ashleyo.photo

Mia a.k.a. Ned

2012-02-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

Remember Mia? Well.. after 6 (I think) rounds of chemo and a big surgery, Mia's scans showed NED (No Evidence of Disease), which means...
MIA IS CANCER FREE!!!
For the first time in her life!

This is something to get excited about! Mia was diagnosed with Stage IV high risk neuroblastoma. Not a pretty diagnosis. If you find her one Caring Bridge, she explains all of the numbers in a recent post (Look for Mia McDowell, her explanations of all this cancer stuff are in an easy to understand lingo). But in answer to many prayers, Mia is now cancer free :c)

I just wanted to take a moment and thank our Lord for everything He's done: for allowing Mia a cancer free body, for all the support from friends and family, for the internet and it's ability to spread the word, for the many many prayers, and for all the hearts touched through this situation. I feel like it's easy to take for granted that Mia is doing as good as she is, but this battle is not over. Because this cancer is so mean, Mia is about to undergo a stem cell transplant, even though all the cancer is gone- just to make sure it doesn't come back. The transplant is quite an ordeal, meaning high doses of chemo and over a month in the hospital. So please, celebrate with me in the healing of Mia, and continue to pray for her and her family as they check into the hospital today. What a beautiful little girl-

My PhotoLife Group

2012-02-12T21:47:00.001-06:00

I probably haven't talked about it in a while, but PhotoLife Group is alive and kickin'! I am still hosting it at my house every Tuesday, and it's been great the way it's grown in both photographers and their commitments. Photo Life has helped me become the photographer that I am, and I consider my fellow Lifers like family (and they have taken care of me like family, ie. meals postpartum and Christmas presents and all). What's really awesome, is my church recognized how rockin' we are! They needed a video to show at church about lifegroups, and asked to shoot ours (uh-oh, a bunch of photogs in front of the camera!). Below is the video they showed at the end of church the past 2 weeks (before this week).
I love my life group :c)

PS. Normally when anticipating being on camera, I would put some effort into how I look (understandably). But this time I was trying to get both Isaiah and I ready, just kinda pulled back my hair and dressed warm. I wonder if I should have cared more, but I'm kinda happy that I can just be okay with me in every day!
PPS. My high school friend Trent and his fiance (I'll be shooting their wedding in August) saw this in church (I'm learning about a lot of people who attend Life that I didn't realize). When Trent saw me, he told his fiance "That's Ashley!". She said she didn't know who I am, so he replied "Our wedding photographer". She apparently got excited and said "Ooo, we have a famous wedding photographer".- Ha! Not sure if this launches me into the 'Famous Photographer' category :c)

My Cloth Diaper Cost

2012-02-10T14:39:00.002-06:00

Ah... give me a second.. I can't take me eyes off this beautiful boy...
second...second...second..
Okay! I'm back! Sorry, sometimes he just captivates me :c) Isaiah is about 5 1/2 months now and look at how good he's sitting (it's even more impressive on a still camera ;c) He toppled over just a couple times while I was shooting this, but never even fussed-

Onto the purpose of this post (goodness I'm sidetracked today!). The other day, someone at work was asking about Isaiah, and we got on the topic of cloth diapers. She asked how much I had spent, and I didn't have an exact answer. A couple days ago, I bought the (hopefully) last part of my stash- So I became curious and decided to get some numbers. Here they are-

$231 for 31 BumGenius all-in-one diapers (medium and large).
I bought these all off of diaperswappers.com. Most are used (I never thought I would do that) but BumGenius has actually discontinued this diaper, so you can't buy them in stores any more. When my friend/sitter put one on Isaiah, I thought it was great! And love that I spend $8.00 per diaper!

These act just like a disposable, just wash instead of toss! They even have easy Velcro, which annoys my slightly because it makes the diaper look more worn, but at least they are quick and easy!

$79 for 4 Bum Genius all-in-one one-size diapers.
These I use as over night diapers, and they "fit" from 8 lbs-toddler (I say "fit" because I thought they were way too big when Isaiah was smaller.. they fit, but left him with a big badunkadunk. That's actually the reason I decided to go with the sized diapers above)

$80 for his newborn set.
This is a guess, as most were actually a gift. I wasn't going to invest in cloth for newborn since it's such a small amount of time, but I actually used these for a while and am glad we got started the first week!

$25 for wipes-
this is another guess because all were gifted to me. But hands down I LOVE my cloth wipes. They are truly economical because you can throw them in with the diaper laundry that you're already doing, and the clean soooo much better! I just keep them in a wipes warmer (I do spend a small amount of money on a wipes solution, but this lasts me at least 4 months)

$57 for wet bags. Some form of storage is neccassary for cloth diapering. I have 2 sets each: large (for home) and small (for the diaper bag). These have held up well so far!

Grand Total: (drum roll please) $492

So I have a grand total of $492 (approximately) invested in my diapering supplies. This does not include the cost of laundering (I have yet to figure out the exact cost of that, but I wash and dry diapers every other day). I understand that laundering adds to the cost, but when I went to Baby Center's Baby Cost Calculator, they estimated $72 a month for just diapers. They also suggested $20 a month for wipes (that seems high though). Just the cost of diapers would be $864 a year. And it's not over after the first year! So I think that a $500 investment that will last me through all of Isaiah's life in diapers, is worth it. But here's the kicker... when number 2 comes around, I'll already have a great diaper stash (and the great thing about sized diapers.. I already have enough for 2 kids in diapers (unless Ray's wish comes true and we have twins...). I may just update a few diapers with my second, esp. if it's a girl, but I'll really only be spending money on the laundering part. So in the end, I certainly think I've diapered in a more economical way. But, tree hugger me, is also excited not to have all the waste! We do use the occasional disposable to get us through the next washing, or on out of town trips. But honestly, poop always leaks and I just don't like them as well. So, there's my experience so far with cloth diapers-

Here's my handsome man, ready for his center fold :c)

Kelli's Family Shoot: Downtonw, OKC

2012-02-07T22:43:00.003-06:00

Check out Kelli and her adorable sons, Braden and Bryson!
We got together on a nice Saturday and walked around the canal in Bricktown, snapping some fabulous photos along the way! Enjoy-

Braden was a natural in front of the camera, and he actually enjoyed it!

Bryson likes to play and have fun.. with a smile that is infectious!

The boys givin' their mom some love

Such sweet kids :c)

And goofy ones!

A family stroll

These boys are just too cute!

Love their brotherly love

More lovin' for mom!

See what I mean about that smile?!

Heartbreaker-

I work with Kelli and have met her kids a handful of times, but the instant they saw me, I was their friend. I love this! I was such a shy little girl that I'm always amazed by kids who can interact with adults in such a friendly way. Thanks for letting me capture your sweet family Kelli!

Meet Nik Meek!

2012-02-07T22:36:00.004-06:00

Meet Nik! He is the newest addition to the Meek family, and one very loved boy!
Nik was born early at 35 weeks, so we had to wait awhile to do photos, but this sweet boy was ready to show off his gorgeous blue eyes!

Funny face

Sweet face

Little hand

Big belly!

Tiny toes

Loving Momma

Proud Poppa!

Congrats Meeks!

Sydnie's Little Man Shower!

2012-02-01T21:31:00.003-06:00

*note: Ray "had to have" the computer when I was working on this post to register to win a new car. By the end of it, I was sleepy and went to bed, so sorry for not writing! (and no, we didn't win)... on to the post!

My good friend Sydnie is expecting her first baby boy and I couldn't be more excited for her! She makes the 4th out of our group of 5 to have a baby within the last 6 months..whoa baby! She helped put on the sweetest sunshine shower for 3 of us this past summer, so we wanted to make this extra special for her. We went with the theme "little man" and enjoyed a fabulous night together!

Here's the table set up (dern backlighting... you think I could have planned that better!)

The lovely pompom chandelier (I still have this up a week later.. it's too pretty!)

Our craft section, onesies and a baby blanket

The beautiful Sydnie and fabulous Beth (okay, Syd is fabulous and Beth is beautiful as well!)

Our bowtie diaper garland

Yum food!

Sausage and Fried Mac-and-Cheese "Balls" (thanks Pintrest!)

Chicken Salad "Man-wiches"

"Bowtie" Pesto Pasta

Fruit "On-A-Stick" (yes... I stretch a theme to it's max!)

Our yummy lemonade!

Preggers and me :c)

My baby and I! If you notice his shirt, he's totally rocking a giraffe with a mustache, on a yellow shirt.. too perfect! (Now you know my obsession with themes!). ps, I didn't get a pic, but had his jumper sitting by the front door... we deemed him "Bouncer" and gave him a list!

Love these girls!

Busy Crafting..

And for a few details.. Just for Syd M&M's!

"Mug-staches"

"Un-Man Your Hands" Scrub

Can't wait to meet baby Gavin next month!

Isaiah: 5 Months Now!

2012-01-28T14:03:00.003-06:00

So I haven't really posted much on Isaiah since Christmas... a month is too long for a baby!
I wanted to do a more organized post, but here's to just getting pics up-

Isaiah and Grayden last month

Here's a cute cheer from when I was shooting his tooth (he now has 2!)

Here he is today.. sitting unsupported for several seconds! He also rolled back to front yesterday!

His cute giggle (and dirty nose..)

A funny face!

Tears and drool..

Hanging with Honey

He does great in his bumbo!

Already very studious :c)

Getting big in his carseat (and heavy)!

In his crib

with the giggles :c)

And if you missed it on facebook, this was his hair at the beginning of the month.. thankfully it's already growing in some..

Isaiah turned 5 months on Thursday... it's flying by!

Carter's 6 Month Session

2012-01-20T20:11:00.003-06:00

Baby Carter is now 6 Months!

We decided to shoot these in his home last Saturday, and despite warnings of him being a 'serious baby', I think we got some sweet smiles from him! Enjoy-

The Becker Show Shoot

2012-01-18T08:59:00.002-06:00

Check out my beautiful family!

While in Texas for Christmas, I was able to take some portraits of my dad, step-mom, and siblings! Since it snowed for Christmas, we went with it and walked around their neighborhood to capture some shots!

It just so happens that each time I shoot these guys, I get a pic of Darla getting on to Barron for one of his crazy antics, while the rest of the family giggles about it. Here was this year's...

And this was the previous one (from a few years ago as you can see.. but I still actually laughed out loud when I pulled this up :c)

One big happy family!

My dad and his bride :c)

My oldest bro Brett, who will be heading off to college next year.. crazy!

Barron, captured in a semi-serious moment!

And the beautiful Bailey.. She's not a little girl anymore!

The girls

The guys

Doing what guys do..

I snuck in on one!

So, this family session started like many family sessions. Darla wanted pics, the kids complained, Dad tries to round them up without really wanted to take photos either, Brett tries to sweet talk me to make this quick... and on and on. Then by the end, the family ends up getting in an all out snowball fight and having a lot of fun! I love it.. and was excited to get some actions shots!

Thinking I should have offered my assistant (aka uncle David) some pay... he's not treating that bag full of camera equipment like he cares about his job (or my lenses!)

Barron caught his mom's snowball.. nice-

Bailey comes back out when she see's the fun!

Notice how snow fights happen in west Texas, bare hands and all!

Then uncle David brings the shovel onto the scene

And things get crazy..

Like this..

Which makes Darla feel like this..

So Bailey attacks David for her mom..

And eventually all hobble back into the warm house to prepare for Christmas :c)

Then end.

What I've learned in 4 months of Mom

2012-01-13T05:40:00.002-06:00

Good morning!
In true mom-of-a-four-month-old way, I am typing this post at 5:42 am, with my baby sleeping in the crib and my husband in the shower. I wanted to just share a bit of my life at this moment, because after this, it will all be a memory :c)

Isaiah's sleeping habits have been a bit erratic lately. At one point he was sleeping through the night, even once we transitioned to the crib! But after holidays, travel, extended family, teething, a growth spurt, and vaccines (all happening within a couple weeks last month), we have been a little out of wac. Then throw in me working 4 out of 5 days (probably as much as I've worked the last 2 months!) and staying at least an hour late each night (to make 13+ hour shifts), and poor Isaiah doesn't remember what he's supposed to do. After googling about 4 months old sleep problems (what else is a parent to do in the wee hours of the night), I realize that just his age can bring on a set of problems. So at this time, Isaiah is waking up at 10 or 11 to eat (which he hasn't done since his first month of life), and again anywhere between 2-4. He also hasn't been going down right after, like he used to, hence me being on the computer now (he woke at 4, ate, hung out until a little after 5). When Ray was on duty last weekend (since I was working the next morning and he wasn't), he decided to let him cry it out. Lets just say I wasn't well rested for work that morning. We tried that for a few nights before I gave up and decided he's a growing boy and needs to eat at night again. We had gotten to the point that he can go down awake and not cry, but at this time we are re-learning that as well.
I thought after he started sleeping through the night, that it would stay that way.
I've learned to not trust anything to stay the same with a baby.

