One of my favorite photo walls in the house is this canvas cluster in our dining room from this mini session on the beach when Alana was 2 and we were in Fort Lauderdale for a summer vacation. I’m not necessarily saying that we plan to replace that canvas cluster with these photos in particular, but we definitely went back to that same beach in an effort to take some family photos that include Sierra, and I absolutely love the new photos!

Rich and I took turns with the camera, and the evening could not have been more beautiful. The kids were in heaven with the sand, wind, and waves. Even though the weather is so beautiful and temperate in the winter in South Florida, the ocean water is still too chilly to enjoy, so the kids are looking forward to summertime and bathing suits at the beach!

I’m so thankful to have an (extremely gifted) husband who shares my passion for documenting family memories. It means so much to me.

The reason for this trip was my brother’s high school graduation. But the sad part is that Rich had already booked two weddings for the weekend of Shawn’s graduation well before we knew the date of his graduation. I was extremely sad that Rich would not be able to be there for this event, but I knew that I wouldn’t miss it for the world. And so, the girls and I headed south for almost two weeks without him.

It occurred to me shortly before the trip that I would be without a professional camera since Rich would need both for his weddings. I was upset by this fact, because if you know me at all, you know that documenting my family’s life is a passion of mine, and I tend to be of the opinion that photos from a “real” camera are prettier than photos from a phone, regardless of the quality of said phone Now please hear me, I realize that partly this is because of my ability. I am simply NOT incredible with my phone the way that some people are. I definitely have some iPhone photos that I am very proud of, but generally speaking, I don’t adore my iPhone “work.”

So, here are the photos from #shawnsgraduationweek – all the photos I posted with that hashtag (via Instagram) while in Fort Lauderdale over the past (almost) two weeks. Warning: I went a little crazy taking photos since this was such a huge life event for my brother and I am feeling very emotional about the fact that he is growing up and about to leave home. I also went a litte crazy because this was Sierra’s first time to actually play at the beach. She’s been to the beach several times before, but she was never old enough to really enjoy it and play.

And so, in six years of blogging, I bring you my very first “iPhone only” post.

This is Alana and Sierra the morning after we arrived and Sierra had to get used to being around Uncle Shawn again since it had been 5 months since we’d seen him last. She’s still unsure at this point!

Sierra found a quiet book reading nook in the living room and settled in for some alone time. She doesn’t often self-entertain, so I savor the moments when she does

Alana found Papa’s glasses and put them on claiming that she was “wearing them the way that Papa does!”

Both girls have loved Nana’s piano from a young age. I have photos/video of Alana also playing at this age. Precious.

Enjoying our first morning out in the pool. Love my parents back yard. It’s a summer paradise. Thank you for this photo, mom!

Sadly, my mom had to work most days while I stayed at the house and let the girls play. I was so thrilled to be present for Shawn’s big week but it would have been awesome for Nana to have had more time off! It’s just not the same when she’s not with us!

We took two trips to the beach while we were down, and this was the first visit. Sierra clung to me and cried when we first arrived, just like Alana used to do. Both girls have been terrified of the beach in their first several exposures! I was thankful that she eventually let me put her down and she played happily in the sand. 

Nana thinks of everything. Horseshoes at the beach! Alana’s first time playing. 

I don’t usually buy matching anything for the girls, but these suits were too cute to pass up when I found them at Baby Gap last summer. Love these girls to pieces. 

Nana trying to talk Sierra into the idea of going in the water. She cried when we first took her in, but she ended up loving it, as long as she was being securely held and snuggled with. Little scaredy-cat snuggle bug.

A less-than-awesome but still special self-portrait of the girls! (We needed Aunt Pixie but she was also shooting a wedding and could not come. Boo!)

Backlit Sierra. I looooooved going to the beach in the mornings for so many reasons. The primary reason was to avoid the crazy-strong heat of the midday sun for the girls’ sake. But peripheral benefits included quick and easy parking, no crowds, mild temperature sand, and directional sunlight!!!

Back out at the pool the next morning. Sierra is so bipolar about water! She’s either laid back and loving it, or frightened and fussy about it! I’m thinking she was missing Nana, who was at work

I’d ordered some Sticky Grams for my mom for Mother’s Day, and they finally came in while we were there! She’d never seen them, and she loved them! Anyone who has seen my #psychosierra photos on Instagram may appreciate that the stickygram in the background includes my favorite #psychosierra photos I love that these are individual magnets that can be left together or taken apart – such a fun and unique gift! Now I want some for my house! 

The girls had soooooo many fun moments and games with Papa, it is beyond difficult to capture people running around the house chasing each other. Bad photo, fabulous memory. 

As per tradition, we had breakfast one morning at Jet Rumway Cafe and had a blast watching the planes take off and land. Amazing food, too. Every single time. 

