Happy Halloween!

Halloween 2008 will be especially memorable! We had incredibly beautiful weather, and we had the Phillies parade!! Unfortunately we didn't make it to the parade but we had fun at our parent + tot morning at Waldorf and then went to visit with Gran Ann, El Papa Woo, Papi, Uncle Craig and many others at MPI. Carver opted for an early bedtime rather than and afternoon nap, so he missed trick or treating (I don't think he minded).

Composting Is Cool...and Cute.

Carver loves fresh apple juice in the morning. Apples are pretty much all that goes through my juicer lately and we're left with fabulous apple pulp for our compost pile. Walking to the compost pile has been one of Carver's daily 'chores' with me. I adore watching him proudly walk with his little blue bucket full of compost goodness...especially in the bright knit hat I made him :)

Morning Nature Walks

Per Kyle's suggestion we've been going on morning nature walks for the past 2 weekends. They are so much fun and we live so close to the fabulous Wissahickon Park we would be fools not to take advantage! However..these photos are from our walk in a little section of the Fort Washington State Park near Flourtown. It was a crisp morning and we made sure to bundle little Carver up.

Second Shooting Bonanza!

For about the last two months I've been second shooting every weekend! It's been fun, and the extra money is fantastic... but I miss spending my Saturday's with Kyle and Carver. Another month and it's Thankgiving and the break in between wedding seasons! Joy's been having me go out with her for her weddings, Joe's got me down for a few as well, can't forget sweet Jeremy either, and this Saturday I'm going to work with Jackie Bayne. Huh, just realized the photographers all start with 'J'!
I love being a second, there's not as much stress, I don't have to set up the formal shots and I'm encouraged to be as creative as I can! I've edited down the last four wedding's I shot with Joy to my utmost favorites...if you want to know the who, what, when and where's of these shots, just check out Joy's blog!

Back Yard Fun!

This afternoon we ran around in the yard chasing Cappy and his blue ball. We also spotted what's eating our very first homegrown pumpkin, and also a g-hog.





Just wanted to post this shot of Carver, not just because I think he's the cutest little boy in Philly, but because I wanted to share the handmade craftiness of his tie-dye onsie. I picked this bright cheery number at Julie Foster's table while checking out the Skippack Days on Sunday afternoon. Thanks Julie we love it!

Welcome Baby Gabriel!

BFF Erin, Rafael, and proud big sister Stella welcomed baby Gabriel James with all the love in their hearts on September 27, 2008. Baby Gabriel was a whopping 10 lbs. 5 oz. and 22 inches long!! As Erin would definitely say 'HOLY HANNAH!!'.
I was shooting a wedding with Joe the day Gabriel was born, so it wasn't until 4 days later that his titi (that's me) got the chance to visit the happy family.
Of course baby Gabe was doing what newborns do best while I visited, eat and sleep. I did get to see his beautiful eyes for a few seconds here and there :) Erin amazed me with how great she was feeling and looking 4 days after birthing this big boy! Raphael and his mother (who flew in from Puerto Rico) arrived a bit later from the grocery store and I was able to congratulate the proud papa and the abuelita! I can't wait to visit again soon!! LOVE YOU.

If It Were Not For Bees

Bees are an extremely important organism on this planet. We wouldn't have food on our table if it weren't for them. I appreciate these hard workers to the fullest, just not in my attic window sill. A few months ago I noticed a pile of dirt forming on the floor by the window, it was in my 'to do' list to find out what it was from. Wednesday I finally found out it was from bees. To make a long story short, I googled 'Beekeeper in Philadelphia' and found Anthony M. Buzas. I chose to call him because his address was right around the corner from us. Turns out this Tony Buzas is the 'Bee Master' of the whole east coast! He even told me to keep an eye out for magician David Blain's next show, I'm assuming there's something with bee's and Tony involved. Oh, it's turning into a long story... back to the short story... Tony and his assistant John show up and handle the small yellow jacket hive / colony. My instructions were to make sure there were no bees actively flying in & out of the window sill by next mid-week. If there are, I call him again. I'm not going up there for anything right now! When I photographed the process I stayed way back and only got close when the bees were gone. Tony's been interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer (he gave me a copy of the article), and the Daily News. I plan on checking out his whole bee establishment sometime. He lives in Flourtown and rents his honeybees to farmers. I find it a fascinating story and hope to pursue a little documentary photo story someday about Tony and his Apis mellifera (honeybees).
Thank you Tony for ridding our home of the yellow jackets! I hope I don't see them in a week!