One night I stayed up until midnight talking with friends. I came inside, pumped, read a few things, and got ready for bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, my son cried. He was up for the next 2 hours (which was way unusual). I did not go to bed until after 3 that morning.
I thought I could pretend I was young again.
I learned that my son controls my schedule (with an iron fist ;c)
(side note: Isaiah has ridiculous timing, and still today this day cries just as we lay down, mention how good he's been, etc.)

As mentioned above, I spent the most time away from Isaiah this week while working 4 long days. By Tuesday afternoon, I started to feel like crum, with a back ache that I knew could be 1 of 2 things. 1 would mean that I would finally have "that time of the month" again, 2 would be mastitis. As more symptoms emerged, mastitis leaped ahead as the winner. I came home Tuesday night feverish, chillin', and feeling miserable. I curled up on the couch while my husband (who was recovering from a migraine) waited on me. I was afraid of how I'd care for Isaiah the next day while feeling so crummy. Thankfully I woke the next morning feeling much better, and after following a few natural remedies (raw garlic every few hours, rest, nursing, fluids), I recovered without the need of antibiotics.. wohoo!
I thought that I only had to worry about keeping up my production while working.
I learned that getting off to pump is a medical necessity! (Mastitis is more likely to come back now that I've had it.. boo-)

I'll spare the pic here, it's nothing you want to see.

After all of the above, my house is pretty much a wreck with laundry, dishes, and baby paraphernalia. Before Isaiah was born, I was worried about how to keep my house still looking 'adult-ish'. I didn't want colorful, crazy kid stuff everywhere. One day last month I walked through my living room, past the jumper, activity mat, and bouncer- and just smiled. I love that my baby and all that comes with him, even if means that I have burp rags and toys in any given place and any certain time.
I thought I would hate all the 'baby stuff'.
I learned with being a mom, you loose some vanity.

I had my first experience of looking like a stressed out mom. I don't have a pic of this either, but wish I did because I'm sure I would laugh! Here's a description of the scene. I have a jogging stroller, with a carseat strapped in, with 2 big boxes (pots and pans) balanced on top. I have Isaiah halfway falling out of my right arm (he was so heavy after walking through the mall that way!) as I struggle to push/balance the stroller with the left. My short hair is falling out of the makeshift ponytail I had it in from working out earlier. My face is frustrated since I couldn't get cash back on the return despite me having the receipt and I'm in a hurry to get back and clean for lifegroup that night. There was a lady sitting by the elevator and I kind of laughed as I pictured what I must look like. Official mom :c)
I thought frazzled, strung out moms always looked that way.
I learned it can happen to anyone..
(Sidenote: Ray, after hearing the above, said that it would be nice if I had my carrier... and I did, I just didn't even think of it at the time..)

Part of the frustration in the mall was that Penny's wanted to give me a gift card instead of cash back. I didn't want to have to spend that money at Penny's because even though I wasn't much of a shopper before, I'd much rather buy my son things than myself now. Since we were so blessed at our showers, I haven't needed to buy much. But I have enjoyed the few purchases I've made. First are the BumGenius all-in-one sized diapers. They are not originally what I wanted, but after a friend let me borrow, I realized I liked them. I've gone through quit a few leaks and clothing changes as I figure out just how much I need to change, but I'm finally getting the hang of them, and really enjoy using cloth!
The other purchase was an ergo baby carrier. I had never heard of these until 2 friends recently mentioned it. It's a bit pricey, but I figured that if I have a second kid, I'll be doing a lot more baby wearing, so might as well get it now. So far Isaiah and I have both enjoyed it, whether I'm out shopping (if I remember to use it ;c) or at home. And it's great because I'll get to use it for a while to come.
I thought a baby would be extremely expensive.
I learned that we are truly blessed with awesome friends and family!

So this is just a bit of what I've learned as a mom of a sweet 4-month old boy. I love that little man and can't wait for even more experiences and things to laugh at! Hopefully I'll continue posts like this as Isaiah grows.

ps. I intended this note to have pics, but since it's dark and I want to make sure I actually get this posted, I'll publish it now and hopefully add pics later.. no promises though! Now it's time to nap before little man's up for the day.

Jameson's Newborn

2012-01-11T18:59:00.002-06:00

Meet Jameson!
He is the newest addition to to Hogan family, and one little cutie. He decided he didn't want to miss any of the action, so he didn't sleep the entire time, but I have to say he's pretty good at chillin' while awake!
Enjoy-

Love his hand reaching up :c)

Precious family

Just have to say.. he reminds me of the Hulk bustin' out here- ha!

The Pollards Snowy Shoot

2012-01-11T17:30:00.003-06:00

Bet you can't guess where this shoot was located..
Odessa, West Texas!
They had a terrible drought this summer with fires and water conservation and all. Over Christmas they got 5 inches of snow, and then this past Monday they got another 10".. crazy! This session is of my cousin Brian and his wife and daughter. We've been wanting to get together for a shoot for years now, but the few times I've been down it hasn't worked out. So when I saw it snowing, I decided to give them a last minute call and see if it could work, and it did! I was inspired by pintrest to get out in the snow and capture some awesome pictures.. thankfully it wasn't a bitter cold :c)
Enjoy-

Anndrea & Justin's Maternity Shoot

2012-01-03T22:33:00.002-06:00

Happy 2012! Whew.. I still don't feel like the holidays are really over and that it's a brand new year, but whether I believe it or not.. time is moving. And so is my friend Dre! Anndrea and her boyfriend just moved up to Washington for her new job.. as exciting, challenging, and new as that is, she's also due to deliver her first child in just a couple months! So before taking off cross-country, I was able to shoot this beautiful mom-to-be on the Stillwater campus. Enjoy-

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T09:32:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas!

This sweet little boy makes me realize with a greater understanding just how humbly our Lord entered this world. As we celebrate His birthday today, I pray that you understand how amazing this is and grow to know the Lord more and more. I also hope you are able to enjoy this time, whether you are redoing a bathroom (like my parents), in the hospital recovering from surgery (like my friend Mia), working at a shelter with kids who don't have their family (like my friend Summer), bringing a new baby into the world (like my kind of sister-in-law did early this morning!), or spending time with extended family in snowy Texas (like Ray and I)... we each get to enjoy a HOPE because of Jesus. Merry Christmas!

Mia's Surgery and Sean's PET

2011-12-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

It's time for some prayers my friends!
Sweet Mia has now completed 5 rounds of chemo and has managed to shrink that nasty tumor by 75%! Today she will undergo surgery to remove the rest of her tumor (pray that they get every last piece!), her left kidney (the tumor is too tangled in it), and possibly her spleen (hopefully not!). Surgery will start around 10 am and last around 5 hours. Please pray for Mia, her body, the doctors and healthcare team, and that ALL of the evil tumor is removed. Pray also for protection over her right kidney, as now it will be the only one to have to deal with the chemo and radiation that comes after surgery. These are big prayers, but the cool thing.. we have a BIG GOD! Thank you all!

Also, Sean is in need of some prayers (cancer is evil!). He successfully made it through his second stem cell transplant in less than a year, which is super exciting! But yesterday he had some concerning lab work, so he's at the hospital to get a pet scan and check on if/where the cancer's at. Please pray for positive results here... he has been through so much and it would be great to have a cancer free body to prove it!

Isaiah' s Tooth and a Man's Bills!

2011-12-21T17:08:00.003-06:00

Isaiah has his first tooth! (See right lower gum, above the shiny spot)

"What?!" You say, "He's not even 4 months!"
That's what I said! but apparently, without much warning (no fussiness or chewing on things..he's been drooling pretty good though), Isaiah cut his firs tooth. I've seen other moms get sad when their babies hit certain milestones, but never really understood it. Well now I do. For some reason it shocked me that my son could already have a tooth! But he does, and as long as nursing still goes good (I think this is my biggest fear), I will enjoy his new addition.

In other news, I want to share a story. This happened on Monday, and already it seems to have lost some of the trill, but it was truly an amazing thing for me. It started with a sale going on for camera equipment. I decided to take a look at my funds to see if I could/needed to make any year end purchases. Sure enough, I could. I could even get what I had been really wanting. I discussed with Ray and made plans. Then in church one morning, it hit me that I should give that money away. I did not NEED this new piece of equipment, so God told me to use the money to pay off peoples utility bills. My first thought was going to the City of Edmond, but then I toyed with the idea of ONG, really just procrastinating by trying to decide how to give (when I was already told where and how.. I just had a hard time believing it because it felt like one of my thoughts). So after going to lunch with a friend and running some errands, I decide to just go to the City of Edmond Administration building and ask how to give a donation. While in line, the man in front of me started talking to Isaiah. We chat a little (he was difficult to understand and hard of hearing). He moved to the next teller, then the other one opens up for me. I lean in the glass to ask the lady if it would be possible to pay off the bill for the man next to me (I heard him saying things like, "I know I have until tomorrow at this time" and he had some ones in his hand. The teller took down my info and would pass it on to the people who decide to divvy it out. She was able to get the man's account number and pass it along as well. I believe he is the reason I was told to go there, and I think everything I did that day landed me there at the perfect time. I felt so blessed that God would not only tell me to give, where to give, and how much to give (even though I doubted at some points)... he showed me WHO I would give to. I drove away so excited about what had happened!
God is Good!

p.s. The teller thought this was all pretty neat, and said she'd like to do something like this but didn't have the money. I didn't think of it at the time, but I wish I would have told her that she doesn't have to do this.. I did it because God told me to, so it was simple obedience (it feels so much better than the "delayed obedience= disobedience" that I normally do!)

Christmas Decor 2011

2011-12-19T11:15:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to document some of our Christmas decorations from this year. This is all done with my iPhone, since my harddrive is full and I'm waiting for a new one. I'm not sure how to work this blogger app like I want, so below the pics are random.. Enjoy-

Alexander Family Chirstmas Session

2011-12-18T21:37:00.002-06:00

Hey all! Sorry for the absence! I've been wanting to post these pics from earlier this month..
This is the Alexander family. It's been 2 years since I've shot them and their family has grown! It was rainy and nasty outside, and since there was no way to reschedule, we headed up to lifechruch to shoot in their beautifully decorated lobby! Enjoy-

Our Family Session

2011-12-07T23:06:00.001-06:00

Our first family session! (Sadly for Ray, this will hopefully be our first of many family sessions :c) But this one was extra special because it included my big family as well- my mom, step-dad, sister, and bro-in-law. It has been a few years since we've all had our pic together, actually, this is the last time....

Oh doody roll bangs... glad those days are OVER!

Now for the much updated family, with our handsome additions..

The Ofosus

The Prices

The Lawerences

All together again :c)

The guys of the family

And the girls-

My favorite boys..

It was a beautiful day and fun to be in the park with my family

After the group shots, Ray, Isaiah, and I took a few for Isaiah's 3 month.

Daddy makes him smile :c)

Ah, the eyes.. the get me everytime!

Our little fam

We know who the star is now

But by the end, he called the show-

Maybe because this one was all over him ;c)

Happy times :c)

BIG THANKS to Melissa Green for capturing these beautiful images for us!
Love it!

Rolls: Thanksgiving and other..

2011-12-05T13:37:00.004-06:00

"Hey Ya'll!" (yes, my child already talks like he's from Texas..)
"Check out what I can do-"

"I throw up my hand.."

"Push back my shoulder and hips.."

"And end up on my back! (where I'd much rather be)"

That's right, Isaiah can roll over now! Here's the video I got of him last Friday-

In other big new.. I cut (or chopped) my hair! (forgive my lack of makeup.. I attempted to put it on that morning, but realize now I might need more than I think, yikes!)

