Without further ado, meet the second completely adorable family that was nominated for our Giving is Awesome portrait giveaway.  These girls were just amazing….full of life, and spunky too!

I have soooo many favorites from this session, but I’m loving these ones of the girls in front of the red door!  ….sigh….  They weren’t sure about getting so close, but I told them they are going to love having these images when they grow up!

Beautiful family….

so sweet….

Are they not the cutest couple, I mean like ever???

sweet snuggles….

It was truly a blessing to meet each one of you and to spend time with your sweet sweet family.  Your love for one another is so evident, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to capture a small bit of this moment in your lives.  

xoxo
dana 

P.S.  PLEASE VOTE for the Giving is Awesome Tour. It’s a chance to sponsor 12 photographers to travel the country in a tour bus and give the gift of portraits to families with children struggling with childhood cancer. It’s a great cause. PLEASE take a moment to REGISTER AND VOTE, and ask your friends and family to do the same. GO HERE TO VOTE.

During the holidays, I participated in a portrait giveaway with Giving is Awesome. Though I had planned on choosing only one family to win a custom portrait session, I was so touched by the nominations, that I ended up choosing two.

Before I share the images, I wanted to share their nomination.

“Jonathan and his beautiful wife Jazmin have two wonderful girls, and a little baby boy on the way. They have always inspired those around them with their perseverance, determination, and most of all, their kindness.

Shortly after September 11th 2001, Jonathan was called into active duty with the Army for a tour in Iraq. At that time, Jazmin was about to finish her degree in Education and had just found out she was expecting her second child.

Although Jonathan was gone for over a year, she persevered in her studies, finished her degree, and purchased a home all the while with a toddler in tow and another one on the way. During this time although she was bombarded with emotion, she was always there with a smile, a kind word and a helping hand. Jonathan finally returned home to meet his daughter when she was about 6 months old.

All the years since, they have always worked hard together to provide a better life for their family. Recently, Jonathan has been out of work and their car was stolen. Jazmin was in the process of completing her Principal Certification.

I know things have been really tough for them but I don’t think they quite realize that through their diligence, they inspire others to keep going towards their goals no matter what the circumstances are. I just feel that anything that would brighten their Christmas is worth taking the time for. A gift of a family portrait will last a lifetime, a beautiful memory they can cherish forever. Thank you for your consideration and God bless.”

Just sharing one image that I love since every post needs an image!  I’ll be sharing images from their session tomorrow…

This family was the winner of our big holiday giveaway. You can read their story here…

Where do I begin with this family?!!  They were just such a pleasure work with, and their love for each other is sooo evident.  It was f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g, literally…like 28 degrees, so we were running in and out of the car warming up every 10 minutes.  The kids were amazing troopers through it all, even the lil’ 10 month old…for which I felt sooo bad making him take his jacket on and off!

I think it was worth it though, and hope that I captured a little bit of their love…and some memories that they can cherish for many many years.

Meet Miss Brooke…she’s a total sweetheart.

Sharing a little sisterly fun!

Faith is the big sister to everyone.  She’s more amazing than she realizes.

Here we were standing in the middle of a corn field, with very high and freezing cold winds…and look how sweet and warm their love is!

The whole kit and kaboodle.  I adore this image…really.

Thank you soooo much for sharing yourselves with me on a cold winter day!  Please keep me up to date on all the news on your soon to be new life in Italy.  (yep, they are being stationed in Italy come March!)

This family was actually our very first ‘official’ children’s session back in 2007.  Since then, they have become dear friends to me and have also added a new member to their family!  I feel so blessed to have been able to share their new little love with them, and capture her sweet, squishy, newborn spirit.  The first few weeks of life in the ‘outside’ world is such an amazing and beautiful time…it’s like we want to hold on to that moment forever.  But alas, they grow!  and grow and grow!  At least we can hold on to the memories.

Introducing the much adored, Amelie Noel…

She was such a dream baby to work with… she was so peaceful, and followed direction quite well!

This one ‘might’ be my favorite…  I love them all, so it’s hard to say.

I love this last little moment!

I think big brother is still contemplating how he likes his new role!

Some of you have been to my home, which is where I’ve been doing everything, and I mean everything. As lovely as it’s been, it’s also been extremely difficult to keep focus, and give the kind of attention that I want to give to my family, the business, and the wonderful people I’ve been fortunate enough to work with…all in the same space.

I’ve recently taken a giant leap of faith, and have leased a new gallery workspace to do my work… (Yay!) So it’s in the beginning stages, but I wanted to share some BEFORE pictures.

I am just renting a room (the first picture), with access to some additional shared space in the building.