The photo below just happens to be my most “liked” photo on Instagram EVER. Hahaha! I was very, very excited to capture Sierra doing this silly baby thing…and my mom has a similar photo of me doing this at this age.

Then came baccalaureate night! It was an amazing night with a few tears but a lot of laughter. 

Every part of Baccalaureate was stellar, and the main speaker – a pastor of a local church and father of one of the graduates – gave a phenomenal message.

My sweet brother on the big screen (in a video presentation about what has most impacted him in his time at Calvary Christian Academy).

The teachers, administrators, and pastors praying over the graduating class. Moving and powerful. Most amazing school ever. 

The next morning I grabbed a self portrait while hanging out with my girls! Love them to the moon and back. 

As I was getting ready for graduation that evening, Alana asked me if she could wear some of my lip gloss. I put some on her and could not believe how much older she looked. No more lip gloss for this pretty girl – way too grown up! 

Right before Uncle Shawn walked out the door for his high school graduation, I got this photo of he and Alana. We had a babysitter for both Baccalaureate and Graduation, so the girls stayed at the house and I wanted to make sure I got a shot of these two on this momentous occasion!

Shawn on the big screens again, but this time live! He spoke for a few minutes and gave his class a meaningful charge as they move forward. I am beyond proud of him. 

Receiving his diploma! So surreal. 

Immediately following graduation! Thank you for this shot, mom!!! 

Post-graduation self portrait!

Love love love these people!

Once graduation was over, Shawn had about four graduation parties over the next few days, so we didn’t see much of him that weekend! We had some down time around the house, with plenty of relaxing, games, and movies. Here, Papa and Sierra are spending some quality time reading together  

Uncle Shawn and the girls! They adore him. 

Back outside for some more pool time! It’s been so fun for me to see Sierra in the bathing suits Alana wore at this age. Too adorable! 

The beloved sand and water table! 

The adorable canoe that my parents bought for Alana when she was only two and Sierra didn’t exist! She’s been loving this thing for a couple of years now!

Relaxing with Nana over the weekend! Yay for no work!  Sierra was playing in the hose water with Nana, and truthfully, I was pretty proud of this image that I captured.  

We realized that our time together was winding down, so we fit in a trip to the beach over the weekend. It was gorgeous, and we had so much fun! These were the shots I took while walking across the street to the beach that morning. Love that light.

My sweet and beautiful Alana…

The Goodyear Blimp. Alana cracked us up attempting to say the word, which kept coming out like “plimp”  

Thank you for this photo, mom!!! You rock! 

Here Uncle Shawn is presenting the girls with their gifts from his recent trip to North Africa. He gave Alana this beautiful scarf, and a little hand stitched, decorated camel for Sierra!

This was particularly adorable! I walked into the back room and Alana was very busy doctoring Papa, who wasn’t feeling too great. She had COVERED him in stuffed animals to keep him company, put pink sunglasses on him, and was taking his temperature with a princess wand. Oh man I love this photo.

This shot is from Lime Mexican Grill…a place we frequent when we are down. I was so excited to have a lunch date with Shawn and dad while mom watched the kids at home. Thank you for letting me enjoy some quality time with my guys, mom!!!

Then a quick afternoon trip to Menchies was in order…since Nana and Papa hadn’t been before. Fun times, getting caught in a torrential downpour  

Then we were off to a graduation party for Shawn on Monday afternoon that my parents were co-hosting with some other families. It was an absolute blast, and I FINALLY had a chance to hang out and talk with Liz, Shawn’s best friend for years, who will be moving up here to go to Covenant College (my alma mater!) in the fall!

Loved getting to see the kids that I already knew from this class, and meeting some new friends as well! They were incredible with Alana and Sierra, and it was so much fun to watch the girls thriving with all of the attention! 

On Monday morning, Shawn and I ran to the mall together to do a bit of shopping. He will be going to Taylor University in the fall, and the weather will be a bit different than South Florida! On the way back, we hit up Jamba Juice and I grabbed this shot of Sierra enjoying her first ever “pink star!”

On Tuesday we picked Rich up at the Fort Lauderdale airport and he was able to join us for our last day and a half in Florida. The girls were SO excited to see Rich, and I grabbed this series of Sierra bouncing on Rich, then kissing him, then poking him in the eye, and then standing on him

Our time with Rich went by WAY too quickly, but we hit up a couple of our favorite places while we still could! We were off to Einstein’s for breakfast…

Some pool time as a family…

Some Lime Mexican Grill and Coldstone Creamery with Shawn…

And some delicious dinner and dessert and game watching/game playing all together and with Liz! We attempted to play Clue AND watch the Miami Heat playoff game against the Celtics, which led to the most drawn out and disjointed game of Clue we’ve ever played  

And that concludes my review of our trip!