An 11" pony tail will be going to locks of love. I had planned on doing this before we knew about sweet Mia's tumor, but now I have even more of a heart for childhood cancer. This is my second time to give to locks of love, and although I don't love my hair short, I like that it has a purpose.

In other news, Isaiah experienced his first Thanksgiving, and also his first trip to Kansas

Grandpa Becker has been waiting not-so-patiently for this little guy :c)

Here's all the Becker's that were together..

And Isaiah also got to meet the Hakes!

Where he was certainly the center of attention (and enjoyed every moment)

But all this attention led to him catching his first cold, which he then gave to both Ray and I, which made for a not fun week last week. But for the most part we are all recovering now, which is a great thing.

There's just a bit of a catchup! We will be heading down to Texas for Christmas and looking forward to introducing Isaiah to his Texas family!

No Bloggin til the Work is Done!

2011-12-02T23:50:00.003-06:00

Well, it's been awhile.
That means I have a lot to update. For now we will just do a quick update on business (now that my clients have their pics, I can share with you!), tomorrow, my goal is to update on personal!

First, here's my last wedding of 2011, shot on 11/11/11

Congrats to Aaron and Jessica!

Here's Julie &Weston and their 'family'

Such well-behaved dogs!

The Mannschrecks are lookin' good for Christmas!

And the Luginbill's enjoyed a chilly fall day!

Last, but not least, is a product shot for Old School Seals. They make old fashioned wax seals that I have always LOVED, so I was excited to work with them!

Weeks 1-12

2011-11-19T00:52:00.006-06:00

Isaiah is 12 weeks old!

I have been taking pictures of my little man each week (yes, I took a picture for his 6 week, but must have deleted it on my card before I uploaded it, grr...), but it's amazing how from week to week you don't see much change, but skip 2 weeks, 3 weeks, or 4 and he looks like a whole new kid! I love seeing his different expressions in each pic, and how they represent that time (in typical mom fashion, one of my favorite pics is his 3 week picture, because it shows how he really was that week.. he wouldn't let me put him down without screaming!). I hope to keep this up each Friday until he turns 1!

ps. The tie has been the same size since his 2 week picture, so hopefully that gives some perspective-

2011-11-11T19:00:00.000-06:00

Congrats to Jessica and Aaron!
I'm shooting their wedding today, but here's a peak at how gorgeous the bride is!
We shot these bridals last month at the Scottish Rites Temple in Guthrie, it made the perfect backdrop for the stunning Jessica-

Kate's Newborn

2011-11-10T07:23:00.002-06:00

Meet Kate!
This beautiful girl is the daughter of Lisa and Lucas and is much loved! I just happened to have some time in Tulsa last weekend so we were able to get this shoot in while she was still 3 weeks old :c) Enjoy-

The LaRue's Family Session

2011-11-10T07:12:00.002-06:00

Check out the LaRue's!
I love this family to pieces (Melanie is the one who loves on Isaiah while I work at the hospital :c). The last time I shot them was in Vegas, minus one kid. I'm thrilled to have them back in OK and to have Nathan with us now! We spent last Friday evening at Hafer park capturing these beautiful shots, enjoy!

Abram's 9 Month Session

2011-11-07T08:49:00.003-06:00

I've been shooting the Pratt family for over 2 years now and I think they get more beautiful and fun with each session! We shot these on the Chesapeake campus back in October.. enjoy!

Halle and Cambri's 6 Month

2011-11-02T15:58:00.001-05:00

Hey all!
Here's another session with the cousins, Halle and Cambri. This time they are both around 6 months old and adorable as ever! We shot these at Cambri's beautiful home in Sapulpa, OK. Enjoy-

Isaiah's First Day Away from "Mummy"

2011-10-31T22:15:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween!

As you all know, yesterday was Halloween. As you may not know, it was also my first day back at Deaconess. I didn't really want to buy Isaiah a Halloween costume, and since I was going to be at work and he'd just be at home with daddy and the trick-or-treaters, I didn't come up with a costume. I figured it didn't really matter, but I kept thinking of the picture of my first Halloween costume (and how cute I was :c) when my cousin texted me asking for a pic of him dressed up.. so that motivated me to come up with something! He was already swaddled for bed, so I used what I had and created this cute little mummy! Good thing he didn't have to go anywhere- but it made a cute pic! When I texted it out to gparents and aunts, my step-mom replied that he must have missed his 'Mummy' on her first day of work.. hence the title of this post!

My first day of work.
It was last Thursday when I talked to Melony and confirmed with my boss that I would come in on Monday (I didn't realize it was Halloween at first.. but no biggie). I decided instead of asking my sisters to watch, that we would see how things would work out at my planned daycare- a stay at home mom (and good friend of ours), Melanie. She has 2 kids, ages 2 1/2 and almost 1. So Isaiah makes 3 under the age of 3! But she has a history of daycare and is skilled with kids (actually, Ray and I have been learning a lot by watching them raise their kids). So when I first got pregnant and she offered to watch, I thought it was a perfect solution! I think the below post will show you why :c)

I dropped Isaiah off bright and early at 6am. He wasn't asleep (like I was hoping), so I was able to hug and kiss him goodbye. I made it out the door without crying, but the tears came before I even got in my car. By the time I made it to work, I was able to dry them up.
This is the first pic I got from Mel announcing that he had gone to sleep.

Then she let me know he woke up, but went right back to sleep, swaddled in the crib.

Then it was eatin' time, still a bit sleepy though :c)

Next was an update on how much he ate and a change in diaper, then playtime!

Which her oldest, Braden, wanted to get in on- so sweet!

Any mom is happy to see this when she's away!

Next was an update about a good naptime, how many ounces he ate, then that he peed on Melanie (he's more for tricks than treats... )

More napping, pooping, and eating... (and a glimpse at those beautiful eyelashes!)

Melanie getting the job done! (she states the most difficult part of rocking 2 babies is getting a decent pic of it :c)

Then came my favorite pic! Besides having 2 older kids to love and play with, he's even got his own stuffed audience!

Isn't he precious? She sent of video of him excited and happy and trying to get to his stuffed friends.. which made me excited and happy :c)

Ray was able to pick our little man up and spend the evening with him (he said the most difficult part was constantly answering the door for trick-or-treaters with Isaiah in his arms). I made it home in time to feed him one more time before he went to bed. All in all I think it was a great first day for Isaiah. And it's nice to know that I managed as well.. just hated the pumping at work part, which I always knew I would. I sometimes struggled getting to lunch before 3, and now I have to pump 3-4 times (should be 4 but I only got 3 done yest), which entails going down 4 floors to the east side, then a small room on the west side, then pump, cleanup, then back to the east side to take back the key, and back up stairs. All while the work doesn't stop upstairs. Yuck! But, totally worth it. And I'm blessed to have a job that is supportive of breast feeding (they even have a hospital grade pump, place for storage, soap to wash with, etc... it's just out of the way)

Today I get to be home with my baby all day, and I'm looking forward to it!

Isaiah's 2 Month!

2011-10-28T23:41:00.002-05:00

Isaiah is 2 months old!
We went to the doctor on Wednesday, here's the latest numbers-
Weight: 12 pounds, 13 ounces (75%)
Length: 24.5 inches (95%.. he's a tall baby!)
Head Circumference: 50%, so we know he doesn't have his dad's head ;c)

Isaiah has now slept through the night, although that's been messed up since our shots :c( He is really trying to talk (by babbling), smacks his lips, bears weight on his legs, and is holding his head up really well. He also started spitting up more within the past week. He is now more content to lay on his own, but is definitely a fan of his momma!
We attempted a walk earlier this week (he didn't make it far) but I eyed this gorgeous field of weeds and suddenly came up with this shoot! Although we were delayed by mood and weather, we made it out today for some 2 month shots. Enjoy-

Funny story about this shoot..
Since it was only Isaiah and I at the shoot and the field was a ways away from where I could park, I decided to use the stroller to tote all of my props (including the 2 suitcases) and hold Isaiah as we walked there. As I was scouting the perfect spot in the field, a lady came running by. I smiled at here and kept scanning the field. She stopped and asked if everything was okay. I replied yes and said that I was doing a photo shoot. She breathed a sigh of relief as she explained that she saw the suitcases and the baby and was wondering...
Haha! On my way to the field I had even thought I looked a bit hobo-ish toting around those old suitcases! I pray that God blesses her for even caring enough to ask :c)

3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving Party!

2011-10-26T15:39:00.003-05:00

Can you believe it? Last weekend was the 3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving Party!
I'm so excited that people are beginning to expect it! God blessed us with a gorgeous day (actually, it was a bit hot in the sun). Neighbors, lifegroup members, and friends all showed up in my driveway to carve some good lookin' pumpkins! And although this is the 3rd party, it was Isaiah's first!

Here's Isaiah in his spiffy overalls and the pumpkin he helped decorate :c)

Some of the action..

The kids were all into it in the beginning.

Then they found better things to do (like sleep)

But with the help of mom and dad, we ended up with completed pumpkins!

Kid zone

Big kid zone ;c)

The Finks

Crazy Dillon

Thomas and Willow

Me with my favorite guest-

The Willis clan

This is how Isaiah finished out the day..

Beautiful pumpkins!

I never did get a shot at the height of activity (its difficult to host and shoot) but I did actually clear out a pumpkin this year (but never actually carved it..). I made my usual pumpkin spiced and iced cookies aaand pumpkin snickerdoodles, which were a big hit! This is just the beginning of holiday parties, and I love it!

Cindy & Tom's Family Session

2011-10-26T14:17:00.002-05:00

Here is a sweet family for your viewing pleasures! I don't know how to spell their last name, but was excited to have Cindy, Tom, and their son drive from Tuttle for family pics! We enjoyed a beautiful evening as we walked around Will Rogers Park (amongst a slew of other photogs and even a wedding!)

Enjoy-

Willow and Isaiah

2011-10-24T18:11:00.004-05:00

Here is my good friend (and fellow photog) Deshawna, and her sweet baby Willow!
We wanted a chair-in-the-field shoot, so we rounded up the kids and took advantage of the beautiful fall weather and colors! Here are my shots, I'll share the ones she took when I get them (don't hold your breath, we have been editing as we have time between babies, other sessions, and families...) Willow was 6 months, and Isaiah around 6 weeks.

So pretty together :c)

The beautiful Willow

Love baby feet :c)

Enter Isaiah onto the scene

and when Isaiah makes a move, she says 'No way Hosea!'

Denied!

Isaiah says, "That's all-right, I know I'm a good-lookin' guy"

"Seriously, who could resist this face?"

Eli's 6 Month Session

2011-10-20T16:40:00.001-05:00

Here are some really cool shots from Eli's 6 month session last week at Mitch park... I just can't get the size figured out to be able to upload larger.. but I'm off to another shoot now, so here ya go-

Isaiah Update

2011-10-19T18:34:00.005-05:00

It's about time for an Isaiah update, wouldn't you say?
(I'm sure my mother-in-law in Africa would agree)
Let me first of all tell you a little bit about Isaiah now. He is 7weeks old and not my little newborn anymore! He is very watchful of me, and loves to give smiles. Just this week he held his first rattle (and bonked himself on the head) and reached out for a dangling button on my jacket. He watches the mobile in his swing, and loves the mirror in the bathroom. He's still waking up to eat in the middle of the night, but going back to sleep well in between. He makes the craziest noises while sleeping. He still loves to sleep on our chest (actually, he usually works his way sideways across our stomach). He's starting to get a little roll on his arm and his belly and cheeks are certainly chunking up. He's picking up some color, and we even think his hair is getting longer! I'm enjoying our little man very much :c)

Here is his 7 week pic

A captured smile

and another

and another

Here's how he looks with aunt Kacey...

Aunt Judy taking him for a stroll

He was a little unsure of Hannah's holding skills, but she did great!

We can't forget to give Honey some love!

Some tummy time for baby boy!

And a nice profile

Showing off during bath time

Livin' like a king with Gigi around!

His second soccer game, and first rain.

Isaiah and buddy Grayden (20 days apart)

Isaiah's first toys! (okay, I staged this while he was asleep... I just didn't take a pic when he really played!)

These pics are a compliation of iphone, point and shoot, and dslr shots, no judging on the quality.. I just want captured memories!

Will's Birth Announcement

2011-10-19T18:04:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share the birth announcement I designed for the precious Will :c)

Welcome Will!

