Happy Birthday to my Two Wonderful Boys!

I know I just posted pictures of my boys the other day but I just have to do another post about them. They are both so wonderful but each are also another year cooler! Big "G" is turning 10 tomorrow and Little "B" turned 3 two weeks ago. I cannot believe how time is just flying by me these days. They are, along with their two sisters, just the best things in the world to me. I love watching them all grow up and learn new things.

"G" has developed a love of reading this year that is so exciting to me. This is one area he has always struggled in and as a result has always hated to do. Sitting down to read a book was just torture on the poor kid but this year he has discovered how fun reading can be. I even found him reading once while he had friends over! How cool is that! He is such a good kid and I am so proud to be his mom!



"B" had become so much fun this year. He is constantly making us laugh with all of his funny comments and questions. The other day I found him pouring baking soda on the carpet so he could lay down and make snow angels. (I guess in this case they were soda angels.) Since he is my fourth, I just had to laugh. We are beginning the adventure of potty training now. He has done pretty well so far. Each time he goes, we praise him and he gets a few M&Ms. After a few time, he jumped up and said "I awesome at this mommy! I got this down!" We will see.



Having two boys is an adventure that I would not change for anything! I love you guys and Happy Birthday!

WOW!

You guys are simply blowing me away. I have absolutely loved watching my stat counter for my blog and my website. I love seeing all the different parts of the United States people have been coming from to read my blog but seeing that people are coming form different COUNTRIES is amazing to me! I mean how in the world is someone from Denmark, Brazil, Malaysia, or Trinidad (just to name a few) finding my blog! I would LOVE to have some of you leave me a comment to tell me how you came to find my blog. Being able to communicate with fellow bloggers is so much fun! I commented on one of my photography idol's, Jasmine Star, website the other day and it was so cool to see how much traffic my blog and website got just from people coming to check out who I was. (I just have to say I love Jasmine. She is one of my imaginary best friends. Yes, I have several. She, along with Angie Smith, go out with me to Starbucks and go shopping on a regulear basis. Imaginary, remember!) I know I'm new to this blog world but it just amazes me how small the world really is with the internet involved.

Sitting in church the other day I was thinking about my blog (I know I got distracted, but for a good reason). I was thinking about how I could touch others with my business and with the love of Jesus. I want so very much to be able to make an impact on others and show them that Jesus is the only way to make your life have meaning and purpose. Being a Christian is so much more than just being a follower of Christ but also having a personal relationship with Him! He wants so much to be apart of your life and cares about every detail. I want the life I live for Him to be pleasing to Him. I don't want to just live but live for Him. If you hire me as your photographer, I want to you to know before hand that I adore my Heavenly Father and I hope I exhibit the qualities that show that I do indeed have a personal relationship with Him. If I never meet you, and you just stop by once in awhile to check out my blog, I also want you to be able to see Christ though out my blog. If you ever have questions, please email me and I will try to help. Taking pictures is a passion for me but living for Him is much more than that. I have not always been the best at sharing my faith but through this blog, I hope to change that. If I am having people from all over the United States and other COUNTRIES (WOW!) come and read my blog, than why not share Jesus and who He is. I know this may make some people turn away totally but you know what? Maybe that day when they realize they do need Him, they will remember that blog girl that wrote about Him and come back and check it out. Either way, I hope you come back and see what is going on in my business and hear me share more about my Heavenly Father.

Since no post is complete without a picture, I will give you a few favorites of my kids.









You may have also noticed I have been playing with the look of my blog. Sorry, if you stopped by when I was playing. I know several stopped by yesterday while I was changing it. It took on several different forms yesterday and I am sure I will change it again. If you have not heard, I love change!

Remember, leave a comment and let me know where you are from and how you found me! Feel free to pass my blog on to your friends!

Until next time,
Tammy

Mandisa Rocks!!

My daughter is part of a group that helps promote Christian artists. Mandisa is one of our favorites and she asked if I would help promote her new song "My Deliverer". This single can be purchased from Itunes now but her new album "Freedom" comes out in stores on March 24th. We fell in love with Mandisa on "American Idol" a few years ago and we have followed her ever since. Go check it out and see what you think. I am sure you will love her like we do.

Father and Daughter Session

This was a fun shoot for me to do. It was a father and daughter session. Doing a session like this made me really miss my own dad who passed about several years ago. There is something so very special about the relationship between a father and a daughter. My daughter and I have been talking about this a lot lately. She has that bond with her daddy that I miss with mine. When you know you are your daddy's little Cinderella, nothing can be better than that! My daughter bought the CD of Steven Curtis Chapman singing "Cinderella" for her dad for Christmas. We are definitely saving it for her "Father/Daughter" dance at her wedding someday! (Okay, I have to wipe the tear out of my eyes before I can go on!) That song is what is playing on the blog now! If you have never heard it, you might want to grab a tissue.

Anyway, back to this special session. A friend called and said her brother-n-law wanted to have his picture taken with his daughter while they were visiting from out of town. I loved seeing her look up at her daddy before each shot. We took some outside (in January don't forget) and a few inside but the fun time came when I asked them to get on the trampoline! I thought this might just warm them up a bit. The giggles that came were an added bonus. I love these shots of them falling together on the trampoline in laughter!

Studio News

The website is up and running!! Yeah!!! I am sure there are still a few kinks that need to be worked out but so far my new company has been great to come to my aid. If you see anything that does not work properly, please let me know. I do have a studio news section on my website now that I will be adding news to. For the most part though, this is the place to come for up to date news and recent shoots! Here are a few things I added to that section....

From now until March 21,2008, you can enter your child in a national model search for "America's Cutest Kid". The contest has teamed up with the charity organization "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep"(NILMDTS). NILMDTS is an organization that provides families with photos of their newborns that for one reason or another will not or have not survived birth. Most parents who have to go through this, may never even consider photographing their infant but this organization offers this service free to them as a way to cherish and remember their tiny family member.

When you enter the contest you will receive a photo session from which you may choose your favorite image to be entered into the contest. You will be given a link where others may vote for your child for $1. Every dollar from each vote cast in the National Model Search goes directly to NILMDTS. If your child is selected as the cutest kid in America, you will win some fabulous gifts.

As of right now, I have never been apart of offering this service but I plan to in the near future. I think it will be one of the most heart wrenching sessions I could ever do but one that I think can be tastefully and beautifully done for the parents to remember their precious baby.

If you think you may have "America's Cutest Kid", email me and together we can help this wonderful organization. I will give you all the details that are involved to get started.

Valentine Sessions
I am now scheduling sessions for you to have done with your Valentine. A few weeks ago, I told you in the blog about the wonderful idea of having a session done with your spouse celebrating your love as a couple no matter how long you have been together. These are great for anniversaries but why not Valentine's Day! Call now to schedule that time and start thinking about a special location that means a lot to you as a couple (maybe where he proposed, or your first date).

Senior Representatives Wanted!

I am on the look out for some Senior Representative that can help me get my name out there in the senior portrait market. If you are, or know a senior this year, please contact me and I will share with you my ideas for my Senior Representatives Program. I am going to put them to work for me but in return they can earn some of their prints at a discount or even free! When I was a senior, I was able to work off my pictures with a local photographer and I had a great time doing it.

Until next time... go check out the website and let me know what you think!