South Africa:Part 1

After 31 hours of travel time, my great friend Mindy and I, made it to Cape Town, South Africa. We are staying with my long time Scottish friend, Naomi...possibly the greatest hostess in the world (besides my mommy).

Naomi had to work the first day so she booked a wine tour for us in Stellenbosch...where she lives. It was fabulous. What a perfect thing to do on our first day. The landscape is amazing here! And we slept well :o) I don't feel the 6 hour jet lag at all.

The second day we ventured to Cape Point. It was a little rainy, but bits of sunshine were pouring through. The drive was sensational. It must be hard to drive two photographers around...pull over here, pull over here! By the time we actually made it to the point the clouds were surrounding us, so we had another great drive back to Capetown :)

Today our adventures take us back over to Capetown to do the cable car up table mountain, explore the city...and possibly gamble on seeing the Point again. Off to see some more of God's awesomeness...

These were the only grapes left since it is fall here...I think they were sad without their friends!





Photographers hate getting pictures of themselves, but we just have to do it. We are in these beautiful gardens in one of the vineyards...it reminded me of a scene out of The Secret Garden.








I was quite happy to have the clouds with us this day. I think it adds such texture to the sky!


This vineyard also had olive trees.


This was just one of many beaches on the way to the Point...surfer huts.


LOVE these rocks.





One of the fishermen wanted me to take his picture...um...hello...okay!


The penguins were all with their young babies. They almost look the same size, but they are super furry.





These girls were precious! And they could totally dance. I love the movement of her necklace on this one.


I don't usually encourage people to take pictures in their cars as they are zooming by, but these
next two pictures are from our zooming car...and I love them :o)

Melt My Heart Twins...

I'm leaving for South Africa tomorrow, but I just had to do one more post before I left.  This sweet Mama and I have been trying to plan a session since February.  Her babies have been in and out of the hospital, so we've had to reschedule a few times.  Needless to say, these two stole my heart right away.  Trying to slow down 2 one year olds who just learned to walk was out of the question...so I ran with them.  They're fast. 

I love documenting life as it is. I think it helps us to remember what life is at this exact moment...not perfect.  Not necessarily bad, just the daily grind of funny things that happen, frustrating monotonous routines, soul wrenching looks of love, bear hugs that don't let go.  Just life.  I feel like I captured a glimpse of that below.  Wet eyelashes from a quick cry, pacifiers...because sometimes Mommy just wants to breathe!, movement because life flies by, G-tubes because God gives us what we can handle, and eating puffs off the carpet because that's the only way we could keep them still for a second :o)  I hope you enjoy some of this family's moments of life.

I LOVE these eyelashes!




Everyday play













I love the movement of this picture!






Nothing slows this little man down!

Sandy + Nick = Married!

Nick and Sandy are both teachers, so I felt instantly connected to them. I absolutely loved their engagement session. I knew almost all of Sandy's bridesmaids from a previous wedding she was in (Nikki and Troy) so they knew how I "rolled". However, they totally threw me for a loop with the new Roller Coaster pose. See below for examples :o)  One of my favorite parts of the day was jumping in the vintage Volkswagen Beetle with the newly married couple.  Sandy and Nick were also so gracious to jump out of their car and take pictures with me along the way to the reception.  Thanks Sandy and Nick!    Slideshow will be coming soon :o)

This dress was a champagne color which looks perfect with Sandy's skin...creamy!


Hot Mama shoes!





I could literally take pictures of this girl for weeks. 


As photographers we have to decide how to use the bright sunlight...hide from it, or use it to our advantage.  I think it worked well...especially against the awesome textured rock wall.


There are A LOT more where this came from!











This picture was (re)posed.  Nick's Dad took this exact same picture (sans peach tuxes) when he was married at the same church.


Sandy was glowing all the way down the aisle.


Nick waited for her and then did this...awwww


Loving the sun in this one too.


In the car!








The weather was so perfect!


Gorgeous!


I love this one.  They're so happy!





Sandy and Nick hand painted each place card while they listened to their favorite music.


Their favorite bands were then the names of each table...such a cool idea!