2011-10-13T21:06:00.002-05:00

The beautiful Parcell family is growing!
Baby Will is the newest addition to the family, I was so excited to meet him last Friday! Here are a few of the shots I got of this handsome man and his proud family

In the Big D!

2011-10-09T14:51:00.001-05:00

Hola from Dallas!
Ray, Isaiah and I made our first trip out of the state since the beginning of summer (the pregnancy kept me close to town). We came to watch my little brother Brett in his soccer game. After deciding on this weekend, we realized that it was OU/Texas weekend. Not able to pass the opportunity up, Ray went to the Red River Rivalry game yesterday (where OU smashed Texas!). My brother won both his games and Isaiah has enjoyed his time with Gigi and the family, so it's been a great trip! We will be headed back today, but I'm happy to know that we successfully made it out of town with a baby!

Today

2011-10-01T16:02:00.002-05:00

Today-
The girls went on a run

While the boys stayed home and napped

And it was glorious!

Today is the first actual 'run' I have been on in months.. crazy! I also had my first glass of wine on Thursday night to celebrate my anniversary. I will be counting all of Isaiah's first over the upcoming years, but I'm excited to be experiencing some of my own as well!

Today is a beautiful fall day! I hope you get to enjoy God's glory :c)

4 Years Later..

2011-09-29T15:03:00.002-05:00

4 Years ago on this day, I made a vow before family and friends to unite my life- my passions, my troubles, my dreams, my temper, and all of me- to a man I love. 4 years later, I am still so in love with my husband. Each year I gain more respect for his compassion, his integrity, and his work ethic, all which stem from his passion for Christ. Thank you Ray for being the leader of our family, a family that now includes our beautiful son :c)

This was us during the unity ceremony at our wedding

I'm not sure if I could 'picture' what our life would be like right now, but I am confident in each stage of life with you by my side.

You are more than I could ask for. You make a fabulous husband, an amazing dad, and my love forever. Love you sweet heart!

Tonight, we celebrate with our first dinner together without our little man. But no worries, aunt Judy will be home lovin' on Isaiah.

Welcome Max

2011-09-28T20:35:00.002-05:00

Welcome Max McDowell!
My friends Charlie, Beth, and Mia welcomed this sweet boy into their family a couple weeks ago. He was 3rd in line in my group of friends to be born within a month of each other! Ray, Isaiah, and I made a trip to their house to shoot some newborn pics last Saturday. He is a beautiful baby :c)

Older sister Mia is excited he's here. She's done just great with him.

She loves to give him kisses on his head.

So sweet :c)

Mia, as you know, is in the process of kicking cancer's tail! Here she is showing off all her bracelets people can wear to support this precious warrior princess!

Mia just got done with her second round of chemo (Max joined them at the hosp for this each day). Now they have about a week and a half before they start the bone marrow transplant procedure- Continued prayers are much appreciated!

4 weeks and a bottle

2011-09-23T20:52:00.003-05:00

My baby is 4 weeks old today!

Just look at how he's changed since 1 week.. (and I changed my photo set up..)

To celebrate, his dad let him hit the bottle.. of milk that is! Tonight Isaiah got his first bottle, for some reason I had been nervous about this, but both guys did great and I got a break from feeding-

Isn't he beautiful? He chowed without much hesitation, ended up taking 5.5 ounces!

Yesterday I snapped these photos because I couldn't resist his gorgeous eyes looking at me :c)

I kinda love him..

But who couldn't?

Honey was certainly interested (She has mainly stayed away from little man, but I guess he was more approachable on the floor..)

She loves him too!

Isaiah is doing great. We are getting better at getting out on the town now. He still wakes up pretty much every 3 hours at night to eat, and usually sleeps well in between. He still loves sleeping on our chest (and I love for him to be there!). He is holding his head up much stronger now and really starting to grab onto things with his hands. I just can't believe it's been a month already!

Photolife Fall Family Shootout!

2011-09-22T17:41:00.001-05:00

Another photo shoot, this time Isaiah joined me!
Photo life group had a family shoot this Tuesday and I made my first appearance back at group since Isaiah was born.
I snagged this pic from facebook to show how I shot with Isaiah, photo by Summer Wyers.

This sweet family is one of our new members who will soon be delivering yet another photolife baby!

The Wyers family was also there, I shot these beautiful people for the rest of the time.

How perfect is this! Think I can train Isaiah to do the same?
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Stella's 3 Month

2011-09-20T16:12:00.002-05:00

What's this?!

A picture of someone other than Isaiah, I do believe!

Who is she? A dashing model?

A giggly girl?

She's Stella Simpson.. Isaiah's future girl ;c) (you can see how entertained he is by her..)

I did a photoshoot of Stella while we were in Tulsa a couple weekends ago.
This was my first shoot since Isaiah, and my first time to be out of the house without him! (Dad watched while we ran to a nearby field, as you'll see below)

Supermodel Stella was not quite feelin' the field.

Although we tried our best efforts..

She wasn't entertained.

We even pulled out the 'fly in the air' routine!

But there's still love for this sweet girl!

Dad and Stella

Mom and Stella

One happy family :c)

Isaiah's Newborn Shoots

2011-09-19T09:53:00.003-05:00

Hello!
It is a beautiful Monday and I hope you're able to enjoy it. Isaiah, Honey, and I went for a walk in the park and now I'm baking may favorite cookies.. Pumpkin Spiced and Iced... it's fall time- yay!
I feel like I'm coming out of the 'newborn fog' (although he's still keeping me on my toes and up at times during the night). But speaking of newborn, it's time I showed off all of Isaiah's newborn pics! Before he was born, I told photolife group to feel free to come shoot him, and shot him they did! We had about 4 different sessions and 5 different photographers (6 including me), which may be a bit intense for a newborn, but now he's prepared for the future of being a photographers son :c)

First up, here's Isaiah's birth announcement (or close to, the actual paper was rounded in 2 corners and the back contained a horizontal picture of Isaiah).

My friend Belinda was one of the first to come shoot Isaiah. She also came back a second time to use a few more props. Here's some of her lovely pics!

The next 2 are Deshawna's, who shot along with Belinda.

These are from round 2 with Belinda

Next up are Cheryl's. Isaiah acted up more during this session and I ended up crying (I now appreciate what the mom's are going through when I go shoot a newborn session.. it's a crazy time!). But Cheryl came away with some beautiful images :c)

me shooting my son..

Last up are Gay's photos. Isaiah was over 2 weeks old for this shoot and I realize the big difference in shooting within the first 10 days vs. after. He would not sleep nearly as well, which I thought was terrible, but I ended up really liking these images with his eyes open, they are so beautiful!

My friend Jaycette also shot, I just don't have any of her images yet and thought I'd go ahead and share anyway. I hope you enjoyed the overload of pics of my son ( I sure did!) and a big THANKS to my fabulous friends and photographers!

Sleeping baby

2011-09-15T13:24:00.003-05:00

My baby is sleeping on my chest.

This is my favorite position for him, and beginning yesterday, his only way to sleep good.
He has been a great and easy baby since he started sleeping at night, but yesterday he has become more inconsolable. His mom is not very happy about this. We went to the doc and will see how things go. But instead of trying to be up, doing too many things and going to many places, I am relaxing and spending time with my baby. God, thank you for this time, let me treasure it.

In more baby news.. my friend Ashley had her baby, Grayden last night! Isaiah and I plan on visiting them later today, I'll try to come back and post a pic.

*Update: Meet Grayden! Born on 9/14 at 9 pounds and 9 ounces and 22 inches!

Due 9 days apart, Grayden was actually born 19 days after Isaiah, but Isaiah's 3 weeks only gave him 1 extra ounce on his buddy (Isaiah weighed 9.13 today-clothed-which I put at 9.10)!

Welcome Grayden!

Also, we found out that my friend Beth is going in to have her son tonight, so hopefully I'll get to visit and share some pictures tomorrow!

2 Week Warning-

2011-09-09T16:04:00.004-05:00

Hello!
Isaiah is 2 weeks old today, and I thought I'd use him to announce that my pricing on weddings will go up in 2 weeks.

The new pricing will be:

Wedding and 2 sessions (engagement, bridal, or day after): $1800
All day wedding: $1500

I will no longer offer a 4 hour wedding.

Each wedding still comes with all the goods- a second shooter, DVD of edited images with reprint release, all day coverage in multiple locations, reception cards, and images posted on my photocart site for 3 months!

Email me at ashleyo.photo@gmail.com if your interested in booking a wedding before the price increases- thank you!

Blessed

2011-09-08T21:51:00.002-05:00

I want to take a moment to thank all those who have helped me survive the last 2 weeks :c)

Tonight I cooked my first meal in over 2 weeks! Thanks to our lovely lifegroups, we had food prepared and delivered to us each night from the night we got home from the hospital to last night. It was such a blessing to have yummy food for lunch and dinner and I am so grateful for those who took time out of their busy schedules to take care of us. If you're a lifechurcher... this is what the last 2 sermons at church have been about.. lifegroups is where the church becomes family :c) Muchos gracias to all!

Also, thanks to some fabulous friends in photolife group, I will have plenty of of pics of my precious son. We've done 3 newborn sessions already, with 2 more to go. I will share pics when I get them all together (the below is one that I snapped during Belinda's shoot, isn't he beautiful?)

As I discussed in my last post, a big shout out goes to Christy, who gave me a good nights rest at a much needed time! It really hit me when Ray told me later 'See, God sends help when we need it'. Thank you Father, for taking care of me. I am happy to say that Isaiah has slept great the last 2 nights, waking only to eat every 3-4 hours. Yay!! (now I'm afraid that I've typed that.. tonight will be a different story..)

Another shoutout to my sisters, who make fabulous aunts for my son. Kacey came over Tuesday, Ray's first day back to work, and Judy has been here Wednesday and Thursday. Thanks to their help, I have been able to nap, shower, and even clean! I think Isaiah's enjoyed them as well..

And of course my hubby. I'm blessed that Isaiah has a great dad :c) Even though he had to go back to work at the most difficult time (close), he comes home ready to hold and love his son.

Humbled

2011-09-05T11:40:00.004-05:00

Well here we are, 10 days into this parenting bit- and we are all 3 still alive!
I have to say, there is just really no way to prepare for a newborn. It is sweet, precious, tiring, and at times frustrating. I do have to say that we have been blessed by all those around us, providing support, food, advice, and encouragement. Isaiah has been a wonderful baby, but at times I've struggled with feeding and fatigue. Last night Ray's best friend's mom Christy (more like extended family to us) was coming through town and stopped by to meet our little man. I hadn't had my pre-night nap, had just done a ton of feeding, and was a bit on the emotional side. After she left to head back to Tulsa, I broke down to Ray. Then he received a phone call from Miss Christy to see if she could come stay the night and watch Isaiah for us. My first instinct was no, because I have issues with burdening other people to help me, but I decided to be realistic and agreed to accept the help. Let me tell you how beautiful it was. Pre-baby, family offered to stay and help, but I really didn't know how much help they could be at night sine I'd have to be up breast feeding anyways. But now I realize how much more sleep I can get and feel much better. I've also been humbled in the process (thank you Lord, I could always use a dose of humility). Ray returns to work tomorrow, Art comes home, and I'll continue to learn. Right now I'm holding my little man as I type one-handed while sitting on a bouncy ball- the ways of a mom.

Here's a shot I captured this morning.. one of my favorite images is my husband cuddling my son :c)

Here's his head in Rays hands (I know these pics are dark- but they are moments captured)

Here is Isaiah in his sling for the first time!

We used it on our first family walk yesterday (he didn't like the stroller..)

Happy Labor Day!

My Birth Story: Isaiah

2011-09-01T09:19:00.007-05:00

My Birth Story

I want to share the story of Isaiah's entrance into this world! I was blessed to have a good friend and photographer at the hospital for his birth, so at the end is a slideshow of the event :c)

First I'll start with my goals for labor and delivery:
- To have a natural and unmedicated delivery (for this we took Bradley classes).
-To bake homemade cupcakes for my son's official 'birth day' (it's a tradition in my family to make homemade birthday cakes each year, so I though why not start now!)
-To labor at home as long as possible before going to the hospital (making the above statement possible).

Now that you know my plan, here's the story...

