I have said this before but it's worth saying again, "I love this family!" It is such an honor to capture them year after year!
Horray for being three years old!
this next one is my favorite way of capturing families. Everyone in the picture but, doing their own thing.
There's something very beautiful about train tracks. i guess cause it speaks about a journey somewhat unknown...that's kinda like parenting.
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Backyard summer fun at it's greatest!
I love this next one. I feel like it should be a summer card...with the inside cover saying, "wish you were here!"
Love this next one...she was going soooo fast she almost slipped out of the frame.
Nothing like a little sun to cheer you up on this dreary day!
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I've been blogging for a couple of years now and sometimes I blog because I need to process...this will be one of those times. Last night my two year old boy (Leyton) woke up 3am with a fever of 101 degrees. After throwing up I brought him into the bathroom to clean him up and he had a seizure in front of me. I've heard of this happening to other mom's but, let me tell you hearing about it and seeing your kid go through it are very different things. The seizure was fever induced...I didn't know what was happening or what I should do. So, I just kept my hands on him and kept saying his name praying that he would come back to me. I've never had that feeling before. It was only about 30-45 seconds but it felt like eternity before his eyes focused and he looked into mine. I felt so helpless. I called the nurse hotline and they recommended we take him to Children's Hospital. So, at 4am we dropped off Adriah at a friend's house and took Leyton and Clara to the emergency room. I love Children's Hospital but it holds many painful memories for both Matt and I...all those memories come back every time we're there and this time we were there for our own child.
He's fine now. We came home around 7am with the recommendation of getting a CATscan and an MRI next week...just to be sure. He continues to run a fever and doesn't want to eat but, i can tell he's on the mend.
I take comfort in the truth that my children are not my own. They belong to the Lord. I've dedicated each one to Him and He's entrusted me to be their mom - for a time. It is my deepest delight and heaviest burden. My responsibility is to keep praying for my son. That I can do.
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having an excuse for 14 girls to dress up in their fanciest clothes is what a 5 year old b-day party is all about...Adriah loves to dress up!
It was adorable to ask the girls to curtsy and see what they did!
The was the pose she gave me when I asked for her Fanciest Smile!
Some of these girls will be friends through out their lives...these pictures will be priceless when they are teenagers together.
Pinata anyone?
Who says fancy girls can't swing a bat?
When all the kids had their turns Cate stepped up and swung...one hit and she sent that tiara flying! EVEN IN HEELS!
Our "fancy" girl!
SILLY FACES!
Hope you this brings a smile to your face...I love these pictures.
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I'm back taking pictures...nothing like starting with a newborn shoot!
This precious family is very dear to my heart. Our little girls were born weeks apart and we already have great plans for them to be the best of friends!
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For a long time I've resisted putting my logo on every single image I put on my blog because I see it on other people's work and I find it hugely distracting. Having said that, I know I need to protect my work and let people know who it belongs to. Plus, I've been wanting to increase my Photoshop skills so that I can showcase a series of images together - capturing more emotion.
So, last night I have a graphic artist friend over and we messed around with images I've taken over the last few weeks and made them into masterpieces...if i do say so myself. I want to do these more...especially for my family shoots!
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I was thinking about this today...and I thought I'd share my thoughts with you! Here's the ages and why I think it's important to capture it. 1. Newborn (1-2 weeks) Capturing a baby tiny body, wrinkling skin, fluffy hair, swollen nose and of course, fingers and toes! They change so fast and you can't go back.
2. Three months - Ohh I love this age! They are still tiny but able to hold up their head, lay on their tummy, give you a smile and make eye contact!
3. Six months - Here's where they start to strut their stuff! They can sit up (and if they aren't able to on their own we can always fake it!), lay on their tummy, push up and maybe even crawl!
4. One Year - Means a fancy outfit, hair cutest and lots of expressions.
5. Two Year - They are off! Still have some of the chubby cheeks and softness!
6. Three Years - They are starting to lose their baby-ness, like to be in pictures, talking with tons new expressions and so much more!
