A fun, modern couple!

I have been soooo busy! I had a great marriage session with this great couple a few weeks ago and they were the best! I love being able to be different, try new things, push the norm, so to speak. Well, this couple allowed me to do all of that and more. First, they had this incredible home filled with art--photographic art, metal art, all very beautiful and thought out. Then they had these great big friendly dogs who were so curious and loved to be around and see what the new girl was doing in the house. They then shared with me their love for dirtbiking. I really enjoyed getting to know this couple! They had so many interests, it was easy to see they really enjoy life and their hobbies. I was so fortunate that they allowed me to come in and try to record their lives right now; I did my best to represent what was most important to them. I have been having an absolute blast with these images and although I'm not yet done processing, I am excited to share this sneak peak into this amazing session!

Lathan is growing!

He's gi-normous! Yes, he is. He has to have a "big-boy" bottle, if there is such a thing.. I have to say I am in love with the cooing in the morning. I just adore it. I don't know how I can live without cooing in the house; it just warms my inner being! Is there any other sound that's better to wake to? Can there possibly be? Perhaps. A memory from my childhood comes to mind when I would wake to the sound of my dad mowing the lawn outside. I know it sounds crazy, but it was oh so comforting! I miss him so. Ok, not here to cry! Haha! I love my daddy!

Well, anyhow, here's a couple of shots from this weekend and this will complete your baby update!

Baby girl newborn!

Yay! I haven't had a newborn shoot in sooo long and this one was just amazingly awesome! This little sweetness was awake and alert almost the entire time and was a jewel to work with. She captured my heart and since mom signed up for the baby growth plan, she'll be gracing me with her presence 3 more times this year; I can't wait to watch her grow! Loving every minute! Thanks, Karen, for letting me live my vicarious 3rd baby life through you; I hope I have more! Haha! I am definitely needing another girl. Ahem--anyway, since my youngest is only 5 months, I should change the subject! :)~

Check her out; she is absolutely gorgeous!!

Wedding Pictures!

Ahhh...weddings are wonderful! I had a few shots I wanted to share with you from a wedding I did recently. I thought the girls getting ready before the ceremony was so cute, I kept snapping away!

I caught her gazing one last time at herself in the mirror...on her wonderful day! How beautiful she must have felt, and it shows!

This shot just makes me smile. It seems as if she's really floating. I actually think she may have been! Radiant bride, that's for sure!

This couple was awesome! They met at a drama meet in high school and eventually came back around to that same stage they both knew so well only to tie the knot! What a sweet story!

Congratulations!

Tweet! Tweet!

Yay for social networking!...uh...sort of. So I had my twitter updates coming through to my blog and I thought, "How cool! Now my blog can be updated and moving; neat!" Well, to do that, I had to have my account on the public timeline, which allows everyone to see...I was kind of okay with that...until I checked recently and had these followers that wanted me to watch their videos! Ewww! Umm..no. Ha. So, I need to keep my messages off the public timeline. BUT, if you'd like to see them still, you can use the link on the right of this page and it takes you directly to my page and I think you can bookmark it too. If you have a twitter account, you can send a request to follow me and as long as you don't want me to watch your video, I think that will be great! Ha!

So many new and improved changes!

Stay tuned for a totally cool Facebook page for JH Capturing Creations coming soon and add us as a friend! We will be posting pictures from sessions you don't see anywhere else, updates to packages and pricing, model calls (these sessions are free to first responders!!), special discount opportunities, and some other really cool stuff. You'll get to know me and Carly a bit better as we will both be on there making changes! How cool is that? Yes, the introduction post to Carly and all her coolness is coming soon too! Ha! In addition to Facebook, I also added my Flickr picture account for you! The link to my pictures is on the right side of this page under Places for you to Visit. I have a rolling slideshow of my public account to attribute that awesome slideshow to! Feel free to comment here, there, anywhere about any of the pictures you see! :)

Enjoy some pictures of fireworks from last year and have a great, awesome, fantastic 4th of July everyone!! Please pray for our country and our leaders! God listens!

Bragging Time!!

My kids are the best! Haha. Get right to the point, I guess!