On Thursday, August 25, I covered for a friend at Deaconess for a few hours, then went to OU while the precious Mia had surgery, then headed straight to the church for a women's event. Up to this point I had not had a single contraction (that I could feel), but I did have 'the show', indicating labor in 2 days (although at the time I wasn't positive that's what it was). I was dilated to a 2 and 75% effaced 2 weeks in a row at the docs office. Ray and I went for a walk around the neighborhood that night, then went to bed.
I woke up 3 times that night (my usual was once a night) and realized I was having some back pain. The first couple times I thought it might just be carrying around that big 'ol belly. By the 3rd time of waking up, I decided that these were indeed contractions and that I did, in fact, see 'the show' yesterday. I timed my first contractions at 11.5 minutes apart. The next one didn't come for over 20 minutes, so I decided to go back to bed and give it some time.
When Ray woke up that morning, I told him that I had been having some contractions and that labor should be sometime in the next 2 days (but I probably didn't say this with the most confidence, and Ray just took it as this baby will hopefully come this week!). He took our 1 vehicle (his was broke down at work) and headed to Chesapeake. I spent the morning cleaning the closet, vacuuming, looking up verses for labor, and getting little things caught up (I even designed Isaiah's birth announcement during the night). I was putting off on making the cupcakes because the contractions weren't regular or stopping me in my tracks. I was also spending time rocking on my hands and knees, trying to get Isaiah to turn so that I wouldn't have back labor (I was afraid that back labor would be too much for me to handle without meds).
I called Ray before noon to see if I could try one more time to talk him into letting Deshawna shoot the birth. At first I conceded to his desire not to have a photographer, but as things got closer, I really wanted her there. He told me he'd call me back (before I got to mention it) and that he would be going to the gym with Owen. I had already called my mom and my friend Summer to tell them that the process had started, and we should be days away. I decided to time a contraction to see if I should let Deshawna know (even though I was waiting on Ray) and to start my cupcakes. The first contractions I timed were 6 min apart, the next 7. With the next contraction, I stopped mixing the ingredients and held on to the counter then GUSH- It felt like a watermelon sized water balloon just busted (thankfully it was the tile in the kitchen floor :c) Alright- no more denial.. Isaiah was coming! It was right around noon.
I called Ray's cell phone, no answer. I figure he's at the gym, so I call the front desk and get a little choked up as I tell them I'm in labor and ask if they can find my husband. She said she could 'try to ask around'. Did you hear me woman.. LABOR?! Anyways, my mom and stepdad were in town helping redo my sisters bathroom (she lives in Edmond as well) so I call my mom. They said they will be right over and I tell them I'm going to jump in the shower. (They decided also to jump in the shower since they were covered in sawdust.. but I didn't know this). So I shower and spend some more time on my hands and knees (the contractions were much more painful at this point and I was worried that since my water broke in a gush, that there might be cord entanglement). I gathered the last few things (Ray had the 'go' back in the Highlander at Chesapeake, so I wasn't able to check everything there). I decided that since my ride wasn't here yet, I could finish my cupcakes. I called my dad in Texas to let him know, then hurried off the phone to turn on the mixer. I sloppily get 12 chocolate cupcakes in the oven. Then I call Ray's sister Judy, my friend Summer and decide to try Ray again. I called his friend Owen that he was working out with, then another friend of ours that I though might be with him (no answer from either, but I'm sure Mike kinda flipped when I left a message that I was in labor on his phone). I call the gym back and talk to the same girl, she said she had gone upstairs and couldn't find him, that they were shortstaffed and she couldn't leave the desk for long, blah, blah, blah... then oh! She spots Ray walking out. She hands him the phone, I tell him that my water broke, my mom and sister are coming to pick me up, and to meet me at Deaconess. He calmly says okay and hangs up the phone.
Kacey and mom show up shortly thereafter and start loading things up. I have mom take one last pic of me and my belly (since the last one I took was at 38 weeks almost 2 weeks prior). Kacey packs up the cupcakes with 8 min to go on the oven and I climb in the back seat of her car (she said that was the scariest drive she made!). I stay on my hands and knees in the backseat, working through contractions and giving Kacey the fastest route there. Ray called to check on me, then asked if anyone wanted him to pick up some food. Once I heard the word 'food', I got really nauseous. I asked for something, just in case, and mom unloaded the cupcakes from the Tupperware. I threw down the phone in the seat (with Ray saying "hello, hello?") and promptly threw up (thankfully my water broke before I got my omelet made!). Mom picked up the phone to explain, then put in her order.
We called the hospital to let them know we were coming. Thankfully I had preregistered since the one thing I forgot at home was my wallet (you know I had to forget something!). They get me in a wheelchair (it was weird wheeling through the place I work) and take me straight to a room on the labor and delivery unit (no triage for me!). I make sure and ask for a nurse who is comfortable with unmedicated deliveries (one of my fears was having the staff not cooperate with this). They get me in a gown, then I just sit there and wait. I'm anxious to make sure that Isaiah is doing alright (I did feel him kick after my water broke, so that made me feel a little better). They came in, hooked me up to monitors, and checked me. She had a little trouble at first, but then said I was 8-9 (!!) cm dilated but a plus 1, so he needed to work his way down. I asked if I could move around some (I was really uncomfortable on my back) but she said she would have to check with the doctor first (Dr. Shanbour is my OB and I had to reassure the staff that he had privileges at Deaconess, he hadn't been there in a while..). At some point a new nurse comes in (a true angel) and starts working with me. She tells me I can reposition my self, so I turn over onto hands and knees in bed, connected to the monitor still, with the birthball at the head of the bed for me to lean on. I signed all the consents (I think each signature looked different..) and got my IV started all in that position (I had a hard time keeping the IV in my hand in place). The whole time I felt a strong urge to push with each contraction. When I asked if I could, my nurse told me to do what my body said. So without much rest in between, I beardown with each contraction. Ray was putting some counterpressure on my back, which helped some (I kinda flew past all the steps he learned in Bradley). My nurse said to let her know when I felt the urge to push between contractions. I had to ask a couple time if I was in the transition phase, because I didn't want to think it would get harder than this. Both Ray and Deshawna (I had called her to come shoot without Ray's consent.. I figured he couldn't say much at that point!) reassured me that yes, this was transition. My mom, sister, and Ray's sister were in the room with us the entire time (except for when they left to eat lunch).
Dr. Shanbour called to check in on me, and the nurse decided to check me for the 2nd time to give him an update. 10 and fully engaged- it's go time! It's about 3pm at this time (my water broke at 12 and we got to the hosp around 1:15). I start panting through the next couple contractions so that I don't push, which was difficult. I was now on my side with Ray sitting next to me, being super sweet and supportive. Dr. Shanbour came in, along with a ton of carts and equipment, and asked how I wanted to deliver. I didn't really have any preference on positioning, but just whatever was needed to get this done! He said back would be easiest, and sat down on the bed next to me. With the next contraction (which seemed to take waaay longer once the doc showed up, I felt like that wait was the most peaceful time in the room since we had arrived) I pulled back my legs and began to push. Ray was at my left, my nurse on my right, and my mom and sisters at then end of the bed (I wasn't planning on them being in that location exactly, but I understood then what I was told in birth class about not caring a thing about privacy when it's that time). They all started hollering "PUSH PUSH PUSH" (my stepdad was outside the door and said it got pretty loud!). I rested between the contraction, then pushed again with the next. Their encouragement really did help me push as they said they could see the head. I really wanted to breathe longer between pushes, but they kept on me. My next thought was that I really just wanted to get him out so I could stop! Pushing only through 2 contractions (about 10 min of pushing), little precious sweet Isaiah was born at 3:25 pm. They placed him on my belly and all I could really see was a head full of curly hair! Ray cut the cord, then the nurses took him to do their thing. All the family followed him as I finished labor and got stitched up.
By the time it was over, I was kinda amazed. It all went much quicker than I had anticipated (but I was grateful for).

Isaiah Beck Ofosu entered this world on Friday, August 26th at 3:25 pm.
He weighed 8 pounds and 1 ounce and was 21.5 inches long.

I was 39 weeks and 6 days when I delivered (he beat his due date by 1 day!)

In Ghana, the tradition is to have a 'family name' (as I understand it) that is given to you depending on what day you are born. Since Isaiah is a boy born on Friday, his name is Kofi.

One more cool thing about the day he was born: Our roommate Art has had a 10 day trip planned to Colorado (first time he'll be gone for that long in the 2 years he's lived here). He was bummed when he realized he would be leaving on Isaiah's due date. Friday morning I told him he might get a chance to meet Isaiah before he leaves, but who knows. Well, sure enough, Isaiah came in enough time that Art could see him before he left, and now Ray and I have the house to ourselves for the first 10 days of Isaiah's life (Ray will also be off for those entire 10 days, which is awesome). I know people were a little concerned about bringing home a newborn with a roommate at home (and I understand why), but Ray and I both felt that God did not want us to ask Art to leave, so we obeyed. I find it so awesome that God had Isaiah come in His perfect timing. God is good :c)

So now we are home and we are super happy with this little guy. He is almost a week old now and doing great. We are still working on sleeping at night, but Ray has been a lot of help. We have been blessed to be surrounded by so many helpful family and friends (and life groups supplying food!). Isaiah has had his first doctors appointment (he made the doctor laugh by all the weight he's gained since birth), first bath, first spit up, first sing-along with dad, and first poop on mom's photo session to end it before it even started (Ray's personal favorite :c)

There will be more to come of our little man, but for now, enjoy the video my good friend Deshawna of Echo Photo Works, made of the delivery day. (Seriously, she is fabulous, very unobtrusive in the room, and creates beautiful memories that will be treasured for a lifetime! I think even Ray is happy with the product!!)

I don't think the above video is playing all the way through. If you encounter problems, it can also be viewed at here

We would like to introduce...

2011-08-29T23:40:00.002-05:00

ISAIAH BECK OFOSU!!

That's right, our little man made it here!
Isaiah was born on Friday, August 26, 2011 at 3:25 pm
He was 8.1 pounds and 21.5 inches and very healthy :c)

We are home adjusting to life with a newborn (as you can see by the time of this post).
I will be sharing more as I can ;c)

Prayers for Mia and Sean

2011-08-24T21:51:00.002-05:00

I come to you again in request of prayers.
I feel that God is giving me the opportunity to BOLDLY pray for several of my friends, and I am passing that opportunity on to you.

This sweet little girl is Mia.
She is the daughter of my friends Charlie and Beth. She is a little over one years old and truly a delight to be around. She is friendly to all, has an adorable laugh (as you can see), and loves to give goodbye kisses. Monday they found a mass in her abdomen. Yesterday they told her family it was cancer. Tomorrow this precious girl will go to surgery to have the mass biopsied and a port placed (so they can be ready for chemo once they find out the results). It breaks my heart to see a child have to fight such a terrible battle as cancer, but that is where she is at now. So I go to my Lord, the creator of the heavens and the earth, as I ask for her healing. And I will not stop asking for her healing as I proclaim the name of Jesus, the One who walked this earth with a ministry of healing.

*note: the above is not my picture

And because cancer is so evil, I also want to ask you to pray for Sean. Sean was diagnosed last year around this time with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. After a year long battle, including chemo, radiation, and a stem cell transplant, Sean received more bad news after a recent bone marrow biopsy. I have been praying for Sean all year, and as I said above, I will not give up. Sean was baptized after his diagnosis, and I believe that God had plans to further His kingdom with this family. I will continue to pray for healing, because that is what I feel called to do, and I know our God has a plan. The NLT phrases Luke 11:9 as "And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.". This is me 'keeping on'

I mention "BOLDLY" at the beginning because we just finished the Bold series at Lifechruch.tv. The Bold Prayer sermon really had me think about the way I pray, and the way I see things done in the Bible. I plan on carrying out the lessons learned, and impacting the lives of others. I make these statements on the internet in the name of Jesus.

Thank you Lord, for your abundant blessings. Please bring healing to these two families. Amen

My Maternity Pics!

2011-08-23T05:04:00.003-05:00

WARNING:
(MY) BELLY PHOTOS AHEAD

Just wanted to put that out there :c)
I am overdue in posting these pics, but this are my maternity sessions with photolife group! One super big blessing with this group was to have a plethora of photographers shoot my maternity session. We set it up on one of our meeting nights as a way for people to play and learn, and for me to get some rockin' shots. There was a bit of craziness going on that led to me having a session by myself, then with Ray, then by myself again with 2 of the photogs who couldn't make it. Here's the results~

We shot at the Willis Ranch, and this pretty compilation was done by the lovely Mrs. Willis!

