ANP

For Mother’s Day this year, we went to Market of Choice to get all the yummie deli food and other great goodies, and had a picnic at the park near the Rose Garden in Eugene. I wanted to do something with my family, all the things that make my heart swell with thankfulness.

Here is part of our feast. If you haven’t tried the smoked mozzarella penne pasta salad…it will change your world!!! We always get this before we go shoot a wedding. So good!! The girls got some cranberry lemonade to pour in to their tea set.:) Oh, and those half eaten strawberries you see, are from our stealth like Gracey. I thought she was eating them until I looked down and saw at least 3 nibbled strawberries!

Gracey guzzling her juice.

mmm…buffalo blue chips! Again, try these! Costco sells a big bag.

Then we got some carrot cake and chocolate cake from the amazing bakery.

Isabella insists that this cowboy hat is for princesses. “It is a princess hat” Daddie!

Isabella and our dog Kelty.

Isabella keeps making these hilarious faces! I don’t know what brought this on, but this is what we get most of the time.

Out of no where, Isabella will say “I want to give baby boy a hug. He loves me”, and she comes over and hugs my tummie.

Thank you Ceniga family, for allowing me to document your little family. I look forward to some play dates with Faye and Isabella!

Also, I am in love with a beautiful piece of lens! The 50mm 1.4 gives me such buttery goodness! I LOVE the blur! I can’t wait to use it for our 2009 weddings!

Sweet little Faye.

Sweet sisters. I am a bit partial to sisters though.

I’m also partial to Mommie-daughter kisses.

I took some images of my sweet Isabella with the 50mm 1.4. after I got her ready for bed. I noticed how little-big girlish she looked in the soft light, and I just had to snatch a few of those fleeting moments that we as Mommies tend to forget as we go about our day.

She is getting really excited for little brother Isaiah Lincoln to be born in 3 1/2 months. She tells me that my “belly button is getting really big” and “it looks funny”. And she likes to just sit and watch tv with her little hand on my tummy. Yesterday, I told her her that she makes Mommie happy. She then told me, with her little hands making a heart shape over her chest, that “her heart makes Mommie happy”.

A bit of her Auntie Jessica came out in her as she gave me quite the show as she posed for me.

A real Isabella smile.

She found Daddie’s old cowboy hat, and she insisted that she wear it.

Silly, silly girl.

Paul or Jessica shot this one because I can’t remember doing it.

Smiley Sienna. I chased her down the aisle so I could get some good laughs.

The ever-running Siennalee.

Gracelyn in the purple tulips wearing her purple sunglasses.

What is down here??

Auntie is getting her to laugh. She has the sweetest sense of humor. Much liker her Daddie, and Auntie of course.

Sisters.

I could get many pictures of Isabella because the poor thing kept sneezing and needing to blow her nose! She has inherited some of the allergies, and the valley is just awful for anyone this time of year.

Can you find Sienna??

Jessica and little Siennalee.

We didn’t notice the signs that said “Please stay out of the aisles for the safety of you and the tulips” until the end. Gracey knows this rule now, since she had a difficult time not falling down on the mounds of tulips. Though we did manage to leave the Tulip Festival without any tulip heads! That is an accomplishment in itself.

Just a few quick shots of the tulips. I usually take time to compose some nice images, but this was a very quick trip this time.

Thank you Bethany, for once again inviting me to document your sweet little girls. I really do see it as an honor to watch them grow up and see their little faces change in to big little girls.

Jessica came as a second shooter, making this her official second session. You will be seeing more of her stuff in some engagement, maternity, and day after shoots in the next month. Jessica used the 50mm 2.5 and I used the 85mm 1.8. What can I say? This is my favorite lens right now! Here shortly, we will be adding another lens to our collection of fabulous lenses, but I just can’t see putting down our 85mm 1.8 anytime soon!

“This is my elbow…”

Jessica:

Jessica:

I just love the way Cienna is looking at her little sister.

Mommie & her girls.

Elise is telling us what the chicken says.

Jessica:

Jessica:

Elise is rocking and singing to her tulip.

Jessica:

Cienna is showing us how she dances in ballet class.

Yesterday morning, Laura and Justin went for a follow up appointment with the pregnancy specialist to find out that Nadia Joy’s heart had stopped beating. They checked in to the hospital to prepare to deliver their baby girl who had already gone to be with Jesus. They had requested, through Cassie, that I come take some pictures of their baby girl, and at 1:18AM, Cassie called me to tell me that she had been born.

When we arrived, we found Laura and Justin surrounded by their dear family and friends, supporting them and loving them, and admiring the complete beauty of Nadia Joy Else.

I took some pictures of the moments between the family and of Nadia Joy being weighed and measured by the nurses. I have included one picture of her tiny little feet. Please feel free to scroll through the image if you would not like to view it. I know this can make some feel uneasy. When our sweet Joshua and Kaleb were born, they were absolutely perfect to me. I wanted the world to see how beautiful they were, despite the kidney disease they inherited. To their Mommie and Daddie, they were perfect, and that is why I want to post an image of Nadia. This is a tribute to her, and she is perfect.