Now for my thoughts on using only an iPhone on a vacation:

1) I loved the concept of using only my phone simply for the fact that I always, always have it with me. It’s beyond convenient to be able to capture moments and memories with the phone that I always have in my hand or very nearby.
2) I can’t stand not having control of shutter speed in particular. Moving objects, like my kids, are nearly impossible to take sharp photos of, so I am constantly taking unusable photos! I think the bottom line is that I plan to keep using one of our pro camera bodies whenever I have the chance. And when I don’t, I want to continue trying to hone my iPhone taking skills since I have a long way to go!

Sierra keeps me buuuuusy. She, like Alana, is busy, full of life, and completely hilarious! We had an absolute blast visiting with Nana and Papa and Uncle Shawn over the holidays, and if my birthday being 4 days before Christmas isn’t crazy enough, Sierra’s birthday is 3 days after Christmas…exactly one week after mine.

So, for her first birthday, we were in Fort Lauderdale and had a sweet little party for her. Particularly exciting was the fact that Amber Holritz had some sessions booked in the Fort Lauderdale area, and was going to document Sierra’s party to conclude Sierra’s first year of sessions with her! Oohhhhh! So exciting!

I wanted to share a few of my favorite photos here, but the full blog post and slideshow are on Amber’s blog – and crank up the volume for the slideshow song…so much fun!!!

Uncle Shawn had to leave very soon after Amber arrived, so he and Sierra were able to take a few photos together! Hooray for Uncle-Niece time!

Sweet, sweet, happy girl!

Some party details!

My beautiful, wonderful, amazing mom!

Sierra and her Aunt Pixie! Oh the adorable factor here is through the roof!
Fun games with Nana!
Sierra is, um, a well documented baby

Wonderful, wonderful Papa! It was almost as if Sierra was asking permission with this cake sitting in front of her!

She got into it
Poor Alana! Oh the patience she had to channel while watching Sierra chow down on cake She grabbed a bite or two after asking me oh so politely!

Oh, the video we have from these moments is insanely cute. And like I said, well documented!

Slowing down…
But definitely still going…

She hung in there so well while sleepy, and opened some presents. 

Be sure to head to Amber’s blog to see the rest of the photos and the adorable slideshow!

Amber, Amber, Amber!!! How to thank you for all of these PRICELESS captured moments??? Oh, words are so inadequate!!!

It also bears mentioning that this special blog post is my 500th!!!! It hardly seems possible that I’ve been blogging since October of 2006 and have written 500 posts, starting before either of our children existed!

So since we try to alternate holiday locations, this year we headed south to bask in the warm Fort Lauderdale sun! We had an all-too-brief (but very wonderful) Christmas celebration with Rich’s wonderful parents and then left the next morning for 11 hours in the Pilot with our little ones. And let me just say that we are SO proud of these two! The trip from Chattanooga to Fort Lauderdale can often be 12-13 hours depending on the number of stops we make, and of course the traffic, but we actually made a beeline there and arrived in just under 11 hours! The girls did an amazing job of tolerating the drive, and are turning out to be fabulous little travelers.

It’s actually been a little over a week since we have been back in town from our 3 weeks in Florida (yes, 3 whole weeks. Running our own business requires a ton of hard work, but it also allows for some flexibility in the off-season). The latter half of our week home has been spent sick. Well, let me rephrase: the girls have been sick and Rich and I have been waking up in the middle of the night for 3 nights straight to clean up vomit So I’m feeling sorry for the girls and going a bit stir crazy myself. And if I do another load of nasty laundry, it is highly likely that I will go completely insane.

So hopefully I’ll get through this blog post: it’s the kind of mommy day that makes me feel the need to go to the loony bin. Sierra is soooo fussy, clingy, needy, and clearly just doesn’t feel completely back to normal yet. As I type, she is loudly fighting a nap in her crib. Give in, baby, just give in. Mommy wants to blog. An overdue blog, at that.

Most of our Christmas vacation was spent in absolutely beautiful weather, in the 60′s, 70′s, even 80′s, which allowed the girls to play outside and have a blast. The pool water itself is actually really cold in the “Florida winter” even when it’s warm outside, so the girls mainly played with the sand and water table and enjoyed all of the pool toys.

Examining the sand…

And deciding to eat some. 

And deciding that it doesn’t actually taste good at all.

Alana has an absolute blast hanging out by the pool, even when she doesn’t go in the water. She has always loved it out here.

Her own little pink net for cleaning the pool – she loves it and hey, she helps the pool stay clean. Nana is brilliant  

Go Miami Heat  

Thank you so much to Rich for these photos of the girls (minus Aunt Pixie, whom we eagerly awaited the arrival of on Christmas Eve)!!!