The next week, Ray joined the scene (not because of his desire, but because he's good at keeping me happy :c)

See?

Then I hit up pool side. I didn't quite pull of my outfit as well as I wanted for this..

A couple weeks later I met up with 2 of our lifegroup members who live in Yukon and couldn't make the first shoot. I've never been a real big fan of all the body shots, but when done well think they can be gorgeous. Well I have to say these girls know how to shoot this well! I really treasure these shots and seeing my preggo body at pretty much full term. It'll make great memories (Sorry if this is too much, feel free to be done with this post..)
This shot was by Cheryl.. beautiful. When she first sent it to me, I had to ask, "is that me?" :c)

Chainey's take (I like the blue for my little boy :c)

Homemade birthday cakes are a tradition in my family, so I was excited when my mom gave me this book of kid cake designs! I even plan on backing Isaiah some cupcakes for the hospital (well, not really for Isaiah, but for the rest of to celebrate Isaiah's for real Birth Day!) Of course, that's if all goes as planned and I can labor at home for a bit..

My tribute to Ghana..

Thanks to everyone who provided me these lovely pics :c)

Isaiah's Nursery: Mission Complete!

2011-08-19T10:15:00.002-05:00

The nursery is complete!
I'm not sure how this porcess goes for most people, but for Ray and I, we used a good 2/3 of our 9 months to get this room ready (once I decided to give up on my idea of converting our master closet into a nursery.. it would have looked awesome, but been a lot more work and $$). We decided to use our 3rd bedroom, which at the time was our guest room (Art, our roommate, lives in the 2nd bedroom). This room was actually a nursery for the previous owners before we moved in. I thought I was going to paint the walls some crazy colors, but decided that I liked the neutral backdrop and would enhance to room with everything I brought in. I also wanted to keep the major parts of the room gender neural (esp. when we thought we weren't going to find out the sex), but it's nice that I was able to fully customize it to Isaiah. Here it goes..

I wish I would have taken a pic of the guest room, but I wasn't really thinking. Here's the first picture, once we figured out the planned arrangement (View from door).

Here's the room 10 weeks ago, along with the plans

Here's the completed room! As you can see, I followed through on most of the arrows :c)

Here's the room originally- from the closet viewpoint.

10 weeks ago..

Completed!

And here's the viewpoint from the window.

The crib was our first purchase. We debated on several different ones (everywhere from a $100 Ikea crib to an expensive $500 crib), but decided on this one form JC Penny's (purchased for $250) and we love it! We both love the dark wood and large slats.

I decided not to do crib bumpers because the really aren't safe once baby starts moving, so I wanted to spice up the crib with a few throw pillows that I'll remove when I put Isaiah down. The large pillow was purchased form Ross, and the small pillow made by my friend Michelle who recovered my chair. It was a surprise and I love it! The cute animal was a gift from my aunt. I have 2 sets of crib sheets that are both white with different colored dots. I also made the crib skirt (seen above) with some no-sew directions. The fabric looked different once I brought it home, but it's not seen very much so I've just left it.

The mobile was handmade (with love) by me and cost me an entire glue stick and some time (details of making this can be found in this post). It's certainly one of my favorite features in the room.

The frames by the closet were actually in the closet that I was trying to clean out. So I decided to enhance them with some wire (as seen on pintrest) and voila.. more free art!

This is (a very grainy) picture of the rocking chair as purchased from a garage sale. 2 for $20.

This is the finished product after my friend Michelle refinished it! I looked and looked for the right fabric and, with the help of my mom, decided on this one. 2 yards for $40 was higher than I wanted to pay, but I think that it turned out fabulous. My friend re-cushioned, recovered, and restored this beautifully. If you are interested in any of your own furniture being recovered.. let me know and I can get you her info!

The reading light by the chair was actually in purchased for the original guestroom (where Art is now) and was not being used at the time. But it fits perfectly in Isaiah's room! The night stand is an upside down basket I got 80% off at Hobby Lobby for about $6.. I felt like I stole it from them-

On this wall is actually the inspiration for the room. The picture of the little boy and girl below our wedding picture is a picture of my dad and aunt when they were young. When my aunt posted this on facebook back in January, I decided it would be the perfect thing to put in Isaiah's nursery. That's what started this "antiquey throw together" look (Im' not quite sure how to describe it..). The sign was given to me at a shower (by Nicky, visit her etsy site here) after I had hung all the frames, and I think it fit perfectly on the wall without me having to rearrange!

This is the bookshelf Ray made from scratch. I found one on Target like this, but didn't' want to pay the money for the cheap wood-like shelf. So we drew up plans, bought a drill, and got to work! Ray and I haven't had much experience with building, so I am very proud of him for how this turned out. As for the color, I wanted to incorporate some of the green into the room and I really wanted to keep the wood look and not paint, so I custom matched the stain to the green in the fabric chair. It may not be everyone's taste, but I really like the way it turned out!

I'm excited about his collection of books!

I found this wine rack at Pier One on sale for $10 and re-purposed it for blankets!

This is the frame I used to tell Ray I was pregnant, the horse was my Grandma's from a long time ago, and the fish bowl will house fish after I get things settled with a baby (you can see trial one with the fish here)

The last purchase for the room was the art piece above the chair. I wanted just one piece to go there, since there is a lot going on around it with the collage of frames and mobile. I found this 1/2 price at Hobby Lobby and although it's probably not common in a nursery, I thought it was a cute saying with the right look for the room.

The plants I bought the same day as the fish have been doing great! I had these Ikea pots in the garage from plants that had died after our Africa trip, so I was happy to use them again!

The dresser was another refurbished item. I knew I wanted a dresser that could also be a changing table, so I scoured the city for one that was the right height, width, and structure. I found this for $70 at a GoodWill shop, and although I was looking to spend more around $40, decided it had all the right features (and I was tired of driving- are getting a sense for how cheap I really am?). And I'm actually thrilled with it! It was a solid wood color (forgot to take an actual before pic), so I primed, painted, roughed the edges and purchased new hardware.

This is as "before" as it gets.

I found these drawer pulls at (nowhere else but..) Hobby Lobby! And of course purchased them half off.

I also lined the inside with wrapping paper to add a little punch to the drawers (yes, I think Isaiah as more shoes than I do!). I can tell you that this was my first time working with Mod Podge, and I still don't think I get it...

This collection was either gathered from the house, or gifted to me.

The mirror was actually saved from the garbage when I was helping a friend move out. I really only kept it because I had plans to use it in a shoot (seen here), but it ended up working great in the guest room, and even better in Isaiah's room!

These letters were on a corkboard from my Tulsa shower, and even though I didn't have space to hang the whole board- these letters are just what I was looking for in this space. And the colors are perfect!

This cute pup sits beside the dresser, was part of the decor of my first baby shower, and I hope will be Isaiah's best friend in the upcoming years.. I love this guy!

Oh, and not to neglect this pup.. whom I still love very much. Honey is showing off the rug that was purchased for $60 from Ross (it's certainly her favorite part of the room). Ray wasn't sure if the room needed a rug, but I think it really helps pull everything together!

This poor dog doesn't even know what she's in for!

But there you have it- pretty much all the decisions that went into creating a nursery for Isaiah. I really feel like it is very personalized and cozy. I hear some people say that they don't even use the nursery much, but I really hope to. I've had a lot of fun with all the design and DIY involved, now I can't wait to get my little man in there!

Have a happy Friday

Our "Staycation"

2011-08-18T09:33:00.002-05:00

*update from yesterday
I went to Katie's funeral along with a ton of other people. It was awesome to see the number of lives that she touched in her almost 30 years! The family is doing good, but I can only image how tough things will get now that the funeral is over and they get back into the routine of life. Please continue to pray that God comforts them in the tough times ahead.

Yesterday was also the last day of Ray and I's 'staycation' (although I'm too cheap to make it a real staycation). He had to use his last 3 days of vacation before he lost them today, so he took off Monday through Wednesday (don't worry, he gets his vacation renewed, and even an additional week this year(!), so he can take off a full week once Isaiah decides to come). I'm still amazed at how much I enjoy just 'being with' my husband. Like I said, I'm too cheap to spend money on a lot of things (thought about going to a hotel, but why would you do that when you have a free bed at home!), but we did enjoy a dinner at Louie's on the lake Monday night and lunch at the museum yesterday (our plans to go to the museum were cut short by the funeral). Together, we cleaned the cars, cleaned the garage, and finished Isaiah's room (yay!). We slept in together (I know we will soon be losing that ability for a loooong time..). So it was nothing super exciting, but I enjoyed it all, and realized that even on Wednesday, I still wanted to spend my time with Ray (we had our separate plans from about 2-9). Then I went to a bible study last night (kinda on a whim) where one of the girls did a study on Eve. She was telling us what she learned, and pointed out how women a woman's desire for her husband is part of the curse.
¹⁶ To the woman [God] said,
'"I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you." Genesis 3:16 (italics mine)

Now we were all familiar with the childbearing part of the curse (I fear I may be cursing Eve during the upcoming process...), but all of us were surprised at the desire for your husband part, although we were all too familiar with it in our own lives. When I was single, I had a friend (who is actually now my bro-in-law) call me a "femi-natzi". He was surprised after seeing me get married how much I changed (honestly, I was too!). But now I realize it is a God given desire for my husband, which I don't see as a curse much of the time, because I have a husband who does as Paul says in Ephesians 5, "²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her". And I am really excited to see him love in the role of a father! It was kinda neat the way this whole lesson played out. Now Ray is back at work and we continue to wait for I-man to make his appearance (I had my second going-into-labor dream last night).

Here's a pic from lake Hefner (Ray told me switching the camera on his iphone4 to the front would be lower quality.. I just didn't realize how much lower- sorry for all the grain!)

Love you sweetie!

In memory of Katie

2011-08-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

I want to take a moment to send my condolences to Katie Womack's family and friends.
Katie is a bride that I photographed last year at her wedding in Mexico. She passed away Sunday from heart complications, while pregnant with her and her husband's first child. This was a complete surprise, and it's hard to believe that this sweet soul isn't here anymore. I know she will be terribly missed by very loving family and many friends, but I know that she had a relationship with Christ, and the only thing that keeps running through my head are Paul's words, "To live is Christ and to die is gain". I pray that her impact on people will outlive her life, and that through this all, God the Father is glorified. Her life will be celebrated today at her funeral in Stillwater.

Here are a few of the pictures that her husband, David, selected for the funeral. I think this first one really captures Katie's spirit. As you can see, David, her husband, adored her..

I kept telling my second shooter that Katie made the perfect destination bride because she was laid-back, loving, and seemed to really know how to enjoy the moments.

She was also deeply in love

This was Katie's facebook profile picture.

Katie, thank you for living to the fullest.

This is the second client that I have shot who unexpectedly passed away. The first was a sweet baby, the youngest of the 5 generations in the pictures. And here is Katie, a healthy (she ran her first marathon in this last year) newlywed and mom-to-be. I have to step back and thank God for each day we are given. I also have to make sure that my days are directed by God, for He had the master plan, and I can only follow each step. I recently heard a quote from a missionary named Cory who said "We need to live our life in a way that demands an explanation". I couldn't agree more.

To the Womack and Reavis families, I am sorry for your loss and pray that God brings a comfort that's beyond our understanding.

Mayor's 9 Month

2011-08-16T15:08:00.002-05:00

I have officially shot, edited, and exported/blogged my last scheduled shoot until after Isaiah comes! I have also worked my last scheduled shift at Deaconess, from here on out it's just picking up as I want/can. How exciting! For my last session, I saw my neighbor, Mayor for his 9 month pictures. I have been photographing him since his newborn pics, and we weren't sure if I would be able to do this one. But as the time neared we decided to go for it and took these sweet kiddos to Mitch park. I do have to say, shooting a 9 month old kid with a (gestationally) 9 month old in your belly isn't the easiest thing. We got some sweet pictures, but there were certainly times I felt like a beached whale after trying to get down on his level! I got some pretty shots in Isaiah's rocking chair, but I kinda want to save that for my little man to introduce.. So here's our playground pics!

