{ Fully Stocked }

I was just scrolling through my latest blog posts and noticed that most of the posts lately are sneak peeks of pictures I have taken. I finished up editing my latest photo shoot yesterday and realized this is the first time since June I haven't had a photo session to edit.

As much as I {heart} taking pictures and all the fun that is in editing, I do have to say it's a relief to be able to check that off my mental list for now. If my blog is any indication of where my time has been being spent, it goes without saying my jewelry site has been being a little neglected.

So I just spent the last 7 hours renewing listing, adding some new pictures, adding a few new listing and sprucing up my store a bit. I also sell on another website and realized I was completely sold out of all the handstamped items there!

I can officially check that off my list now too.

However...

While I was busy hard at work so were the girls.

Trashing.my.house.

How on earth they can manage to destroy every room in a matter of a few hours in beyond me. It looks like a tornado has gone thru.

Two steps forward, one step back.

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Tim actually just left to take them to my mom's for the night. We are going to do some Christmas shopping. ALONE!

I looked thru their backpacks that they packed themselves.

Here's Kenna's.
5 short sleeves shirts.
2 long sleeved. One Christmas, one Halloween.
One pair of cotton shorts.
One pair of pajamas, which is hilarious being she hasn't worn pajamas in over a year.


I figured Kinzley's would be better.
No such luck.
1 outgrown dressy shirt.
a pair of outgrown capri gauchos. {that she hates!}
a little shirt that ties under the rib area that goes on top of another shirt.
and
the
best
yet
bottoms to a swimsuit.

It's Iowa in November. It's a little chilly. Neither one of my kids packed bottoms.
I didn't have the heart to re-pack them since they were both so proud of themselves. Although I did ask them each to grab a pair of pants.

It's safe to say I stocked my store a little more thorough than they did their backpacks.

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Christmas orders are coming in like crazy so be sure to place your order early to ensure you get what you need. Cause you know I only stock my store a few times a year. [wink}

Firefly Photo Jewelry Shoppe.

{ Haefner Family. }

Not to long ago I was standing outside Kinzley's school with the other moms waiting to pick her up when my friend Nikki asked if I'd take some family pictures for them.

You might remember me mentioning Nikki before on my blog. You can thank her for this carmel dip recipe.

Anyways I looked into her kids big beautiful sparkling eyes and had to stop myself from jumping up and down.

Yeah. I'd love to take some pictures of them.

I mean look at these eyes!




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I don't normally tend to edit a ton of pictures in black and white. I think you need the right background and outfits and poses to really rock a black and white.

However...
I had all the elements with this family. As soon as I saw the tree in black and white I knew I'd have a few more b/w's than normal this session.





Aren't they the cutest family?



The kids did just about everything I asked of them and are.so.sweet. to each other. Do they not look like best friends?

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I love real moment pictures. The ones that aren't 100% posed. Ones you see daily without even realizing it's a "photo moment." Ones that in the blink of an eye will be gone and forgotten as your children grow.

{a sweet cuddle with mom.}


{a look of love being passed back and forth.}


{ a hug from behind. complete with a giggle in your sister's ear.}


{the help of a sibling to be brave enough to explore a hole in a barn.}


Sigh.

Pictures just make my heart happy.

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To see yet more pictures feel free to become a fan on facebook for ShawnaE.Photography which is acting as my "website" until my real one goes live.

Thanks Dave and Nikki for allowing me to capture these memories for you!

{ scrumptious sis. }

{ my sweet, soft, }


{ surprised, shocked, }


{ sad, sorrowful, }


{ sunny, smiling, Sis. }


How blessed I am, that God allowed me to be your mom.

I love each and every one of your spunky silly emotions.

I.
I love.
I love you.

{ Bailey, Senior Pictures part 2 }

You may remember a few weeks ago when I posted pictures of a photo shoot from my cousin Bailey. I had taken her senior pictures when we were up in Canada but they wanted a few more pictures taken in the fall, so on a beautiful afternoon I headed to their family farm.

{ Rainbow Bright }

Every Wed is color day at Kinzley's school. One week she will have to wear as much pink as she can, the next week green etc... The kids then get to graph what they wore..

