Wow, did everyone enjoy the end of 2007? I certainly did! We spent the holidays in Maui and it was beautiful, fun and amazing! I know you're all probably thinking, "I bet she took so many pictures!" ... well I didn't! I did take my full camera bag with me and carried it on the plane (all 35+ pounds) along with 2 kids, their blankets and carry on bags, a stroller, a carseat and my husband with his carryons. Boy, did we take way too much stuff!! We took our little point and shoot camera too and that got more of a work out that my big camera. But, I did take it to the Maui Ocean Center and to the beach to watch my nephew's surf ... oh yeah, and on the whale watching trip but looking through the viewfinder was making me way too motion sick.

Ok, so here are a few of the photos I did take in Maui!

This is one of my nephew's coming out of the water after riding a wave in. He thinks he looks funny but the girls that check his myspace page think he looks pretty hunky, lol! Teenagers!

Here is another one of my nephew's waiting for the perfect wave. Check out how beautiful that water is!!

And my 3rd nephew striking a pose at the Maui Ocean Center!

Here's my daughter wearing her Cinderella costume at the house

Here's my son wearing his Spiderman costume at the house

Here are Gabe and my niece playing in the pool at the house

Here's the view from the house we stayed in. This is from the pool deck, our room opened up on to the pool.

Here's Gabe at the beach

Here's my niece at the beach

Here's the 3 little kids at the Maui Ocean Center looking through the glass tunnel at the sharks, rays and fish!

And here's a Jelly Fish at the Maui Ocean Center

I haven't even looked at the photos from the whale watching trip, I'm afraid I'll get sick again, lol!! The whale watching really was amazing! We saw 4 yearling humpbacks. One of them breached in front of the boat (breach means it jumped all the way out of the water). The tour boat people told us that they hadn't had a whale do that in about 3 weeks! My oldest nephew got it all on video on his camera. I'll post a video of it when I get a copy of it. It was so cool!! The tour boat people also told us that we had the calmest waters all week .... I don't think the waters were all that calm because I still got sick, LOL!

We also went on 2 catamaran sailing excursions, 1 to the coral gardens and the other to Molokini Crater. Sailing on the catamaran was probably my favorite part of the trip. On the first sail we had a lot of wind and were sailing at 24 knots. It was so fun!!!

I hope everyone closed out 2007 in a fun and safe way! I have sneak peeks for tomorrow and Wednesday! Have a great day!!!

Well, I have been a terrible blogger lately but I'm back with some sneak peeks!!! Here is a cute little guy that was just so sweet. Just look at those big blue eyes!!!

A his big sister is such a sweetie too, I love this portrait of her!

Thank you to all of my wonderful clients for a fun filled 2007. The schedule is now full for 2007 and sessions are now being scheduled for 2008. As always, if you have a newborn please call anyways and I will see of I can work you in. I will be closed starting December 18th and will re-open on January 3rd.

Also, I am announcing that rates will be restructured effective January 3, 2008. Any sessions scheduled for 2008 prior to December 18th will receive the 2007 rate schedule.

Also, I am headed to the Professional Photographers of Idaho Quarterly Convention and will have limited availablity until Monday afternoon. All calls and emails will be returned on Tuesday.

Sneak peek coming Tuesday!

Newborns and little girls in frilly skirts are soooo much fun! These two beautiful girls were absolute dolls to photograph. And they have a lot of vintage furniture which was so fun to use as part of the portraits too!! Enjoy the sneak peek!!!

Here is a cute little guy that was so fun! He is a busy boy and loves to play with his toys. Enjoy!

The holidays are just around the corner and the deadline for orders in time for Christmas is only 3 and a half weeks away! Gosh, can you believe this year has gone by so quickly?!

I have only 2 sessions left available in November that will have their portraits ready to order in time for holiday delivery (without rush fees). The dates are Sunday, November 11th (afternoon only) and Sunday, November 25th (afternoon only). Please call right away if you would like to schedule a session on either of these days, they will go quickly!!

There are 3 sessions available in December but rush fees will apply to all orders placed after December 5th. The December sessions available are Sunday, December 2nd (morning and afternoon) and Sunday, December 9th (afternoon only).

I have some sneak peeks to share tomorrow and Monday. Have a great weekend!

These kids are so neat! They have the new Monopoly game where everything is sold in the millions and use a credit card to pay. It's pretty fun, I might have to get that game for myself. And, on to the super cute sneak peek!! Enjoy!

The final standings are:

First Place - #1 - Wins a complimentary session, a $100 print credit and a secret surprise gift from me!

Second Place - #2

Third Place - #5

Fourth Place - #3

Fifth Place - #4

Contestants will all be mailed information regarding their prizes shortly!

Now for the voters winner! Drum roll please .........
Melanie Zahm of Boise, ID!!!

Congratulations to all, I will be in contact soon! Thank you to all of those who voted, I appreciate it so much!

Yay! It's time for the next You're A STAR! Photo Contest! Are you ready to see the contesants? I'm sure you are but first let's go over the rules and the details :) All contesants will receive a gift and the winner will receive a complimentary custom session plus some other goodies!

Are you ready for the rules? Here we go ...

1. Voting will be done via email. Include in your email the contestant's number (use contestant number in the subject line), your name, city and state, and if you'd like to be entered into the voters drawing for a complimentary session.

2. You can only vote once.

3. Voting will begin immediately (10/29/07) and will end promptly at 6pm MST on Sunday, November 4, 2007.

4. Standings will be posted at random throughout the voting process.

5. Parents will be contacted prior to the final announcement.

6. Final standings will be posted no later than Tuesday, November 6, 2007 at 12 noon.

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED, THANKS TO ALL THAT PARTICIPATED!!

Now for the contestants ....

Best of luck to all of our contestants!!

I had the honor of photographing a beautiful vow renewal on Saturday. This couple is just so neat, fun, playful and beautiful! They have been married for 15 years already and just decided to start a new family tradition of renewing their marriage vows every 15 years. How neat is that?! Here's a few from the day, enjoy!!

Aren't the shoes fabulous?!