I loooooove this series…

This was Sierra’s adorable little Christmas Eve dress – too cute

Thank you for the Christmas Eve family photo, mom! 

Christmas Day was just the sweetest thing. Since it was Sierra’s first Christmas, Alana wanted to properly introduce her to the wonderful presents. She was a little smothered, but hopefully she felt loved

Since Aunt Pixie had flown in late the night before, the girls had not seen her yet. So when we’d all waited as along as we could handle, we snuck in with the girls and let them crawl onto Amber to wake her up. It was so cute. Sierra was only 6 months old when Amber moved to South Dakota, so it had been 6 months, but her reaction was adorable and we all deduced that she totally remembered Aunt Pixie

We ate a delicious Christmas morning breakfast together and then began opening presents. 

I love my “I’m taking a picture of her taking a picture of her taking a picture of him” image  

Sierra didn’t actually make it too far before she needed her morning nap. So most of our gift opening was spent sans Sierra. But at least we had a happy baby later on! 

I put Sierra down for a nap and the opening continued! 

I made fun of my mom for getting dad – among other things – socks for Christmas. But dad reeeeaaalllly wanted some new socks. And the fact that he’s rubbing them on his face, well, that’s a really funny family joke going back a few Christmases  

Dad surprised mom with an iPad for Christmas – so cute! She was so excited! Mom and I found the MOST hilarious slippers for Amber – they looked like the abominable snowman – we were pretty happy with ourselves. Sadly, they shed like crazy! Might as well have a pet!

Gifting dad some happiness:

Ya, you really can’t go wrong with cash.

Alana sporting Aunt Pixie’s new slippers  

Yep, Rich got the coal in his stocking – I think he may have gotten it last year as well He and my mom have a special (i.e. feisty) relationship. But don’t feel bad for him, he can dish it out!

Stockings!My adorable mom, checking out her new work toy! 

Sierra woke up in time to have stocking fun – she kept putting candy canes in her mouth with the wrapper on, probably wondering why in the world we like them  

Then we let Sierra open her Christmas gifts that had been left unopened while she napped. Oh, she did not disappoint. I’ve come to expect babies to have more fun with the paper and boxes than their gifts, but Sierra, on Christmas Day, was an exception. She let Alana help her with the opening, but then she would hold up her gifts, give Nana a HUGE smile, and then proceed to play with and enjoy her new toys. Really, I was so impressed with her! It was the most rewarding baby gift opening episode I’ve ever seen  We might be the last young family on earth who did not yet have Sophie the Giraffe, but Nana got her for Sierra!

Both girls LOVE to be on Papa’s shoulders, mess up his hair, slap his head, giggle while he runs around the house…

And giggle when Nana comes to get them!

Then, once Amber was in town, we needed to take a few more photos with all 3 girls! Thank you again to Rich for these photos! They make me so happy  

Soon I will be able to blog Sierra’s first birthday party because the one and only Amber Holritz flew down to document it! We are so excited to share those photos as well!

So, after a bit of morning relaxation…

We headed off to see what we could see

At the public beach, I loved the tall reeds, the rickety wooden fences, and the strong wind that blew. We had so much beautiful sunshine throughout the week, but in the mornings and evenings it tended to be overcast…and that happens to be when we did most of our photographing!

So, while all the sunshine was beautiful, I also like the soft, cloudy feel these images have! It started raining around the time we decided to leave, so I’m thankful for the half hour we had here! 

We have a saying in our household. It’s from the movie “Madagascar” which Alana has never seen, but Rich and I love. When she gets all crazy like this and she runs around like a nut and gets really goofy, Rich and I look at each other and say, “The penguins are psychotic.” That pretty much sums up this photo

I’m soaking up the snuggly stage because I know it won’t last long! Before long she’ll be running around with gobs of energy like her sister! 

Um, can this image win an award or something? Rich captured it and I’m pretty jealous that I didn’t take it myself. LOVE it.

I love Rich and Sierra’s interactions…so super crazy sweet. 

We played “red light, green light” on the pier and it made for some fun photos. Why haven’t we thought of this before?!?

“Red light!”

“Green light!”
Sierra seemed to love being outside! I loved carrying her around on the beach knowing she was so content.
After a storm blew several rafts and inter tubes into our portion of the beach one night, the kids had fun playing with them the next morning. Alana was too nervous to take her raft into the water with me, so she opted to play in it on the shore.
I think it was her personal goal each day to become as covered in sand as was humanly possible. She succeeded. I’m pretty sure all 3 bathing suits I packed will have sand in them forever.
One day for lunch the four of us visited a local bakery (which has the best cream cheese danishes EVER) and enjoyed some more family time.

