My kids are subjected to lots of photo sessions. Not only do I love to document their childhood, I just love taking pictures. Fortunately they're good sports about it. While backing up my 2012 photos, I came across another "lost" photo session from our summer vacation. Last summer we vacationed in Northern Michigan, and as part of that trip we spent the day at Castle Farms in Charlevoix. Believe it or not, these buildings were once barns for animals. Crazy! I decided to take advantage of the beautiful setting and get some summer photos of the girls since I never took their official "3" and "5" year portraits. Monkey wasn't all that thrilled to pose for pictures, but as always, I love how her personality shines through in the photos I did get of her! Stone plus brick plus my beautiful girls...love, love love! This next one is one of my favorite pictures ever of Monkey. It's in the children's garden. (Her real name starts with an "E".) This place is totally worth the price of admission if you're ever in the area. It's not a real castle, but the kids don't know that. There's a scavenger hunt, a children's garden, model trains, giant chess sets, and gorgeous architecture (even if it is just a fancy barn).
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Being a photographer, you would assume that I have walls full of photos of my family, tons of photobooks, and a nicely categorized hard drive full of my digital files, right? Wrong. I'm TERRIBLE at editing personal photos. There are two reasons for this: first, client photos come first, and second, being a photographer, I can't resist shooting all of my personal photos in RAW and editing them the same way I do my clients' photos. I know, I have a problem. I'm working on it. Anyway, back in May my family attended my cousin's wedding. Naturally I took my camera and shot pictures during the ceremony and reception. A few weeks ago, I got an e-mail from my cousin asking if he could see my photos. I guess they're less than pleased with the work of their photographer and were hoping someone got some decent shots of the ceremony. I was a bit embarrassed that I hadn't already edited those photos and sent them to him. I honestly always intended to give him a copy (and not more than three months later). So FINALLY, here they are, the photos from Joel and Laura's Memorial Day weekend wedding. Keep in mind that these were not shot with my professional camera and were completely from the vantage point of an attendee sandwiched in the middle of the congregation, not a photographer. Isn't that dress gorgeous?! I may be slightly obsessed with wedding dresses. My adorable cousin Emily and her husband Tim. We're anxiously awaiting an announcement. Any day now! My girls loved the wedding cake topper, but not as much as the individual wedding cakes on the tables (such a cute idea!)...especially Monkey, as you can see below. In her defense, her Aunt Allie did it first! Congratulations to Joel and Laura on your wedding. Sorry your cousin is such a slacker when it comes to family photos. Love you!
I've said it before, and I'll say it again...there's nothing like dandelions to keep toddlers and preschoolers interested in a photo shoot. Check out my facebook page for the complete album.
Today was school picture day at preschool. I don't have high hopes for Monkey's picture, especially since I was told she had a total meltdown right before hand about being in a pull up instead of her big girl panties. So I packed a lunch and headed to the park with the girls after school. After lunch I popped on my zoom lens and let them play in the dandelions. Regardless of how the school pictures turn out, I have a few keepers of my own. I'll have more to share later, but here's a quick one of my Monkey. She's much happier when she doesn't know she's being photographed.
Just in case you're living under a rock and aren't aware, the Super Bowl will be played in Indianapolis this Sunday. Winning a bid to host the Super Bowl was a BIG deal for Indianapolis, and the organizers have gone above and beyond to make this what many news analysts are calling one of the best pre-game venues in Super Bowl history. The Varga family has ventured downtown twice this week to take in the sights and soak up the atmosphere. I can't even describe how much fun it is. Everyone I've talked to who has been downtown this week has been overwhelmed with the transformation of downtown, the hospitality of the volunteers and staff, and the contagious party attitude. The whole thing is nothing short of amazing! I wish I had tickets to the big game, but just being downtown this week was almost as cool. On Monday we visited the NFL Experience in the Convention Center. The Man worked here as a volunteer three days this week. Football isn't really Bug's forte, but she had a great time trying! My kids are awesome...walking all afternoon and still smiling. Lucas Oil Stadium, all dressed up for the big game. Since the NFL Experience took up all of our afternoon on Monday, we headed back downtown on Wednesday evening to see the rest of the sights. The girls LOVED watching people on the zip line. I probably shouldn't have my logo on this one since it clearly wasn't taken by me. Thanks to the kind stranger who took our picture in front of Monument Circle and the giant XLVI screens (these are video screens at night). The Man won tickets at work to visit the Donor's warming hut at the Columbia Club on Monument Circle. We got complementary drinks from the bar while the kids filled up on hot chocolate and marshmallows (this may have been their favorite part of the evening). While we didn't technically need a "warming" hut, it was fun to relax and enjoy the ambiance of this historic, members-only club. All of downtown is dressed up for the big event, especially Indy's newest hotel, the JW Marriott. This is where many of the big name celebs will be staying this weekend.