This week was the last and final week.{YEAH!!! I know it's educational and all and the kids love it but it' such a pain for me.} For the last week it was rainbow colors. They needed to wear as many colors as they could. Looking thru Kinzley's closet we quickly realized she has lots of pink, browns and blue but nothing very rainbow-ish.

However Kenna's wardrobe is full of color. Lots of color. Lots of striped color.

A size 4/5 dress quickly became a tunic and by layering a pair of boots over pair of 3T leggings you couldn't even tell they were too short.

I really thought she should wear brown leggings. She really thought she should wear the striped ones. "Mom stripes match... Striped dress, striped leggin's"

Whatever. It's her body. It's her color day. I am trying very hard to step aside and let her pick out her own clothes. Even when it's not something I'd neccassairly pick out myself. You know what they say about your clothing choices being a way to express yourself..

{And Kinz does like expressions}



{She even picked out rainbow hairclips}



{and we couldn't forget the nails}


Kinzley=Expressions.....just a little bit

Newborn Will & Family

A while ago Heidi contacted me about doing some photos of her new little one. The problem was she was still pregnant. Meaning I had to wait to do the pictures of a sweet newborn. Then she had the gall to not find out the sex before the baby was born. The nerve of some people! {grin}

Finally a little boy was born into their sweet family.



I met little Will when he was 6 day, yes days old. I'm surprised you couldn't hear my heart pitter pattering all the way thru the computer.









Doesn't he look sweet and innocent?

It wasn't as easy as it looked. First it started sprinkling raindrops so we had to hold an umbrella over him. And when I say we I mean Heidi. I couldn't stop taking pictures long enough to keep her brand new baby dry. Then we had another sprinkling of sorts, when little Will decided to "sprinkle me." Poor Heidi felt terrible, but it wasn't the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last.

Then there is big sister Olivia.

Little Liv had just waked up from a nap and had little desire to get dressed, let alone pictures taken. Dad was left in charge while we took the baby outside. We could hear the crying thru the closed door and Brad came out a few minutes later and said "She'd like her mom to dress her." It's nice to know it's not just our house with the girl drama.

Needless to say I was imagining when she finally emerged she would have tear stained cheeks and red puffy swollen eyes.

Instead she comes out looking like this..


Sweet Liv who would fit so well in our house, with her blonde hair and blue eyes. With a huge personality on top of it. Liv who just sat right down, looked into my camera and smiled. Over and over and over again. I think I asked her parents if she really was only two about 10 times.



My favorite part of the whole photo shoot was when I layed Will next to Olivia. She sooo sweetly repeated my words back to her little brother "Widdle brudder, wook in the camera... There is a monkey in there." {Grin} She then said "Ok.. I'm done.. Get him off me. Get this widdle baby off of me now!"



{Thanks Heidi and Brad for sharing your family with me}

You are so blessed!

{ Every witch needs a cat }

I had full intentions of doing a full Halloween post. I even spent an afternoon last week dragging out past Halloween photos of the girls.

I spent a few hours looking back thru the years remembering what the girls had dressed up like.
A flower, a giraffe, a skunk {my personal favorite for Kinz}, caterpillar, 2 butterflies, a handful of princesses, a monkey {my favorite for Kenna} I figured you guys would like to take a little trip thru memory lane with me. However it's not going to happen this year. {grin}

I did want to post the pictures for this Halloween though. Ya know since I kinda blog as a journal for the girls to read when they get older. They aren't going to look back and think their mom didn't let them go trick-or-treating in 09! Oh no they are not!

I don't know about your house but around here your costume is a.big.deal. The final costumes weren't even close to the original costumes they started off thinking they would dress up as.

Kenna: She thought about being a cowgirl, then Taylor Swift, before finally deciding on a friendly witch. Her favorite part was saying "Ahhh hhha hhaaa I'll get you my pretty."



As for Kinzley. Taylor Swift was her #1 choice, until she remember she wanted to be a cheerleader last year. So cheerleader it was..

Until Kenna decided to become a witch {grin}. Then Kinz had to switch costumes again because every witch needs a cat.

Complete with collar of course.

Her name was "Sassy Green-eyes."


They are quite the pair don't ya think?