I love the sweet little kitchen, and the possibility to serve treats, and even cooking a casserole if I want to!

There’s a yoga studio downstairs…with baby and parent (dad’s too!) yoga classes, and bellydancing and salsa classes… There’s an independent bookstore with a great children’s section across the street, and a fabulous cafe across the other street… plus more good stuff in the neighborhood!

I’ll post more as it gets completed and we’ll be having an opening party sometime during the Spring, with a focus on some fun stuff for the kiddos… I’ll send out invites as it gets closer!

With the addition of this new space, I’ll also be introducing totally new (earth friendly!) products, and our new pricing for 2009 which is a new and exciting approach, that I think everyone is going to love!

Thank you to the many friends, family, and clients who’s presence, faith in me, and positive vibes have nourished me to keep growing, improving, and without whom I wouldn’t have been able to take this step. Ya’ll know who you are and that I love you!

I met R & M about a year and a half ago, and we clicked right away.  I have really enjoyed getting to know them both during this time, and have found them to be just about the most thoughtful and sweetest people I have ever met.   They are the first couple I’ve worked with to give me a gift at their wedding!  I have been kicking around the idea of officially adding weddings to my services, and after working with them, I think that I will definitely be exploring this further.  Check out their beautiful day.

Simplicity:

Okay. This is for those of you that have been waiting ever so patiently… Are they not stunning?

We met up to do portraits before the ceremony, and it was such a relaxing and sweet way to start out the photographs, and the day!
The ceremony was filled with a sweet joy.

 I couldn’t pass up these tracks!

Love to you both, forever and ever!

So, I have received permission to share the story of the family I chose to gift the Big Portrait Giveaway to. I’ll share the second family’s story too, as soon as I get the go ahead. This is the email I received, and I think that Lauren wrote so beautifully about why her sister deserves this gift of portraits.

“I am nominating my sister, Andrea B. She is one of the strongest women that I know. She married James B. in March of 2004. He is in the United States Air Force. They have been stationed at McGuire Air Force Base in Trenton, NJ since they got married. Andrea and her family have made numerous sacrifices so that her husband can serve for his country. He has done one tour in Afghanistan and they are being stationed in Italy in February.

As you might possibly know, a life in the services isn’t always a pretty one. My brother-in-law is an enlisted man and they are currently living below the poverty line. With four children, they made the wise decision for my sister to become a stay-at-home-mom. When things get really tough for them my sister gets a part-time job working nights. She is currently working at Target to save money for their passports (yes, they have to get these on their own!). As you can imagine, getting passports for a family of six is rather expensive when you don’t have anything extra after groceries and bills. They are currently living in the on-base housing that is going to be torn down very soon. They are a family of six living in an 1100 sf home. They do without things that I would consider a necessity and rarely get anything “extra”.

It broke my heart when I was there over Thanksgiving and saw that two of her children were wearing the same winter coats from the winter before although they were obviously too small. They wore gloves to make up the difference in the sleeves. I left my sons coat for my nephew and my parents bought a new one for my niece. She would never ask for help with something like this. The only time she has ever asked for help is when they can’t put food on the table. She has visited food pantries and receives WIC for the kids.

They have never had professional pictures taken. Not even at their wedding. The closest thing to “professional” pictures they have ever had is the studio at Wal-Mart. They may not have to worry about the bank foreclosing on their home or her husband losing his job, but they do have the worry of war in the backs of their minds. This would be such a great gift to them and I know they and their children would cherish it forever. And this would also be a gift that they probably will never be able to afford, at least as long as my brother-in-law stays in the Air Force. By the way, he is planning on a career in the Air Force and we couldn’t be prouder of him.

So, for all of your sacrifices and all of your love, here’s to you sis!”

I’m looking forward to meeting Andrea and her family soon, and sharing more of their story and of course their photos!  Thank you Lauren for taking the time to write in and nominate your sister.  It was a small act, but I just want to acknowledge that it’s through small acts like this one, of opening one’s hearts, taking a chance, making the time, sharing, and loving, that we can bring a bit of joy to others.  

Thank you again to ALL who wrote in to nominate a loved one.  

Every entry I received was profoundly touching, and I am completely moved by the thoughtfulness and love on the part of the nominators.  I received several powerful nominations of truly inspiring people and deserving families, and selecting a family to receive this gift was a very difficult decision.  So difficult in fact, that I have decided to gift portraits to two of the nominated families.  Please know I wish I could do portraits for all of the nominated families, as each and every family deserves portraits documenting their children, their love and their life.  

I will be announcing the winners and their stories publicly on the blog tomorrow.  For today, I will be contacting those who have won to congratulate them, and wish them a very happy holiday.  

Many blessings of love, joy, and peace…