7. Between 4-6 Years old - before their front teeth fall out! This is a necessity...You can't go back!
8. Between 9-11 - after their teeth have grown back in and they are little adults.
9. Family Portraits - all kids as teenagers. The adult family intact before the oldest kids start leaving for college.
10 . Senior Portraits - capturing them alone as an adult...focusing only on them and their passion for life!
Yup. If I could chose my top ten for you...this would be it!
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I've had several emails with questions about the Mini Sessions so I'm going to answer them on the blog but, before I do I want to make a correction...
The Mini Sessions will be on Saturday, June 12th (not Sunday, the 13th.) Sorry for the confusion!
Here's how the Mini Sessions work:
1. Mini Sessions are booked by emailing info@noemiphotography.com (Space is limited)
2. Each family will be given a 45 minute time slot (Normal time slot is an hour and half)
3. Cost is $225 plus tax (Normal Portrait Session $450)
4. A few of your portraits will be on the blog within a week...kinda a sneak peek :)
5. Receive a disc with 30-50 edited images (with permission to reproduce images)
6. Online viewing and purchasing through Pictage.com (90 days)
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Need to get your family portraits done this summer?
I want you to know about "Mini Sessions" with NoemiPhotography!
When: June 13th, 2010 (limited sessions available)
Cost: $225 plus tax ($450 value)
PLAN AHEAD...Mini Session in the fall will be at Minnesota Harvest (the Apple Orchard!)
Email info@noemiphotography.com to reserve your session today!
5 sleeps left and my baby will be 5 years old! She can't wait! I love seeing how she revels in getting older and of course, her birthday party. We landed on a "Fancy Nancy" theme for this year and you know I'm going to get killer pictures from that party! Until then, here's the pictures from a recent photoshoot! I'll have you know she directed most of these shots...
i love my little girl...there's no one in the world like her! I'm so proud of the little girl she is and the women she is becoming.
I pray for the wisdom and discernment I need to lead her the way she needs. I believe the Lord chose me to be her Mom but, I still need to ask Him for help in raising her.
He knows her best!
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My four year old (will be five next week) daughter loves to dress up! Any outfit will do. she loves princess of course but, she also loves being a chef, a gardener, a lion, a superhero...you name it! A while back I let her dress up in whatever she wanted (A huge deal at our house!) and then I took pictures of her. She's loves to be dramatic so I thought, "Why not?" Here's pictures from our Cinderella shoot:
Gotta love the Bethany Church tattoo on her arm - I didn't photoshop it out on purpose cause it makes me laugh every time!
My gorgeous girl...where did you get those amazing lashes!???
Photography pointers:
- I shot everything right beside the biggest windows I could find...keeping my ISO low (100-400)
- I didn't use direct sunlight but defused light. (I love soft light on kids skin making them more innocent looking)
- I always had her chin pointed slightly towards the window - often by asking her to look outside. ( I like being able to see both eyes and not have shadows covering one.)
- To get character shots I would ask her about Cinderella, "Was she happy to clean?" "What else did Cinderella clean?" (She loves playing a part so why not let her and capture it?)
- Shoot something the subject is interested in. She loved seeing these pictures as I was taking them and she kept asking me to shoot more! (she picked it and when she was done with the shoot so was I - well, not really but, I chose to be!)
Have fun with your camera and your kids! It's really an incredible thing!
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I don't know about you but I love FREE things! I usually find out about cool events like this too late (mostly cause I don't watch the news or read it online or anything like that...I rely on my husband and neighbor to fill me in on the important things that are happening in the world!) So, I when I got this info through my daughter's pre-school I decided to blog about it: Prior Lake and Savage are joining forces to put on a HUGE Carnival.
Here's the main details:
WHO: everyone is invited (kids 2-92)
Where: Prior Lake High School
When: Saturday April 17th noon to 6pm
What: tons of games, prizes, carnival food (which will be what my husband is most excited about) and HUGE Silent Action.
Hope you are able to go! HAVE FUN! Tell them I sent you - just kidding.