Pst...see the bulletin board behind them.  Even though this wasn't planned, I love that it was there representing 2 teachers :o)

Oklahoma...I mean Rock Bama

I've had this idea for a while now. No matter how you voted or what you think, this is a historical year. I want my kids to know that they were a part of that! I wanted all three of them to be reading a magazine with the Obama's on the front of it. Here was my idea coming to fruition, well...as good as 3 toddlers can do.

The second part of this is possibly inappropriate, but quite hilarious. My hubby purchased a Barack Obama Chia pet at Walgreens. I'm pretty sure they have pulled them off the shelves at this point, but you can buy them online. I've always wanted a Chia pet. Kylie was VERY excited about seeing the hair grow. At first she called "him" Oklahoma, but now affectionately calls him 'Rock Bama. It's actually a great science and history lesson. We water him everyday and turn him different directions toward the sun. She also knows what a President does and how he can help us. Unfortunately at this point, the Rock has some male patterned balding going on...but the kids are hoping that "it will grow on top!"

Go BIG!

I FINALLY took some pictures of my kiddies. I have not been super awesome about doing these regularly, but I'm trying! I just put them in front of a simple wall next to some beautiful window light. They did a pretty good job considering. But the reason I'm showing these is because I finally order a big ol' 20x20 print. I've had an empty IKEA frame in my home for longer than I'd like to admit, that was screaming for a print. I made a collage and had it printed...it is soooo awesome. I also just printed off huge engagement prints of all different sizes to use for a bride's reception at The Mavris. They are going to be perfect! I encourage you to think big next time you order your prints/canvases...you will NOT be disappointed.  

Here is the final product...I LOVE it! It's the perfect size.

Pregos!

I love shooting bellies!  I recently had 2 sessions.  I went a little abstract with a few of them, but I think they are awesome.  I didn't use any textures.  These are straight out of camera and just changed to b/w.  I can't show you all of them, as some are for hubby's only...but here are my favorites.  

Please let me know if you are interested, or would like to gift a belly/newborn session!

I think the S of a woman's back is super sexy!


This one is through the shower door.


Ahhh...I LOVE hands all tangled together!




LOVE the little bow!


I had her stand behind the curtain/blinds. Love it!

Ben Turns the Big UNO: Sneak Peek

3 Brothers and Lots of Babies!

Sweet Ben just turned one and I got to be at his birthday party!  Luckily ALL of his cousins joined him.

I've known these 3 brothers for a while and it's so fun to see them be Dads now!  And their sweet babies are too cute for words.  Take a look at these to see what I mean.                                                                              

The fishy face:  
Ben just started walking, but when he needs to go fast, he can crawl at supersonic speed...  This is what was behind me the whole time I was shooting.  
These kids have THE most beautiful eyes!  

The Dumpster Part 2: VOTE NOW

Did I mention yesterday that my dumpster also had a shopping cart, a Christmas tree and a mattress in it...so technically I didn't fill the WHOLE thing up :o)  These types of things make me feel better about myself.

Like Father, like daughter. My Dad is like me on glue.  So many thoughts, so little time to finish ANY of them.   Many of my friends found treasures in my Dad's garage...the holy grail of un-organization.  Of course, he could find anything that you needed, so technically, he wasn't THAT unorganized.  VCR-check, skis of any size-check, rackets of any shape-check, old stoves-check, ROUS-check (just kidding).   He also gave me his love of photography, outgoing personality and all around good looks :o) he he he

So going back to my picture of lots of tickets shoved in a glass.  I used to write on the back of these ticket stubs and then put them in the glass.  I haven't looked at these for years, but I did find some keepers that I just had to share with you.  Below are my top 30 favorite things I found while cleaning.  Many of you will appreciate these...many of you will think I'm old.  Either way, I hope some of these make you smile.  I've numbered them (and commented on most), so please leave a comment, vote on your favorite square, or pour out your heart about any of them.

enjoy.

Here's a big version...


Here's a skinny version


!

