The Waite Family

Posted on May 13, 2013 by lmnewman

I’ve been so lucky to photograph this growing family 3 separate times now. They are always a joy to be with and so much fun to photograph. This was the first time I was able to meet their sweet little boy, their first born. He was an absolute dream baby. He fell asleep in the car on the way to the park, but even after being woken up, he had nothing but smiles for me. Just an absolute dream and you can tell how much his sweet parents adore him. How could they not, though?! Take a look at this beautiful family.

April 25 – a day in my life

Posted on April 25, 2013 by lmnewman

I’ve wanted to do this for quite some time. In the past I’d start but lose it halfway through the day. Today, I actually completed a full days worth of photographs. Sun up to sun down, here is my day.

Note: I forgot to mention that my first grader is up before the sun for school so that is why you don’t see him in the morning. He doesn’t live at school.

She woke up at 2am and stayed up until 5:30.

My breakfast of homemade blueberry muffins. So yummy! I ate by myself this morning since the girl was a night owl and as a result, still asleep.

Well, I wasn’t completely alone at breakfast. Francis was there.

Lone shoe.

What better way to start your day than with a little Arrested Development?

Then this guy woke up.

And we hung out in his favorite spot for a while.

Bath time for little man means snuggle time for these two.

In he goes.

She kisses on him every chance she gets. And I need to clean out his drawer.

Unmade beds. They’re unmade because I’m busy snapping pictures.

Little girl finally woke up and requested a smoothie.

Because she slept so late it wasn’t long after the smoothie I was making lunch. PB&J – her favorite. We were headed to the park with friends.

Fighting naps at the park.

When we first got there she slipped and fell from these. I’m happy she dusted herself off and got back on. She was much more cautious, though.

This guy doesn’t like his carseat for about the first 5 minutes in it. Either that or this was his first “I don’t want to leave the park yet” tantrum.

The girl tried her hand at fashion design. I think she nailed it.

Story time and a pop up book. Bonus!

Time to pick up the first grader.

Waiting.

We got him.

Fall asleep in the car. Stay asleep in the carseat at home. Don’t want to risk waking him.

Snack time.

Proof that she painted today.

Sometimes when I have to go he has to go too.

Spelling words.

Daddy’s home!!

Story telling at dinner. Daddy tells really great stories.

Feet of a nursing baby. Getting ready for bed.

After bath. Squeaky clean.

A little Justin Timberlake before bed. He navigates itunes better than I do.

How we end every day. Scriptures and prayers.

Thanks for sticking through to the end. It really was fun, but tiring and challenging as well. I hope to do things like this more often.

Happy April 25th.

What do you want to remember?

Posted on April 24, 2013 by lmnewman

I read something today that struck a chord with me. Another photographer wrote about her approach to photographing her children. She, like me, has small ones at home and feels the same desire to capture them in their surroundings as I do. She shared that even though she had that desire, she didn’t pull her camera out often because it was too much trouble, her house was a mess, the kids were a mess…things just weren’t picture perfect. Her desire was to capture her children and their life as it really was, but she wasn’t doing that. To find a solution to her dilemma, she asked herself this question – What will I want to remember when my kids are grown and no longer live here? She realized she wanted to remember everything, including the mess and chaos. So she started taking her camera everywhere with her and photographing her children even if the room they were in was trashed and things weren’t “pretty”. She talked about feeling awkward taking pictures in the grocery store or asking the Starbucks lady to “hold it right there” while she took a picture. She pointed out that the second of feeling strange will pass – the photograph you get from it will last forever.

So I asked myself that same question – What will I want to remember when my kids are grown and no longer live here? And my answer was the same as hers. I want to remember everything. So, tomorrow I hope to begin a more in depth photo journey (not just on instagram) with my children that will hopefully show the love, the mess, the sometimes chaos, and the beauty in our family. I’ll even take you with me on this journey. Want to come along?

To start us off, here is a shot from this evening of my biggest guy on the trampoline. Trampoline = greatest investment we’ve made for the children.

Springing

Posted on April 12, 2013 by lmnewman

Spring is abounding where we are. With the temperatures rising we are spending more and more time outside. It really does some good for the soul to get a little sun and it’s amazing to see the changes around me as everything has gone from brown and lifeless to vibrant and alive…including the weeds in our backyard. To my sweet daughter, they are not weeds, though. To her it is a personal flower garden and she picks bouquets for me every single day. Today I was in the kitchen watching her from the window and she looked so peaceful out there among the flowers. So I grabbed the camera so others could see what I saw.

This girl is such a blessing. I don’t know what I’d do without her.

The Coopers and their kids

Posted on February 25, 2013 by lmnewman

Here is just a sample of this beautiful and fun family. They make family fun!

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The reader

Posted on January 5, 2013 by lmnewman

As we await the arrival of our newest little one (less than a week to go) we’ve just been taking it easy. This guy got a bunch of books for Christmas and has accepted a challenge at school to read for 20 minutes every day. It thrills me to see him with his nose stuck in a book and hear him talk excitedly about it when he finishes a chapter. I loved reading as a kid. I still enjoy it when I make the time to do it. I do have a problem being able to put the book down once it’s in my hands and with 2 (almost 3) little ones and a husband, there are other ways to spend my day. Do you like to read? What are you reading now?

Tiny Dancer

Posted on December 19, 2012 by lmnewman

My daughter had her first ever dance recital since beginning lessons in the fall. I am so proud of this 4-year-old girl and the hard work and dedication to this interest she is exhibiting. She did a fantastic job on all of her routines! And, I must say, looks pretty darn awesome in her tutu and ballet slippers.

The Moreau Family

Posted on December 12, 2012 by lmnewman

This entire family is seriously gorgeous. You met the oldest daughter, MaKenna, in her senior pictures. Now I’d like to introduce you to the rest of the group. When the mama asked me to do their pictures she wasn’t sure she and the hubby wanted to be in them. Ultimately, they decided they would and I’m so glad they did! Take at look at this beautiful family. (How lucky am I to have such amazing clients?!)

The Hugginses – The 2012 version

Posted on December 12, 2012 by lmnewman

Sometimes there are people who come into your life and at first you can’t imagine the significant part they will play. You meet up for lunches and dinners with them. You talk about your interests, you joke, you laugh you have fun. Then, you begin to realize they are the people you call first when you have good news. They are the people you turn to for encouragement when you need it. They are the ones who are there for you when you’re in a jam.

The Hugginses are those people. We met when the guys were in law school. With them we’ve been through births, deaths, sicknesses, moves, good times, bad times, sad times, and just plain ole’ ordinary days of laundry, diapers and work. I am so pleased to have them on this blog yet again and I’m thankful they trusted me to capture their growing family this year. Take a look at the Hugginses.

Huggins 16 bwwmr Huggins 7 wmr

MaKenna << Senior Portraits

Posted on November 30, 2012 by lmnewman

This girl doesn’t take a bad picture. I had the hardest time picking which ones to edit because they were all so good. MaKenna is a senior this year and has such an exciting time ahead of her. I love this girl and I’m so happy I got to do her senior portraits. Take a look.