Ooooh. I love these photos. Sierra had been to the beach in Fort Lauderdale when we visited my parents in March, but I hadn’t brought her to the water. Because the ocean temperature at Dauphin Island was so moderate, I decided to bring Sierra down to the shore and let her feel the sea for the first time.

So, with her new little rash guard and her chubby baby legs, Sierra met the ocean.

One wave came in pretty strong and caught me off guard so I swept Sierra up and Rich captured it! I love it! 

By the end of the week, Alana, who has always been apprehensive about the water, had become so confident near the waves that we borrowed her cousin’s life jacket for some peace of mind! Even though we were right there with her, she was getting VERY brave in the water and it started to make us nervous! 

Rich and Alana having some more fun…

Uncle Ron (a phenomenal pilot) offered to take the kids up in his plane during the last two mornings of our trip. All 6 of the older kids went up with him and loved it. Rich and Alana went up and I was so glad that Rich took his camera to document their time since I was back at the house with Sierra! 

And this was my view of them flying overhead while I was on the beach!

A few last photos before our vacation came to an end…

I took a couple photos of Alana playing out in front of the house…

And Rich took a few at the sand dunes near the public beach…

Group shot! I love this photo! We were SO SAD not to have gotten a photo with Ron and Kathleen that morning before they flew out…but I’m thankful we got everyone else. The 3 brothers, their wives, and all 8 kids!

We decided to leave the island on a Ferry that took us to Gulf Shores, Alabama and drive back a different way. So, this is both girls’ first time on a boat of any kind, I believe!

Our last vacation photo: a squinty-eyed family self-portrait

Ron and Kathleen had been to Dauphin Island, Alabama, before and it was their idea to introduce all of us to the area. None of us had been there before and it was a wonderful break in the craze that has been our lives lately! It is a very small island, very calm, and not much to do but relax on the white sand beaches. Again, a welcome break from a busy season of life.

This was the water tower that greeted us as we crossed over the bridge onto the island…

And this is the very large home that greeted us for the week! It was situated DIRECTLY on the beach and could not have been more perfect for us for that reason. With little kids, it was SO nice to be right on the beach so that Alana (and her cousins) could go in and out a few times a day without being too long in either place. Rich and I took turns inside while Sierra napped and outside playing in the sand and water with Alana. She was in HEAVEN all week.

I loved this onesie that I’d bought for Sierra a few weeks back and figured our little vacation was the perfect time to put her in it. How cute, right? “Ready for fun!”

For the first few days, we relaxed, roamed the property, snapped a few photos, and tried to get the girls to sleep later than 6am (to no avail)

One of the kids favorite places to play (besides the shore, of course) was under the house! Because it was on stilts, the kids had a blast collecting sea shells and playing in the sand. I took this photo of Alana the morning after we arrived before she’d even had a chance to put on a swim suit! 

This is Alana’s closest-in-age cousin, Addie. She is hilarious and adorable, as you can tell  

Rich and Alana had SO MANY fun moments at the beach, and while I was mostly occupied with Sierra, I tried to grab the camera here & there to capture some memories.

Five month old Sierra:

Across the street from the beach house was a very cool sandbar where Rich had taken Alana the day before. They wanted to go back and bring me and Sierra with them, and they were excited to show me all of their discoveries. We had such great family time around the sand bar, and here are some photos of our time there! 

I love this little drool factory! 

Hermit crabs!!!

The next day at the beach I was determined to get some photos of Alana playing. She’d been having fun on a contagious level and I wanted to remember her running around so happily. She grabbed her straw hat on our way out the door and it made for some fun photos. Truthfully I can’t believe I got a single useful image – Alana did not stand still for a split second all morning. I got dizzy just trying to photograph her activity and I’m thankful for high shutter speeds! 

Cousins! Alex, Addie, and Alana! Rich and both of his brothers had a girl for their firstborn and all 3 happen to be “A” names. These girls play SO well together and I love their relationships! Both Addie and Alana look up to Alex so much. She’s their hero  

The cousins playing a jumping game on a little sand hill…it was so cute to witness  

Up on the porch, Sierra relaxed and completely seemed to enjoy the sights and sounds of the ocean. I sat on the back porch with her quite a bit and we loved feeling the ocean breeze on our skin. She was a joy…with a few moments of overtired screaming and not napping well.

I thought this was a funny image with her tongue…

Stay tuned for part two! Coming right up!

We LOVE this place…great food, great service, and best of all, the private jets take off and land RIGHT outside the windows! Alana loved it just as much as always, and I think this place will be a tradition for years to come!

She loved every second, and her enthusiasm was pretty contagious.

Thanks again, mom, for taking another photo! You should go pro  

Could they be ANY CUTER???

