation pictures with you and show you what all we did while we were in Texas. So here goes...

We went to the ocean.

The kids loved it.

Especially Keaton.

The water was cold, but the kids didn't care.

I made sure they watched out for these bad boys:

They had fun building sandcastles....

....and blowing bubbles.

We went to the Texas State Aquarium

and saw lots of fun creatures.

We drove along the shore and saw lots of cute little beach homes like these:

There was play time in the van

and lightsaber fighting in elegant dresses

and plenty of uncooperative picture moments.

There was babywearing

and wedding attending

 and cacti shooting

and magazine reading.

There were funny owls

and pretty trees

and those famous Texas bluebonnets.

Oh, and chocolate!

We spent time with my parents

and my brother

and walked along the San Antonio Riverwalk as a family.

We acted goofy

and took pictures to prove it.

There were accidental shots of bees while intending to shoot flowers

and beautiful days filled with sunshine and blue skies.

It was a really great vacation.

Life, Death, and Christianity

I know I said a few months ago that I was going to start blogging more. I mean, blogging. Like....writing. But then life was busy and I dropped off the face of the earth and lost my mind and....well, it just didn't happen like I had planned. But I have so many thoughts floating through my head right now and since I have not blogged anything lately, I thought I would blog my thoughts. There will not likely be much continuity to this post, so....consider yourself warned.

First of all, I cannot even express to you how excited I am that spring seems to have finally arrived. This winter was long for me. Very long. I'm not sure if I was suffering from postpartum depression, SAD, or if I was just out of it after having my 4th baby in six years, but something was definitely not right this winter. I forgot to pay bills, forgot to tithe, completely neglected any sort of Bible memorization, and basically felt like a blob for several months. I worked a lot on my branding and marketing, became easily frustrated with my kids, and somehow got lost in all the business of life. Now that spring is here, I am feeling more like myself. Still insanely busy, but happier. More energetic. And all around, I just feel better.

Spring signifies the start of new beginnings, the beauty of a new season, and lots of growth. I desire more than anything else this year to grow closer to Jesus than ever before. It's so easy to lose focus in today's culture. We busy ourselves with every little thing and sometimes oftentimes fail to make time for things that matter. Things like Jesus. My prayer is that I won't be so distracted with all the cleaning, playing, working, laundry, cooking, and enjoying life - but will focus on Him.

Tonight was difficult for me. Two weeks ago I received the heart-wrenching news that a friend of mine - who had been pregnant with triplets - lost all three babies very suddenly. She was halfway through her pregnancy, so all three babies were well-formed, tiny little people. The news was absolutely devastating to me. I am so thankful that I have never suffered through the loss of a child or even a miscarriage, but so many people who are close to me have and I know the pain must be so great. Then multiply that by three. So much in life does not seem fair. And even though, as a Christian, I know without a doubt that God has a plan and that He works out all things for the good of His people.....there is hardly an ounce of consolation in that at a time like this. At a get-together this evening, I was able to talk with my friend for the first time since the babies were delivered. We cried together as she showed me pictures of her sweet boys, relayed the story of their birth to me, and talked about what might have been. I shared with her what a mess I was in the greeting card isle at CVS as I opened up card after card after card that all seemed to say the same thing:

Cherish the memories.

What memories? She has no memories. They were born and were gone in an instant. A part of me was angry that Hallmark had nothing better to say than to cherish the memories. But another part of me was saddened by the fact that so many cards were absolutely and utterly hopeless. I simply cannot understand how reading the words 'My thoughts are with you' would be of any comfort to me during a time when I had lost a loved one. Prayers matter. Thoughts? Well, they're nice. But they aren't going to get me anywhere. Without the Lord, I have no idea how people get through the loss of a parent or sibling, let alone a child. Let alone three children. I am so thankful that my friend is a believer and can hold onto the fact that she will see her three boys once again in the future when they are reunited in heaven.

I can imagine it must be so difficult for people who suffer a miscarriage, loss of a child, or infertility. But it's also difficult on the other side of the spectrum. Daniel and I are so burdened for those who have trouble bearing children and find it difficult that we find it so ridiculously easy. We know plenty of couples who would give anything to be able to have 4 children in 10 or 15 years, but 4 children in 6 years is...well....pretty fertile. And we find it incredibly awkward to be on the extreme opposite end of the spectrum when someone close to us shares with us their loss. I'm learning to be as sensitive as possible while also wondering why the Lord has chosen to bless us so abundantly with children but has chosen not to do so with others - others who so desperately want children. I know it all reverts back to 'He has a plan', but...sometimes it seems it would be easier if only He would share that plan with us.

My heart is full of joy and sorrow today and since I know no one else who can properly handle such a mess of emotions, I will simply bask in the beauty of the Lord and trust that He does have a plan...even if I don't understand it.