Want to learn more? Follow this link
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My world has changed a ton over the past few months. Last night I went to bed at 11pm, was up at 1pm, and then again at 3pm and 5:30am and started my day at 7:30am! But,even though I'm not sleeping I'm having a blast with my kids. Being home with them is the greatest blessing...I am so in love with them! Now I want to turn the focus to my son Leyton...he turns 2 next week and his Birthday Party is tomorrow! He has a special place in my heart...my boy!
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How can you not fall in love with a perfect little baby as cute as mine? Here's "Little Miss Clara" at two weeks old. Sweet girl, I fall more in love with you every day...look at that cute little bum!
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i couldn't resist...
The girls...we out number the boys now!
Our little princess was trying so hard...I love that she wore her tiara to meet Clara for the first time.
Who says newborns don't smile!?
for those of you wondering where this adorable outfit came from...Oh baby in the Galleria Mall, Edina, MN
Have a mentioned that I married the most amazing man? He's a wonderful husband and an amazing Father...here he is loving on his new baby!
Thanks for sharing in my family with me. I'm totally content. thankful. at peace. I am blessed beyond belief.
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I am happy to announce the arrival of my perfect little girl:
CLARA ISABEL HEDRICK
Her name means: Brilliant; Shining Light; Consecrated to God!
Born: Feb 3rd, 2010
Time: 2:22am
Weight: 6lbs and 9 oz
Length: 20 inches
Isn't she beautiful!?
And with every family of five comes a....Minivan! So, yesterday we bought a Honda Odyssey and it's beautiful - really, it's BEAUTIFUL! Probably the prettiest car I've ever seen...I know some of you are laughing right now but, I told Matt that he bought me my dream car and I meant it! There's something really amazing about joining the ranks of "BIG" families and having the freedom to bring extra kids along anytime we want! For those of you who don't have a van you can keep laughing at me...I don't mind!
I also wanted to announce the WINNER OF THE "GUESS HER BIRTH-DATE" Contest...actually there are two!
Vicki Willcock AND Yvette Edwards
One thing I didn't think through was what will happen when two people gets certain portions of the questions right and I guess the answer is they tie!
Here's what they guessed:
Vicki - Tuesday, February 2nd, 6 lbs 8oz. and 19 inches.
Yvette: I am going to say Tuesday Feb 2 at around 10pm and I think she will be 7lbs 2 oz and 19 1/2 inches long.
They tied on the date, Vicki won for weight, and Yvette won for length...so, I'm going to bite the bullet and award them both a $15 Itunes Gift Card! A special thank you to everyone else who played!
I'm home and overwhelmed with joy! Feeling great even though I know I won't be getting a lot of sleep of the coming months. There is grace and I will need it!
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I feel a change coming. Last night I started having painful contractions for the first time. It really threw me. I don't normally (well, for my last two kids) have painful contractions until I'm in labor. It made me nervous. I know the baby would likely be fine but, it's still a little early. The irregular pain went on for about 3 hours and I just tried to stay on my left side and get some sleep. I know that real labor can not be put off so, I figured my body would tell me. I woke up at 6am relieved. I have an appointment today and it will feel good to get things check and figure things out. Having a baby is such a mystery. I know this change soon. I'm 36 weeks on Friday. The end of a pregnancy is such a mixed bag...you go from desperately wanting to be done to not wanting your baby to come too early in the same thought.
I'll keep you posted.
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Last week I told you about a concert we're taking Adriah to at the Cedar and I told you a little about my idea to turn it into a mini-contest for free tickets...here's more details! The Sweet Colleens Monkey Dance Competition
Want to win 4 free tickets to the Sweet Colleens’ Monkey Dance January 30 release concert at the Cedar Cultural Center (for more details, see www.sweetcolleens.com/monkeydance.html), as well as a free CD, and a chance to strut your stuff on stage? Then enter the Sweet Colleens Monkey Dance Homemade Video competition!