1) Steve Alford  2) Hook  3) Father of the Bride  4)Beauty and the Beast  5) Dangerous Minds  6) Sandlot  7) Aladdin  8) Pacers vs. Magic  9) The Lion King  10) Fried Green Tomatoes  11) The Hand that Rocks the Cradle  12)The Phantom of the Opera  13) White Men Can't Jump  14)Miss Saigon  15)Robinhood  16)  Steel Magnolias  17) London Underground  18) Sleepless in Seattle  19) JFK  20) Dead Poets Society  21) Tiffany & NKOTB  22) Dances with Wolves  23) Ghost  24)Letterman Pass  25) Basketball Ticket  26)NKOTB 27) Back of ticket 28) Girl Scout ID  29) Prom Brochure  30) IOU Card

Kiera's Own Extreme Home Makeover:

I'm a pile-er...I'll admit it.  When Josh and I were first married, he sweetly and reluctantly asked if I had a "plan" for the large pile on the stairs.  I lied and said, "of course!"  Many years and many "Kiera Piles" later, the issue was still the same.  This past week, my not-so-subtle-hubby brought a dumpster to our alley.  No...I'm not joking. It was time to purge.  The whole 3 kids in 3 years thingy, an entire 3rd grade classroom in our garage, childhood memories, old family hand me downs etc were starting to take over our lives.  We never took anything out, we only added to the mess.  I recently told a friend of mine that in the last 4.5 years, I've never sat down to watch a show/movie without feeling some sort of guilt...there was always something that needed to be done.  I've always felt that if I could get everything sorted out, and start from zero again, that I would find a system to keep everything maintained and cleaned.  At least that is my hope!

So now, the dumpster has been filled, the kids' clothes have been sorted, the teaching materials have been organized, the attic has been de-cluttered, the piles have been filed, the walls have even been repainted.  Ahhhh...I can breathe a bit better now.  I still have a few things that I need to clean out (old film stuff), but for the most part, we are pile-free.  My hubby is a do-er, and I am so grateful for that.  I truly believe we marry people that will help us in the places that we are weak and encourage us to be better (even in not so subtle ways :o)  I definitely needed a kick in the pants, and I feel freer because of it.  And the more freedom we have in our lives...the more time we have to do things that we love...like take pictures of our children (see above picture)

Since I didn't have the heart to take some before and after pictures....here are some precious memories that will either make you laugh because you had them too or they bring back great memories...or you may cry, because you realize the amount of crap that I've kept all these years :o)

This was one of four that I found thank you very much. I especially love Donnie's overalls :o)

Johnny Depp...before the Oscar buzz...if you've never heard of 21 Jumpstreet, you're dead to me...

Check back to tomorrow to find out what amazingness is in this glass...I know...you can hardly contain yourself!

I'm Back! And I have good excuses :o)

So my nemesis, Facebook, has been stealing my time and blog ideas lately. So I've decided to write a post everyday this week.  I'm excited to take the time to write more than one sentence at a time, but I may need some encouragement...so please feel free to leave me some comments :o)  

This month has flown by.  Josh was in a motorcycle accident about a month ago.  He is doing well and limping around now, but our lives were put on hold for a while.  The picture below is Josh's wedding ring after the wreck.  It's now a reminder of how precious life is. 

I have lots of pictures and hilarious stories to tell you  he he he.  So check back everyday for a quick pick me up.  There will even be voting involved at some point :o)

Hugs,

Kiera

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer my time at the Extreme makeover: Home Edition. Being a wife of a builder I was in awe of how quickly everything was put together. In the time I was there an entire fence was put up, hardwood floors were installed and an entire backyard was landscaped! Seriously? Not only was everything a well-oiled machine, but the energy was sensational. All of the volunteers just blew me away. From dusting and picking up wood, to passing out drinks and snacks, they were always smiling!  The spirit of volunteerism was really overwhelming.  

I also got to meet Michael, Ed, Paige, and their awesome crew.  It was fun to watch them do "takes" and to see their personalities...all lovely :o)

Coming from a rehabbed neighborhood myself, I am sooo happy to hear the Estridge is also doing many other houses in the neighborhood.  We are all about bringing community to the inner city.  Yaye Estridge!

WARNING: some of the pictures below show the house a bit, so if you want a surprise, you'll have to wait until late May.