Pretending to be an airplane…

Happiness…

Once we were done at the cafe, we hit up the Boca Town Center Mall for a little Baby Gap fun and then made lunch out of Jamba Juice – and we brought some to Papa at his job site.

Back at the house, I snapped these of Alana:

And then we went out back to play. This was Sierra’s first time in a bathing suit, and we squealed about how cute and chubby she looked! 

(Thanks again for this photo, mom!)

Sierra was reclining on my lap and this was my perspective of her round little face  

To supplement the fun Alana had in this little canoe last summer, we made sure to add Sierra this time…

Lounging. It seems that both Alana and Sierra have inherited my dad’s piercing blue eyes…and I’m wondering why I wasn’t so lucky! 

Kissable chubby cheeks:

And some Papa time! 

One of my favorites: 

One of our last days in Florida, we decided to head to the Promenade and have a DELICIOUS lunch at Lime Mexican Grill. Oh, we love this place! And I’m so mad for not getting a group self-portrait!

Super cool architecture! 

30 year old me and 17 year old Shawn. I don’t want him to get a big head so I’m not going to talk about how stinking cute he is. 

Then on Friday night we went to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate dad’s birthday. With our 45 minute wait, we decided to be productive and take pictures

Impromptu self-portrait…

Kinda sad I didn’t think to include mom in this photo…I didn’t get a single one with both my parents and both girls! Shoot!

On Saturday we had one last backyard fling: 

My parents backyard is a beautiful Florida oasis! 

The End

I don’t know how, but a week always manages to fly by as if it were three measly days, and we always find ourselves driving home feeling like…well, like it just wasn’t enough time. This trip was no exception and yesterday I was sad, both for myself, and for sweet Alana, who is going to seriously miss her Nana and Papa.

Sad times.

When we arrived at my parents house last week, the first thing we did was to see everything that my parents had bought for Alana for their backyard. Basically, they turned it into a water theme park wonderland

These first few photos are of Alana playing with the sand and water table they’d set up for her. It was completely adorable, and I don’t think any of us could have foreseen just how much Alana would LOVE it. I think it wins “favorite activity” in her book for the week.

She was SO busy and so focused at the table. Playing is very serious business.

Shovels, buckets, sand molds, rakes…it was all here

And then there was the dinosaur land pool When my mom told me she’d picked up a little pool for Alana, I had visions of the small, round, hard plastic Walmart things that I grew up with. I didn’t know to expect THIS: a slide, a palm tree, and yes, a waterfall. Completely wonderful.

Alana loved it, loved it, loved it! I had serious fun taking photos of Alana on this slide:

Round One:

Round Two:

Here are some awesome photos that Amber took…I love them!

Floaties:

More sand and water table fun…

And even some time in the “big pool” in her hippo floatie with Nana:

Some fun bonding time inside on Uncle Shawn’s bed:

Out and about

Family Lazer Tag…SERIOUS FUN.

My attempt to look intimidating while playing Lazer Tag. Thanks for the bandana, Nick

Alana and Papa!

My mom even found Alana her own little pink net for catching stray leaves and bugs…we had a clean pool because of mom and Alana!

Thanks to Amber for this photo!

As if the sand and water table and dinosaur pool weren’t enough, mom couldn’t resist this toddler canoe for Alana

I freaked out about it because my mom had one for me when I was even younger than Alana. Now we just need to find the photos of my mom and I and scan them in so I can add to this blog post with a baby photo of my own. Thank you to Rich for the canoe photos! LOVE THEM, babe!

It’s called the “S.S. Otter Spotter” :):)

Are you kidding me? Cuteness overload. A toddler canoe with it’s own oars and even a little pillow for back comfort

She didn’t want anyone to touch her canoe, so she floated away and said “bye-bye.” She’s quickly getting more independent in the pool, so I’ve decided to enroll her in swimming lessons this summer.

Oh, Shawn. When Alana was done with her oars and threw them in the water, Shawn grabbed them and used it to paddle his raft

I grabbed a few shots of Rich and Alana relaxing in the water…

Rich snagged one last shot of Alana before we went back inside for the day. She’s my sweetie. And oh, so adorable.

Headed out for the afternoon (and Alana trying to smile with a big peppermint in her mouth).

So cute. Nana and her sweetie!

On our last day outside I had my first pool-related scare with Alana. My mom was in the shallow end of the pool, I was in the middle, and Alana was playing in her dinosaur pool down by the deep end. I didn’t realize it, but she’d decided to try and get onto this big green raft by herself. I turned around just in time to see her falling into the deep end of the pool towards this raft. I panicked and was there in just a few seconds, lifting her from under the water. I tried to stay calm for her sake and told her she was going to be just fine, but of course, I was shaky and upset too. She was terrified but recovered pretty quickly – with many thanks to my mom – who had the presence of mind to say, “Alana! Good job! You went underwater!” and helped Alana to feel like it wasn’t the end of the world. Alana is such a cautious and often-scared toddler that it helps to reassure her and encourage her when it comes to things she’s been avoiding. I’m thankful it was just a minor scare and that I was there to grab her…parenting can be so terrifying sometimes. I think she is going to be VERY hesitant about swim lessons…this is the first summer she has even let anyone get her in the pool at all.