Since losing our sweet boys, my understanding of the world, life, and God has grown and changed. One thing that I would like to share is something that Jessica told me. She said, “Who are we to determine what the value of life is? Whether it be a life of a few moments or 90 years. A life can have a meaningful impact and all life is valuable.” This is how our family saw our boys. Our family walked with us through the pregnancy, knowing that without a miracle, the boys wouldn’t survive outside of my womb. We all had a bond and they touched all of our hearts in a way that no one else could.  Even our Joshua and Kaleb have a legacy, despite the short life they lived. This is the same story for baby girl Nadia Joy. She has touched the lives of her Mommie and Daddie, Grandma and Grandpa, and close friends. God makes all things beautiful.

I would like to include some lyrics from a song written by Enter the Worship Circle. It speaks of allowing yourself to open up your heart so God can give to you and heal you. This was probably my most difficult task when grieving our boys, but once I did, he was faithful to heal me.

VERSE:
I’m too proud to ask, too broke to eat, too weak to bow, too strong to bleed

CHORUS:
Can you sing over me…words of comfort
Can you satisfy me…sweet honey
Can you break through me…strong hands
Can you undo me…enough to heal me

BRIDGE:
You take the weight…from my shoulders
My hands were clinched…now they’re open
I’ll take your goodness…poured from the sky
Food from the ravens…water from the dry…well

Laura and Justin,

Thank you for inviting me into this private and fleeting moment with your family. Your sweet Nadia Joy is beautiful and perfect in every way. Never forget that you have the support of your family and friends, and more importantly, the love and faithfulness and comfort of Jesus. He is faithful to heal you, and he will.

Love, Anne

Enjoy the pictures!

Little Gracey.

Those are two little buns sticking up from the back of her bunny ears. We call them “princess buns” in our house. I have to make it sound exciting to get them to sit still that long.

My niece Siennalee in the bunny ears. She doesn’t like to sit still for longer then .001 seconds, so I take what I can get. She is very, very smiley when Auntie isn’t trying to get a picture. Check out Jessica’s blog (her mommie and Paul’s sister) to see all of the smiles.

We had a spilled basket at the beginning of the Easter egg hunt.

Gracey tend to be a bit more deliberate with just about every thing she does….including hunting plastic eggs. When she found an egg, instead of rushing to place it in her basket, she would hold it for awhile, probably dreaming about all of the sugary goodies awaiting her (She loves sugar!). Little did she know that Auntie put gold fishies in her eggs!

Pretty little Sienna is squishing a peep in between her hands. Along with Isabella, they can really do without sugar. It amazes me that no matter how much sugar you don’t give a child in those first years, they come with their little taste buds. Hence, our little Gracelyn.

Paul and Jason smoked some cigars while they were supposed to be hiding the eggs. They enjoy just a few a year, usually when they are hiking (not while of course) and camping, and when they each happen to have one at the same time. We forgot to get cigars when our daughters were born, so with little Isaiah Lincoln coming, and being the last Nunn baby, Paul will make sure he has some to pass around to the family. Even if it means imposing a bit of peer pressure. kidding.

If some of you don’t all ready know, Jessica is the funniest person ever. Besides Paul of course, so I guess that makes her the funnies female I know. She will be at most of our weddings this year as another shooter, so some of you will have the privilege of witnessing just have funny she is.

Thank you Melinda and Bryan, we had a lot of fun getting to know you better! Thank you for tromping all over the mud and standing on irrigation pipes…wood piles…etc.

We began the shoot at Melinda’s parents Bush’s Fern View Farms.

I have always wanted to shoot an e session by irrigation piping. There is actually a place by Jerry’s in Junction City where every time I drive by…I dream of shooting there. It has these HUGE aluminum  type cylinders and smaller ones that are stacked on top of each other. One day I will go to the business (whatever it may be) and ask if I can use their space.

Until the big cylinders…Melinda and Bryan did a fantastic job!

When we drove up to her parent’s farm, I saw these rows of trees with beautiful pink blossoms. I have seen the same trees beside Thistledown farms and have watched them change each season, and every season, I have wanted to take pictures…and never have. Maybe it is the two toddlers in the back seat?? So I was very happy to learn what type of trees they are..peach trees, and actually use them for Melinda and Bryan’s e session.

My ever so talented husband gets such cool angles.

Paul was figuring out this shot as I was shooting around the piles of irrigation. I just love it!

I love how the branches are framing them in the shot.

Doesn’t this want to make you bake a fresh apple pie???

After the farm, we heading over to downtown Eugene. I had driven around the day before to scope out some new locations so it wouldn’t become repetitive. I saw this awesome gem of an alley on Willamette street! The Saturday Market was going on, so Paul actually had to drop us off and drive around to wait until we were finished.

This old painted sign is what I first noticed in the alley.

Then we drove to Hendrix Park where the magnolia trees are just beginning to bloom.

So sweet…

Paul’s shot:

They brought their ipod because of they both very much love music.

They will be exchanging wedding vows at the Eugene Hilton on June 20, 2009. We very much look forward to their big day and documenting even more of their sweet story.

I just love this shot that Paul got.

I didn’t know what shot Paul was trying to get when he went up stairs, but I really do love it!

Amber & Rick and their two adorable chidlren, Braden and Avery.