Showers 3,4, & 5

2011-08-09T22:33:00.002-05:00

So we are officially in Full Term Zone! I hit 37 weeks on Saturday, which means this kid can come anytime now, or a month from now... that's the crazy thing. I wanted to have everything completely done by last weekend, but I'm not quite there yet (and he hasn't given me any signs of coming yet, so I think we're okay). I'm still washing clothes and using gift cards to buy up the last things we need, but we were extremely blessed at our showers to get so much for this little man! Originally I wanted one big shower, but ended up with 5 different showers.. each different and fabulous! My last 3 showers happened within 4 days, so I'll share them all here.

My 3rd shower was a combined baby shower thrown by Sydnie and Nichole for Beth, Ashley, and I. We have been a close group of friends for years now, and it just happened that 3 of us are pregnant at the same time, all with boys and all within a month of each other!

These girls are party throwin' fools, so there were some very cute details at this party.

The song "You are my Sunshine" was the theme

And what's a theme without a matching shirt! We hope to get a picture of all the babies in the adorable onesies... if Isaiah isn't busting out of this newborn tee by the time the last one gets here..

And the food.. delicious. The menu was set off of our cravings from pregnancy.. mac and cheese, piazza, and hot sandwiches.

We toasted with virgin sangarias.

And our big craving.. Icecream!! Yum!

The 3 preggos and our 'guest books', "you are my sunshine"

Me and my big belly :c)

The next day I headed up to Tulsa for shower number 4! This was hosted by Jennifer and Summer for all my Tulsa peeps!

I really enjoyed having the people around that I grew up with and have known for years- this is a pic of my mom, sister and I with our old friends we met in Norway, Chelsea and Liz. We go way back and it was so great to have them there!

We played games..

and wrote notes to Isaiah.

The country club was decorated beautifully with some of my favorite things!

I received a cloth diaper cake.. I know how difficult these are to make (your money doesn't go nearly as far..) but my friend is an avid cloth diaperer and has given me a ton of advice! I'll let you know how it goes (Ray is still not quite sure.. but the moms I know who do it are big fans)

Shower number 5 was a surprise party at work. They actually pulled off the surprise, so I didn't have a camera or anything to document it. But it was much appreciated and enjoyed!

Thank you all! I am still blown away with how blessed Ray and I are with the people who we are surrounded with. We are truly thankful for the great Christian influence and I am thrilled to know that Isaiah will be loved by so many. Now it's just time to welcome him into this world! (well, maybe after Sunday.. we have a party planned at our house on Saturday and my doc is out of town until Sunday-)

Sara's Maternity

2011-08-05T08:57:00.003-05:00

Sara's family is growing and she wanted to document this special time with some maternity pictures! She looked radiant in the early morning light at Will Rogers Park Tuesday morning (our shoot was originally on Saturday, but that was the day I left all my CF cards at home... thanks so much for understanding Sara!). Sara has another son, Luke, but wanted to document this pregnancy the same as she did the first time, just her and her bump. Enjoy the lovely pictures!

The Pinterest Challenge: Nursery Mobile

2011-08-02T15:42:00.003-05:00

So for the second nursery post of the day..
I totally forgot that Young House Love was doing their Pinterest Challenge today! And because Pinterest helped to come up with the perfect DIY mobile for Isaiah's room, I thought I'd partake in this challenge.

To backtrack.. I had a lot of trouble coming up with Isaiah's mobile. At first I wanted to hang an old ceiling tile above his crib because the colors and style matched the room so well.. but then after reading about everyone's fears of art pieces falling in cribs (this is an old, rusty, heavy ceiling tile), I reluctantly changed my mind. Next I decided to do a big homemade mobile, but I wanted something that would look great from the side (for my viewing) as well as underneath (for Isaiah's viewing). I know the view from underneath is really the more important of the two, but I didn't want to compromise (I'm realizing how much I like design). Enter in Pinterest.com. I discovered this site recently, and have been hooked since. It is a totally cool way to look up and save ideas online. I started looking for mobiles that inspired me, and with Ray's assistance decided on the below.

Source: community.thebump.com via Ashley on Pinterest

But, I wasn't quite sure the pinwheels were exactly what I wanted to view from the side. So I took my search to the internet and found this lovely mobile, on the blog Anything Pretty. I really liked the thicker pinwheels and extreme contrast. It was said to be more time consuming than the pinwheels in the above photo, but I was spending the weekend at my mom's and found myself up to the challenge.

And here's my final result! (the walls always look so yellow in my pictures..)

I am really excited about the way it turned out from my view.

And from Isaiah's view.

One great thing about this mobile is that the pinwheels will spin some when the air comes on.. making it a true 'mobile'!

The other cool part: this mobile only cost me a glue stick and some of my time!

Admittedly... it took A LOT of my time, especially because I modified it some to fit the supplies I already had on hand. But like I said, I was at home hanging with my family, so since I was 'multi-tasking', I think it was totally worth it!
As for the supplies..

I had the most perfect scrapbook paper left over from when I was scrapbooking back in college. The cardstock is from my sister's wedding photobooth props. The string is something I bought for my wedding (but can't remember if I even used). I printed the design for free online. I borrowed the wire from my mom. And I already had the glue gun. The only thing I did purchase was a glue stick, which I used the entire thing. The branch that the pinwheels are hanging from fell into my backyard a couple weeks prior to me starting this project (thank you wind!). And the fishing line and hooks to hang were in my garage. Not too shabby, huh?

I am very excited about all of the DIY projects we did in the nursery. I will do a full review as I get things cleaned up and put in place (we had the last of our showers and were blessed with a ton of goodies for Isaiah.. I just need to get them put up!). But I thought that this Pinterest Challenge was great because it's easy to pin a bunch of good ideas, but never do anything with them...so here's my 'doing something' with a pinwheel mobile! :c)

"Buy Fish"

2011-08-02T14:58:00.003-05:00

Awhile ago I decided that Isaiah could have his first pet (yes, before he is even born).
When I was cleaning out his closet that held my left over decorating items, I came across my fishbowl (a vase I turned into a fishbowl and used for the dinner I made Ray and I for our first anniversary, complete with rocks form our wedding, seaweed thing from our honeymoon, and betta fish like the ones at our resort). So I thought.. Isaiah would enjoy watching some fish! Or if he doesn't- I can enjoy them while I rock and feed him (If I'm not totally absorbed in my sweet little baby) :c)

You can see here where they fit into the room (with the "Buy Fish" label)

So last Friday I stopped at the pet store for food for Honey, and walked out with a couple of gold fish as well. Here they are active and swimming-

This is how I found them last night. Not so entertaining for Isaiah or me.

So please just tell me that my ability to care for fish is not an indication of my mothering abilities. (on a sidenote- the plants I bought the same day are still alive, so that's a good thing!)

Abram's 6 Month Session Downtown OKC

2011-07-30T08:42:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday I met the Pratt family downtown to photograph them for Abram's 6 month. We did a pretty good job of beating the heat, and I had a blast with this sweet, growing family :c)
Enjoy-

Today I'm off to Tulsa for my last baby shower! I'll share pics soon :c)

35 Weeks Down!

2011-07-24T10:16:00.002-05:00

Saturday marked 35 weeks for baby Isaiah!
That means only 5 weeks until d-day, or 2 weeks until full term!
Ray and I were able to spend some time yesterday finishing up some projects for the baby. I finally finished my mobile I've been so excited about! I really had a hard time figuring out what I wanted exactly, but am thrilled with the results (I will show more detail on it later). My friend Michelle finished recovering the rocking chair, so now it ties some of the colors together very nicely and looks great in the room. We hung a few more things on the walls, put up the baby shower gifts, and even installed the base of the carseat in my car :c)

Here is a quick snapshot of the room (taken by my phone, forgive the poor quality). I will do a complete post on the room and projects when everything is complete.

After working on baby stuff, Ray's sister came in town and we went out to eat to celebrate her birthday. Afterwards we stopped by Braums for icecream and all ended up with a double dip cone. It's been forever since I've had a double dip, and when I was taking the picture below the guy behind the counter asked why I was taking a picture.. I simply replied, 'because it looks like summer!'

Have a great day!

Emery's 3 Year

2011-07-22T22:00:00.002-05:00

Here's another session with Emery... she's almost 3!!
Her mom styled this shoot fabulously, and even found this awesome wall that matched her first outfit! Enjoy-

A family of Toms :c)

Then off to a field..

Could she be any more gorgeous!!

I think I've shot my first model..

:c)

This is one happy family

Thanks Tim, Abbra, and Emery!

Carter's Newborn Session

2011-07-18T08:30:00.000-05:00

This is Martin Carter, son of a fellow coworker at Deaconess and also one of my first wedding clients! I have been anticipating his arrival, and was blessed to be able to go photograph this sweet new life :c) enjoy-

Baby Shower #2!

2011-07-17T15:04:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday my sister hosted my second baby shower for me! We had a really good turnout and I was so excited to have all my close friends and family around :c) Thanks to everyone for coming!

Here's a shot of my aunt guessing my belly size pretty much right on!

They certainly 'showered' us with a good supply for little Isaiah!

A former coworker and friend, Eilene

Friends Michelle and Beckham

College buddies Trista, Dre, and Belinda

My friend Juliana and her friend

Neighbor and friend Kristin (also mom of 3 who helped me register, thanks!)

My family that surprised me! Aunt Roxanne and cousins Anna and Terra

Friends Ashley, Mia, Sydnie, and Beth

+ our 3 boys all due within a month of each other (with Isaiah first)!

Friend Rachel (also with a baby in there... only not as far along)!

My stepmom Darla, sisters Bailey and Kacey, and mom.

Sisters! Judy, Bailey, and Kacey

I am so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing women :c)
Thanks Kacey for putting this all together!

Halle's 3 Month

2011-07-12T11:27:00.003-05:00

Here is sweet little Halle!
She is the daughter of Kyle and Jodi Hudson, fellow Broncho's of Ray and I. We photographed these at Centennial Park in downtown Tulsa on a bright and hot Saturday morning. Jodi's sister and her daughter (who is only a couple weeks younger than Halle) also came out for the shoot. This is one beautiful family! enjoy-

Another Birthday, Another Surprise..

2011-07-07T09:23:00.003-05:00

Happy 27th Birthday to my hubby!
Ray celebrated his birthday on Tuesday, and I am happy to announce that I surprised him yet again :c) I don't know why or when it all started, but in my relationship with Ray I have always liked to throw him surprise birthday parties. Even when we were dating I started this. And I guess I can say that I'm blessed to be married to a clueless man who doesn't pay much attention to what's going on around him, 'cause each year I've managed to surprise him. This year was different in that I didn't plan a party for everyone, just a date night for ourselves (I figure those will soon be harder to come by, so might as well take advantage..).
The spoof came into play when I told Ray that I wanted to take maternity pictures this Tuesday so that I can have them for my baby shower this Saturday. Even though it he does not like having his pictures taking, hates maternity shots, and it was his birthday, he obliged to go (isn't he a sweet sweet man?). So I was able to get him out of the house dressed up a bit (slacks even!) and had a good excuse to be spiffed up myself. Somehow I managed my way into the drivers seat (he always drives) and told him we were going to 'Deshawna's mother-in-laws', which he has no idea where that's at. It wasn't until I exited 10th street that he started to get suspicious (he knew the house was in the country). At first he guessed a party and wanted to make sure I didn't make the Tulsa people drive down like they did last year (because they'll be coming for his baby shower on). I denied that and told him we were going to Red Prime to enjoy a night together. Even though for some crazy reason that makes the 4th time to have steak in the past week, he was more then pleased (except when he found out that he has another week to forward to this maternity shoot... it's scheduled for next Tuesday). We enjoyed our night and I think he had a very happy birthday :c)

Here's Birthday Boy..

Jessica & Lamont: Married!

2011-07-01T14:54:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Jessica & Lamont!
This sweet couple got married 2 weeks ago at Arrow Springs Church in Broken Arrow.

Here are some of the lovely details

A sneak peak of the bride getting ready..

Now on to the first look...

Where I love capturing moments like this

and this :c)

This moment was actually captured by my second shooter, Rachel Gilstrap, right before Jessica's dad was to walk her down the isle.. love it :c)

The flower girl stayed very entertained throughout the ceremony

After the ceremony, we braved the heat for some rockin' outdoors pics!

Jessica and her dad had everyone tearing up on the dance floor

While Lamont had everyone cracking up!