Here she is a few minutes later, scary episode forgotten, and enjoying the raft with Nana holding on right behind her.

One of our traditions from the past few visits is to enjoy breakfast at the Jet Runway Cafe. This is at the Fort Lauderdale executive airport, and the cafe (which we didn’t know about until about a year ago), is completely charming. The food is excellent and the view of the runway could not be better. Alana LOVES airplanes – big and small – and has so much fun watching them land and take off through the windows!

A typical gorgeous South Florida day, with bright blue sky and big, puffy white clouds. And to make our visit even more fun, there was a TON of activity on the runway this day. Loads of planes taking off and landing!

Making an Alana sandwich

And that concludes my blog post from our 2010 Summer Family Vacation!

But that is NOT to say that I did a great job of taking photos every time I should have. I missed so many opportunities…namely, our 4th of July family dinner at Houston’s – which may need to become a holiday tradition. We ate a divine meal inside and then stepped outside onto the restaurant dock to watch the Fort Lauderdale Beach fireworks display! No camera! Ugh!

I also failed to take a photo of my friends Lacey and Leslie (from Longview, TX) when they stopped by for lunch, and our friends Lisa and Lauren and their kids who also stopped by to visit. I’m reprimanding myself!

Anyway, happy summer everyone, and happy summer vacations! Make lots of memories and enjoy your loved ones – life is so short!

This is the first time we’ve visited the beach that Alana has not been scared. She is still really nervous around the water, but she’s finally able to enjoy the sand. She was super scared last summer for our mini session, and the Christmas mini session before that.

But I love each set of photos for what they are: an accurate representation of our family at various ages and stages.

I grabbed a couple shots of Alana when we first arrived:

And then passed the camera off to Amber, who got some really wonderful photos of all three of us! Thank you so much, Pixie!!!

It was a grey and overcast evening, very windy, and we felt bad for poor Amber, who was trying to take beautiful photos for us. I actually liked the one below in color, even though there was no beautiful light to be found!

About halfway through the session, Alana decided she was done with the photoshoot and she took off for the unmanned lifeguard tower. It made for some super cute photos

So contemplative!

Uncle Shawn entertained her once we were done. Way to capture it, Amber!

Thank you again to my awesome sis for the memories documented. We love you and are so excited about your rapidly budding photography skills. Na Nu!

On Sunday, March 7th (in the lobby of the MGM Grand), we met Gabe in person for the first time, grabbed a cab to Fremont Street, and a friendship began.

We already knew we loved his work, we already knew we enjoyed his online personality, but now we were quickly learning that we really, really liked him as a person…in person.

And then there was the photo shoot. Followed by a relaxing dinner together. Gabe has a very serene, calming personality. He’s reserved but also very easy to talk to. We had incredible conversations and thoroughly enjoyed every second.

He is inspired by documenting the connection that two people share.

Thank you for our connection session, Gabe. We love the images, and can’t help but think of you – and our incredible times together in Vegas – when we look at them. Keep wowing people with your self and your giftedness.

Blog readers, if you are ever in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, look Gabe up! Hire him for a session in the canadian landscape and let him work some magic! We want to go sooo badly!

I hope my blog readers are doing wonderfully! I have missed you over the past two weeks since I last blogged.

I wanted to blog a quick blurb to let my readers know that I just posted an update of our WPPI experience in Las Vegas on our professional blog! Head over there to read about our week and to link to a photo shoot by our incredible friend Gabe McClintock with Perspectiveye Photography from Calgary.

Here is a teaser image from Las Vegas but visit us at Rich Smith Photography for more!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

So, last night we headed up to Nashville to photograph the new, VERY cool Taco Mamacita store. We will be blogging that on our pro blog in the next day or so, but until then, I thought I’d post a few photos from our time at the Nashville Zoo from earlier today. Rich and Steve worked last night while Shannon, Alana and I hung out and ate amazing food! Ya, not too shabby! We spent the night in a nearby hotel and then spent all morning visiting the zoo. It was Alana’s first time at a zoo ever, and she loved it.

We started with a fun family self-portrait…

Enjoyed the thick bamboo forests…

There was a lot of walking involved, and Alana opted to skip some of it and ride on Rich’s shoulders…

Happy (but tired) little girl

Stay tuned on the RSP Blog for a few Taco Mamacita photos.