Rio has been doing great with dance except she hardly listens to the instructor...who needs instructions when your ideas are so much better and funner (is that a word? I don't think so but it sounds good!)? She's having fun though, and feels like a ballerina princess each time! That's what counts at this stage (per the instructor--you go, girl), so I encourage her to participate in what the rest of the class is doing, but I don't stress when she's not--for both our sakes! Ha! Thankfully, she does listen to the important ones like, "stand like this" or "find the black line!", so that's been fun to watch. Here's a couple of her doing what she does best--twirling! I don't know where she got this from--she's been doing it a long time--but she always starts her twirl with her hand on her chest and then twirls, regathers, hand on chest, twirl. It's so hilarious to watch!

And this is what I mean by her doing her own thing...

Haha! Give the kid a break! She had swim class for an hour right before this class! Ha!

Then there's the other Holub baby. I will from now on refer to him as Superbaby; maybe Superman eventually! He went to his very first baseball game with us on Friday--it was the Astros against the Detroit Tigers in Minute Maid Park. The Astros won the game 5-4 and it was an absolute blast! Best time I think I've ever had at a major league game before--for a lot of reasons, but mostly Lathan was an awesome fan!! Oh my word, I was soooo proud and soooo impressed with how good he did! He didn't cry once the entire time--even with all the noise, hooping, hollering, loud music, etc., he was as content as could be! At 4 months! Yes, he is Superbaby. He's a light sleeper and only got to sleep for maybe 30 minutes from 7pm til 11pm because he first had to get over the heat, then I had to hold his head against my chest to stifle the sounds in one ear and cover his other ear with his burp cloth with my hand. It was pretty warm, but he still did not fuss. The park roof was closed and air conditioned, so eventually he cooled down, but it was still muggy. We got a brief time on the jumbotron too and Lathan can now brag how he got on it in his first game ever! After the game, the park hosted a great fireworks display set to music (they do this every Friday night, by the way), and he just watched in my arms. I plugged his ears to lessen the noise, but he sat in my lap contently and was mesmerized by the lights. It was so incredible to watch him witness them for the first time. I loved it!

Where did the time go??

Ok, so I spoke too soon! I have NO time! What in my right mind ever made me think I'd have time? Ha, I must laugh at my last post. What changed? My daughter's schedule! As I still feel like I'm stepping into parenthood and I'm getting a taste now of what it's like to have TWO; it has been a challenge to say the least! She has swimming at the YMCA Monday through Thursdays now, and the night before her first lesson, I was thinking about all I was going to have to do to prepare the night before. Wow. Get him ready, get her ready, take a change of clothes..will she need a shower, where will he stay, should I take him in with me, watch him get hungry just as we leave, what if we're late on the first day? Ahh!! I know you mothers out there are feeling my pain. How on earth did you do it? And the single moms? My hats off to you. I know I couldn't have done it myself; that's when I'd be throwing in the towel and say to her, "Well, I'll just teach you to swim myself one day..." Yep, I feel ya.

So here I am, off for the summer but still feel like I have a full-time job with the kids. It's been an adventure! Every now and then I get some time to step away and dive into all my sessions I've been itching to see! Recently I had a rare but fun studio session with a little angel baby and she was the best! Mom was so smart and brought her over at the peak of her day, fed her clear foods, and she was happy as can be. We had a great session for documenting her christening dress on her. This dress is amazing! Handmade by the baby's grandmother from her own wedding dress years before, it is a keepsake for sure. I was lucky enough to solidify the memories of this gorgeous heirloom on this baby and got some great shots! It seems every single image was outstanding; I had a hard time throwing any away. Then we had some fun with a tutu and some butterfly wings. Here's a few shots from this great session!

I'd also like to Praise God for some really great news in my family recently! My sister had a very big cancer scare and the doctors seemed sure she had lung cancer. As you can imagine, this idea has been tormenting our family and the thoughts of everything we needed to do for her were overwhelming us with fear. With lots of prayer and mercy, God delivered the test results to indicate yesterday that she did not have cancer, and what the doctors saw was not dangerous. My sister was so happy!! I am so happy for her, her family, her kids! It was an amazing testimony to what God does for people everywhere, every day. We so rarely hear about the near-misses, I just feel the need to tell you what God did for us in our lives recently. So many things to praise Him for; not enough room to mention it all! My life, although difficult and hurting at times, is changing for the better and so are the lives of the ones I love and I am grateful for that. For those that are still out of jobs and are still struggling emotionally and physically, you are all in my prayers. I love you and Jesus does too!!