We need someone to come up with a beast dance to our new CD’s title track, The Monkey Dance. So, with the help of our friends at Noemi Photography (fantastic photography, BTW), we have put together a homemade video contest and want YOU to send us a video showing us how you think the Monkey Dance should be danced. (To hear the song, click on this link – www.sweetcolleens.com/monkeydance.html.) As you will hear, the song has some actions, like “swing to the left” and “shake your booty.” It also has some general rockin’-out sections where you need to “Do the Monkey Dance.” Got any ideas? We’d love to see them. Here’s what you’ve got to do:
1. Get a recording of The Monkey Dance. Either use the streaming version at www.sweetcolleens.com/monkeydance.html (which is not downloadable), or send an email to info@noemiphotography.com mentioning the video competition and we will email you a downloadable version (mp3) of the song for you to use.
2. Make an AWESOME (family-friendly, ahem) video of yourself, someone else, or any number of people doing the Monkey Dance to the song. It doesn’t have to be high quality – use a video camera, a cell phone, a camera, your computer… whatever you’ve got. Just as long as we can see the dance. (To give you an idea, here is an entry by the Sweet Colleen’s accordion player Pete -- http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1294181070958... Yeah, a little creepy, we know.)
3. Email your video to info@noemiphotography.com, ASAP and no later than Tuesday January 26, 2010. Send it as a file or as a link to YouTube or Facebook… whatever works best. Notable entries will be pasted on the Sweet Colleens Facebook page --http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Colleens/150908090594 – and on www.noemiphotography.com.
4. After our esteemed panel of judges reviews the entries, we will announce the winner and post the winning video on the Sweet Colleens’ Facebook, on noemiphotography.com and in an eblast prior to the concert. The winner will receive 4 free tickets to the concert, a copy of the CD, and an opportunity (if you want to!) to come onstage at the concert and help us teach the audience the Monkey Dance.
Oh yeah… videos can only be submitted with parental approval. By sending the video, you are giving us permission to use your image and publicly display your video. For this reason, please don’t include your name or other identifying information in the video itself.
That’s it! Get shooting and have fun!
IT WILL BE SUCH A FUN THING TO DO WITH YOUR KIDS! Or COLLEGE ROOM-MATES! Or GRANDMA! Everyone is invited to do the monkey dance! i'm laughing at my own ideas already!
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Want to get out of the cold with your kids? Take them to this CD release party in January...you won't regret it! Listen to the AWESOME SONGS here!
Brighten up your January with a sweet concert celebrating the release of The Monkey Dance: All the Kids Are Doin’ It, a special new kids CD by Twin Cities’ Celtic-folk-rock favorites, the Sweet Colleens (www.sweetcolleens.com).
The release will be at the Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave S., Minneapolis, on Saturday, January 30. There will be two show times for maximum naptime flexibility--11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Joining the Colleens on stage will be several special guests, including our new friends, the fabulous inner city kids' singing group, the Minneapolis Youth Chorus, who laid down some golden vocals on several tracks of the new CD.
Admission is $10, $5 for kids age 2-12, and free for kids under 2! Reserve your tickets early. Call the Cedar Cultural Center Box Office at 612-338-2674, or visit www.thecedar.org.
LOOKING FOR AN ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE? Create your own version of the Monkey Dance, send me a video, we're going to post all the entries and vote on a winner - THEY WILL GET 4 FREE TICKETS TO THE CONCERT AND THEY WILL GET TO COME UP ON STAGE AND TEACH THE AUDIENCE THE NEW "OFFICIAL" MONKEY DANCE!
Don’t forget your monkey-dancing shoes! Sociable! --The Sweet Colleens
p.s. Please help us spread the word by forwarding this post to anyone you know who might enjoy the January 30th shows and/or the upcoming CDs. Thanks!
***On a personal note...being 37weeks pregnant at the time of the concert - I fully intend to do TONS of dancing so encourage this baby to come!
This morning my son was sleeping and so I had time alone with Adriah. My mom gave her this adorable little book set for Christmas...it came with three bears (which Adriah gives new names every day!) and a book of their adventures together. She loves playing with them...and I love watching her. It inspired me to take some pictures. Sometimes there's nothing more beautiful then your own child being a child. She loves to play and sing to her toys! (In case you're wondering why her fingers are so red - we did finger painting earlier and didn't get it all off!)
I love her so much!
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