P52 - Only a Few Weeks to Go!

Wow, I am struggling to keep up with my P52. It has been nearly a year and I don't want to give up now! While it has been much more manageable than the 366 last year, I am much busier now. I still take photos of my kids nearly every day, but finding the time to edit and blog them is tough. Anyway, the images I'm sharing today are from our family shoot last Friday.

We finally took the kids out to do our Christmas card photos. We decided to forego our tradition of taking them in Colonial Williamsburg, which makes me a little sad. We always take them by the same tree and I love seeing how the kids have grown each year. But, with hubs in grad school and me busy working from home, and nearly every weekend, we just ran out of time. It is always a challenge to get photos of us all together, and my kids are pretty much over posing for me, but I was okay with what I got. They looked in my direction and stood still for half a second. I'll take it! :) I even managed to get one of the hubs.

What did you do last week?

The Best Time to Be A Kid - with Gymboree

It is often called the most wonderful time of the year. A season full of hope, joy, and wonder. It is a time to celebrate family and friends and share our love and gratitude. Whether you are a child or an adult, it is tough not to get caught up in the magic of the holiday season.

Gymboree has put together a video that celebrates the best time of year:

I shopped at Gymboree for the kids' holiday clothes. I love the Gymboree collections! They offer the most adorable styles for babies and kids. It was really difficult to choose what to buy. The girls helped me pick out a couple of outfits. Since pink is their preferred palette, we settled on a few items from this season's Star of the Show collection, which features glittery gold stars, pinks, rich browns and cream colors. I just adore the glittery tutu and gold sparkly shoes they picked out! We found coordinating shirts, sweaters and tights, and hair bows too. I love how easy it is to coordinate items for several kids in the family - perfect for family portrait wardrobes! Here are a few shots I took of the girls in their new Gymboree holiday outfits:

And one from Thanksgiving Day, where they were the hit of the party :)

What is your favorite way to celebrate the season? Find more fun stuff and stay up to date on all thing Gymboree Facebook and twitter.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions here are my own. 

Friday Photo Journal Link Up - 48

What have you been up to?

Please read this important note:  Many of you know Gina Kleinworth of Kleinworth and Co. Sadly Gina lost her mom this week to cancer. While she has mentioned her mother's diagnosis once or twice on her blog, she has been very discreet about the details to protect her family's privacy. Many of us know and love Gina as a dear supportive friend, fellow photographer, mom, and all around fantastic lady. To show our support for her at the difficult time, Kim, Tamar and I would like to ask anyone interested in participating to post an image of a lit candle tomorrow, Friday, December 6, on instagram with the hashtag: #supportforgina We'd like to allow her to grieve privately and share in her own time, but thought the show of love and support would be a nice gesture. We would love it if you would join us. Thank you for your support.

Thank you so much for stopping in! Have a fun weekend! :)

Also linking up with Lisa at The Long Road to China.

Little Things Thursday - In Search of Peace

The holiday frenzy is in full swing. Though I love Christmas, it sure would be nice to lay on the beach for a while and savor the peace.

I know I have been too busy to visit my blogging friends much this fall, I have been buried in work as that is where my family needs me to be right now. The past year has been a rough one, but I have high hopes for 2014! I am so thankful for the support and friendship of each of you!! It means so much to me and I am very grateful for the wonderful community of online friends I have grown to love over the past few years.

Linking up with Kim for:

Please read this important note:  Many of you know Gina Kleinworth of Kleinworth and Co. Sadly Gina lost her mom this week to cancer. While she has mentioned her mother's diagnosis once or twice on her blog, she has been very discreet about the details to protect her family's privacy. Many of us know and love Gina as a dear supportive friend, fellow photographer, mom, and all around fantastic lady. To show our support for her at the difficult time, Kim, Tamar and I would like to ask anyone interested in participating to post an image of a lit candle tomorrow, Friday, December 6, on instagram with the hashtag: #supportforgina We'd like to allow her to grieve privately and share in her own time, but thought the show of love and support would be a nice gesture. We would love it if you would join us. Thank you for your support!

WW - Holiday Lifestyle Session

I had so much fun at this holiday lifestyle photo session last weekend. I love capturing kiddos in their own environment. This mom certainly had the holiday spirit! The house was decked out with beautiful lights and festive touches, she had gifts wrapped under the tree, fun little surprises for her little girl, and cookies waiting in the oven. Way to go mom! I decided this session would make a great video montage.
Here's the clip I created in Animoto. It makes a great little promo from my business, and I'll be creating a non-branded version for mom to share with family and friends as a holiday e-card. Check it out:

 

P52- Birthday Pooch

Today is Bella's birthday! That may not mean a whole lot to you, since I haven't posted pics of her in ages, but Bella is our great dane. It seems like just yesterday she was a sweet little pup and we picked her up in NC. Five years later, she is a wonderful companion and still as goofy as ever.

She had the birthday zoomies today. There's really nothing like a great dane running crazy circles around the house! The best part is the big belly laughs it elicits from all the kids. :)

 Happy Birthday Bella girl! We love you!!

What did you do last week?