And if you live in Chattanooga or Nashville, GO THERE.

You.Will.Not.Regret.It.

Alana LOVES to play in the yard, especially since my parents cat, “Tigger” (called “Tiger” by Alana), wanders the yard and actually lets Alana pet her occasionally. I grabbed these shots of Alana while playing in the yard and getting situated in the van…she’s such a cutie.

At the mall and making silly faces with Papa!

Then on Saturday evening, we had the pleasure of meeting up with several of my good friends from high school! Matt, Jenn, and Abby were close friends all throughout our time at Highlands, and I haven’t seen them in so long! Matt and Jenn have both gotten married in the past six months, so it was a blast meeting Sharyn and Daniel! SO good to see you all! And Abby, awesome restaurant suggestion! Let’s do this again next time we’re all here!

Then on Sunday evening, we decided to head down to Dania Beach to go to Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor, open since 1956 and famous for their award-winning ice cream and the “kitchen sink.” My parents even have memories of going to Jaxson’s in their dating days!

Shawn’s girlfriend Kaylee and our cousin John and his wife Kathryn also met us there and we had a blast hanging out and catching up!

“Uncoo Tonny” and Alana goofing off…

Nana, Papa, and Alana…

The Kitchen Sink cutout!

I pretty much ADORE this family photo. Thank you for taking it, Amber!

And a quite wonderful self-portrait of the whole group outside Jaxson’s…minus mom and Alana, who can be seen in the background!

So we had a “take two” including them!

Then on Tuesday, Nick and Amber’s last night here, we decided to have one big family fun night. Dad suggested Dave and Buster’s, and we all jumped at the idea.

We started off with a very delicious dinner and I’m pretty sure we all ate too much

Alana was a little ham at dinner with my sunglasses…

And then we got to playing! Skee Ball has always been a family favorite for us…I grew up playing this game! So, it was only fitting for Alana to learn how! Rich played Skee Ball with Alana while I snapped away.

My two sweeties!

My darling:

Everyone had some serious fun with air hockey!

And Alana got to play air hockey for the first time!

And of course, the Dave and Buster’s family self-portrait. Love it!

Merry, Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy, Happy New Year!!!

We love you and pray that you have a happy and blessed 2010!

Since today is our last day in Fort Lauderdale, I am going to let this post be photo-heavy and light on the commentary since I still need to pack, do laundry, and get to bed at a decent time.

So, enjoy some of my favorite photos from our Christmas Day!

Aunt Pixie and Uncle Nick…

Papa with Alana…

Gift opening!

A hilarious gift from Nick and Amber to my parents: The Bunny Suicides.

Stockings!

And a very fun, very relaxing trip to the beach on Christmas Day. It was beautiful…warm but not hot, and a very nice breeze!

Some horse shoes…

And volleyball…

Wonderful Florida clouds!

Next up: christmas vacation part four…last one!

We started off by taking a few photos at a huge tree before service. Alana was mildly cooperative, looking in the general direction of the camera but refusing to look AT the camera

The girls…looking a bit ridiculous because of the strong wind!

Thank you to Amber for our little family photo! And on the right is a photo of Alana at the manger scene, complete with real goats, sheep, and a donkey Some kids were posing as Mary and Joseph and there was a sweet little baby in place to represent Baby Jesus.

This photo is really horrible because Alana’s face is blurry, but I’m blogging it because poor little Alana is standing in line for the two year old nursery, looking so distressed. She is so cautious, so when we are in a new situation she gets nervous very easily. Rich and I had to go get her during the service last time we were down, and this time turned out to be no exception. She was bawling and hyperventilating when we came to get her and actually took several minutes to calm down. SO SAD. It really gets to me because I’m pretty sure she thinks we are deserting her. Being two must be so hard!

Stay tuned for christmas vacation part three!

The game was awesome…and Shawn and his team played hard and won 83-76. It was fast paced, intense, and I had so much fun watching him play! He’s 6’3″ now, exactly the same height as Rich…which is so eerie to me! He’s a great player, and it’s hard to believe he’s only a sophomore!

Rich positioned himself near the side of the gym and used the 70-200mm to grab some shots of the game. He did a great job, and I love the memories we will have looking back on Shawn’s high school sports career!

SUCH a cute kid…and I’m SO proud of him!

Taking a break on the bench.

LOVE the expressions here!

Both teams had amazing defense!

#10 in action!

Dad, me and Rich post-game! We won – go Eagles!

The day after the game, Rich and I shot Markus and Naomi’s wedding in Boca Raton…if you haven’t already, check it out! It was our first South Florida wedding and we had a blast with these incredible families and are so thankful to have been part of their special day!

Next up: christmas vacation part two!