This week's photo challenge at I Heart Faces is "Oh So Silly". Since Monkey's full name is "silly monkey", she was an obvious candidate! Here she is baking cookies and hamming it up for the camera. Love that girl! You can see more great entries here. I'm linking up!
Like every year, it would seem that Christmas just sneaked up on us. One day it was Thanksgiving, and here we are already at Christmas Eve. It's been a very busy December for our family. We vacationed in Disney World, spent a weekend in Louisville, baked cookies, bought presents, had dinner with friends, and enjoyed watching our kids experience the magic of the Christmas season. Here are a few pictures of our little angels singing in their school programs and making gingerbread houses with Bug's pre-K class. I hope you all have a very wonderful Christmas!
Today was Monkey's turn. This is her first year of preschool and her first time being away from Mommy with anyone other than a family member. She's been nervous for the past week, but she woke up this morning ready to go. When she got out of the car, she said "I so 'cited!" She literally bounced into her classroom. And then she saw someone crying. That was it...she burst into tears, screamed "I don't want to go to school!" and refused to let go of me. I literally had to peel her off of me so I could get Bug to her class. When I picked her up at the end of the school day, she was all smiles again, but tonight she told me she doesn't want to go to school any more. It looks like Friday will be another rough day for us. Here she is, all ready to go, and just a tiny bit nervous. Silly smile. Say cheese! I love that sweet little face! Tonight she told me, Mommy, I love your cheeks. I love your cheeks too, baby girl! A little support from big sister. So excited...for the moment. I can't believe my baby is already a preschooler. What a big girl!
Today was Bug's first day of Pre-K, and she couldn't have been more excited. She had a great day and can't wait to go back tomorrow. She loves to ham it up for the camera. I love how silly she is! She loved her sign so much that she held it up in the van window all the way to school so everyone on the road would know she was going to Pre-K. (I printed my sign from this website.) I'm so proud of my big girl! Tomorrow it's Monkey's turn. She's absolutely terrified. The poor baby couldn't fall asleep until 10:00 because she's so stressed out. Who knew two year olds could be so anxious?! I'm biting my nails already and praying that tomorrow goes smoothly.
I can't believe it's already September. Where has the summer gone? I am so far behind on blog posts that I doubt I'll ever catch up. We did so many fun things this summer, and I have TONS of photos to share. I'm going to make it a very big goal of mine to start blogging at least once a week this fall just so I can catch up. Today's post is about an event the family and I attended on August 20th. It was the first annual Run 4 Everett, a 5K, 10K and 1 mile family fun run. I wish I could say I did the 10K, but I am not a runner. I stuck to the 1 mile walk with the man and my girls. We had a blast! But we weren't just there to have a good time, we were also there to support a wonderful family. Dave and Steph Ralich's son Everett was born still on August 11, 2010. The run was organized by the two of them in remembrance of their son and to raise money for Kate Cares, an organization that supports families who have experienced a still birth. I am in total awe of the way Dave and Steph were able to channel their grief into something so positive. More than 400 people participated in the inaugural event, and they raised more than $10,000 for Kate Cares. It was amazing! You can read more about the Ralich's story here. On your marks, get set, and GO! The event took place in the beautiful Ft. Harrison State Park. The organizers: Dave and Steph Ralich and their daughter (Everett's big sister) In addition to the race, there was a silent auction and a party atmosphere with yummy ice cream, face painters, and music by "That's What She Said". One of the face painters was my very talented and all-around wonderful friend Annie (a.k.a. Penny Pickles). That's another good (and all-around wonderful) friend of mine having her daughter's face painted. Isn't she a doll baby?! Do you recognize that face? That's my little Bug (er...Butterfly)! Run 4 Everett is destined to become an annual event, so stay tuned for your opportunity to participate next year.
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Annabelle's BlogI'm Annemarie Varga. Thanks for joining me as I blog about life as a stay-at-home mom to my two gorgeous girls, the triumphs and tribulations of fixing up our latest fixer-upper, and, of course, photography! Click here for more information about me. Categories
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