Off this sweet new couple goes! Congrats and many blessings!

My First Baby Shower

2011-06-30T15:54:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday was my first baby shower!

It was beautiful and lovely and I really enjoyed being around all my lifegroup girls!

My friends Contessa and Jules were the hostesses (this is Jules stunning home)

I certainly feel like the 'big' sister here!

A good friend Melonie, who only 6 months ago was were I am at :c)

We were not short on babies at this party! So many of my Lifechruch friends have welcomed new little ones into their homes, this is Addalynne Grace. It took me a minute before I realized that 3 of the babies at the shower were babies that I specifically prayed for (each couple was trying to get pregnant) and to see them all in one place at the same time.. it just made me heart happy to see God's answered prayers! What sweet little blessings :c)

Nathan and Willow holding hands :c)

Here's my photolife girls.

My friends Jennifer and Hannah

I still call her Taco, even though that was from our highschool vball days..

And Miss Lynn.. gotta love miss Lynn :c)

These girls hooked Isaiah up with some great gifts.. makes me even more excited for my little man to be here! Less than 2 months now!

Thanks t0 everyone for coming and celebrating with me!

Stella's Here!

2011-06-23T21:27:00.002-05:00

Meet Stella Simpson!
She is the beautiful daughter of our good friends, Mark and Abby. I remember when Ray asked me, 'guess who's pregnant'. I though, 'oh my it's starting!" Little did I know we would on their heels with a baby of our own! Sometimes I like to think of Stella as Isaiah's future girlfriend (even though I told myself I would never do that with my kids... I'm sure there's many more of those to be broken..). I have to say, Stella is the sleepiest baby I have ever had the opportunity to shoot, and I enjoyed every minute (even though we were sweating through the shoot after turning off the AC in 100 degree weather). Mark and Abby have a house with plenty of light, great props, a beautiful baby, and fun company, so I really enjoyed this shoot! I hope that you enjoy the pics :c)

I have always wanted to try to pose a baby up like this. I have never had a baby sleep heavy enough to attempt. Stella was out, so her daddy Mark and I gave it a shot. This was the closest we got.

Then she quickly fell...

to this not-so-desired position. Don't worry, Stella was not harmed in the making of these photos. But I'm ready for Isaiah to get here to try again! (although I hear it's difficult to shoot your own baby)

Such a beautiful family. Can't wait to see little Stella grow up in this loving, Christ-centered family :c)

Thompson Family Pics at Mitch Park

2011-06-23T10:14:00.002-05:00

One thing that I love about photography is that it gives me the excuse to get together with friends. This is the Thompson family and they are adorable. I've worked with Nichole at Deaconess for years, although lately we've had opposite schedules. I've always respected her work ethic and her passion for Christ and I was excited to watch her family as they loved and enjoyed each other in front of the lens. I hope that enjoy the final result!

29 Week Progress..

2011-06-17T10:42:00.002-05:00

Ready for some baby updates?!
This is probably what's been distracting me more from blogging than anything!
Here is Isaiah's nursery at this time (almost 30 weeks). This room was a boy's nursery when we moved in, and we decided to leave the walls the neutral tan color. The inspiration for Isaiah's room came from a photo the my aunt posted of her and my dad as kids. I decided to do an 'eclectic vintage' look for the room (no, not your typical sports or animal themes). For some reason this nursery has really gotten Ray and I into DIY mode, which I am really enjoying. I want this room to be a personal, comfortable feel. Some of the projects we have completed are painting frames, crafting the no-sew cribskirt, re-doing an old dresser, and building a book shelf. I still have a list of things to do, and I think many of the things on that list will add the more color that's needed in the room. So here's the pictures, and the plans.

Last Tuesday I had a 3D ultrasound done. I was not planning on doing one of these (I always thought them to be a little creepy looking and didn't want to spend the money), but my friend Abbra is in school right now for sonography and offered me a great deal! I'm really glad that we ended up getting this done.. it was so fun to watch my son in my womb! He was laying head up and facing out, so we got some great pictures. And now as he kicks around (which he does alot), I can picture what he'd doing in there much better. Now, we got a ton of pics printed, but they are all on paper, so I tried to take a pic with my camera, but sonograms are hard enough to read, none-the-less a pic of a sonogram! But I will share with you anyways and hope that you enjoy :c)

This is my favorite non-3D. He had both forearms up around his head :c)

Here is my sweet little boy's face! When I posted one on facebook, people said they could see me.. I on the otherhand see a lot of Ray in his nose and lips. We shall see..

Here he stuck out his tongue and Abbra caught a pic!

Gotta love baby feet!

I wasn't lying when I said we got tons of pics!

As more and more people around me have their babies, I am getting more and more excited to meet this little guy (and realizing that yes, he actually really will leave my belly one day). I never understood why people enjoyed pregnancy, but I can say this is pretty fun. Especially with him being so responsive to touch and kicking with such force, he is already entertaining his dad and I :c)

Eli's 3 Month Session

2011-06-17T09:05:00.002-05:00

This is Eli. He is the adorable son of Luke and Megan Roundtree (Megan actually went to elementary school together, and every school through college!). We shot Eli's 3 month session at Mitch park Wednesday morning before the day really heated up. I think they turned out fabulous! Enjoy-

This is a basket I bought for Isaiah's room.. I'm excited to multipurpose his stuff!
Eli shows it off well :c)

Megan looking fabulous as a mom

This is Eli's cousin.. a little more difficult to catch on camera, but fun non-the-less.

Sidenote: Megan told me how at Stephanie and Todd's wedding (a wedding I shot last year), our group of friends were sitting at the table. My husband asked her husband when they planned on having kids. He jokingly said "9 months". So when Megan took a pregnancy test that yeilded a surprise positive 2 days later, she blamed Luke! but that was just the start. Our other friends at the table, Mark and Abby, had their little girl last week, the wedding couple, Stephanie and Todd, had their baby boy yesterday, and as you know, Isaiah will be here before we know it! So everyone at that table (none of who were planning kids at that time) ended up with these wonderful blessings. How cool!

Palu and my bump

2011-06-09T13:13:00.003-05:00

I would like to introduce you to Palu, my sister new English Bulldog!

With this tough face, she fits in well with Honey and Reggie :c)

And here's me and my bump in a swimsuit for the first time.. yay for some pool time!

The Gilstrap Family: Tulsa, OK

2011-06-08T22:10:00.002-05:00

Meet the Gilstraps! This gorgeous family of 6 met up with me at Woodward park in Tulsa for our session last Saturday. They are fun, active, and were willing to get up early to be in the beautiful light (and cool weather) time! Enjoy-

Our 'Babymoon' to Durango, CO

2011-06-03T12:42:00.002-05:00

Hello!
I hope that you enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend. Ray and I snuck away to Durango, CO for our official 'babymoon' (the last trip we can take before baby gets here and I am restricted to stay within a couple hours of OKC). We met up with my aunt and uncle in Albuquerque, then continued the trip up to Colorado. This was actually our second time in Durango (that's where our ski trip was this winter), so it was neat to see the difference in winter and spring. I had a craving to be in the mountains with trees, and this trip certainly fulfilled it!
Our camping site

Isn't Colorado amazing? Just below us the Aspens were budding with green leaves, but we camped a bit to high for that. But notice the snow covered peak in the back ground

The Iron Horse Bike Race was that Saturday, so we walked to the road to watch and cheer

Here's our crew cheering on the riders

while I played with panning

My aunt and uncle are cyclists themselves, both have raced this before.

Then Ray, ML, and I went for a hike up the mountain

comparing bellies :c)

The man I love rockin' my shades

My cousin Addison and I

The Rauch's at Pergatory

and the Ofosu's (Ray got to race down the mountain on a sled... I videoed instead of pics, but he said it was fun!)

Back at camp we roasted and relaxed.

And of course enjoyed some 'smores!

The next day we took a trip to Silverton

Then drove up to Beaver Lake

The girls in front of the beaver dam

The men

It was a little windy up there!

But gorgeous scenery!

Back at camp we played some ball

Then broke down camp in the snow...

Goodbye Durango!

We'll miss you!

Nichole's Family Pics

2011-05-25T09:27:00.003-05:00

Hey all!
I'm grateful to be at my desk typing this post to you. We had another bout with tornadoes last night, there are several areas around us that got hit pretty bad. I remember giving my step-dad a hard time when he built a storm shelter in our backyard years and years ago because it would take up precious space in our already big enough back yard. Well I can tell you now that Ray and I are grateful that we moved into a house that has a storm shelter in the garage. Our neighbors don't have one, so they always have and open invitation to ours (along with their 2 kids). Then I was at my friend Melanie's house before the storm, they don't have a shelter, so they came over as well. So we had 6 adults, 4 kids (and baby Isaiah :c) ready to pile in this small shelter if needed.. so grateful we didn't have to! But it was good time spent with great friends.

Speaking of great friends.. here's another one and her wonderful family :c)
Nichole had her family in town last weekend so we went to the Famers Market in OKC for some fun family pics. I've been blessed to be able to spend time with these guys, so I enjoyed getting them in front of the camera.. enjoy!

Kellye&Dane's Wedding

2011-05-21T10:54:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited to get to share with you the Beaver wedding!
That's right.. actual photography work (for the most part I'm fully up and running again)!
Kellye & Dane married April 30th at the beautiful Christ the King church in Nicholas Hills. I started the day with them at the salon as Kellye, the bridesmaids, and moms got their hair and makeup done.

There was lots of laughter with so many family and friends around

Even Dane showed up to surprise Kellye with a gift

Here's the thank you..

Back at the church, Dane received his gift from Kellye

And I shot details..

Then it was on to the first look..

Love these moments :c)

Then outside for some gorgeous portraits!

One of my second shooters, Gay, captured this shot that I just love :c)

The girls had a blast

and the little ones shined in front of the camera!

What a good looking crew!

During the ceremony, my second shooter Belinda was up top capturing shots like this..

While I was in the front getting images like this

and this!

The cake was a huge, tiered, gathering of delicious cupcakes.

Not that this couple needed any help with sweetness.

And with the last name Beavers now making them one,

Kellye and Dane are off to live this life together. Blessings to you guys!

Happy Mothers Day

2011-05-08T18:44:00.003-05:00

Happy Mothers Day!!

Now begins the time of my life when I appreciate everything my mom has done for me that much more. I've always appreciated that she's been a great mom, but over the next months, years, and decades, I will be learning in even greater detail what goes on behind the scenes of being a mom. So here's to mom and all the sacrifices that you make-

Case in point: here's my mom losing to a smug little cheater..

And here's my loving mom with her 2 girls

My sacrifice.. Flinstone feet! Here's my belly and swollen feel on my first mothers day.

(note: we purchased a macbook last week so that I could get back to editing.. everything is not back totally in order yet, but at least I'm getting some work done! Anyways, Friday night I sat down to several hours of editing, and when I got up, I had Flinstone feet! Now I am using my (still unusable) desktop to elevate these puppies as I work)

And since Ray is out of town, here is a self portrait of my 6 month belly (and an unmade bed..)

I hope all you mom's and mom's-to-be enjoyed the day!

Snail mailed hard drive

2011-04-13T22:05:00.003-05:00

FYI:

My hard drive is now in the mail on it's way to be replaced by a (hopefully) much better (ie. working) one. That dang thing has been stressing me out for the last month, so it's time to have it fixed! So just letting you know I probably won't be blogging much since I don't have the right programs on this computer. But I still love you all and thank you for coming! I'll be back as soon as possible..

20 Weeks!

2011-04-09T16:34:00.003-05:00

I am 20 weeks today!!
That means I'm halfway through this pregnancy.. crazy!
And we found out.. It's a boy!!
(for those of you who know we were wanting to wait, I accidentally saw 'something' on the ultrasound after my car wreck, so we confirmed with our last sonogram)
We are getting more and more excited for little Isaiah to arrive :c)
We have a crib set up and I feel I'm moving more into baby mode!

My Sister's Bridals and the Wedding Photobooth

2011-04-08T09:25:00.004-05:00

More wedding pics!! First are some bridals that I usually try to blog the day of the wedding, since it is the first day I can show them, but with all my computer troubles and the busy day.. it didn't get done. But I can't not show you my beautiful sister rockin' her wedding dress in downtown Guthrie! So enjoy-

It was a typical Oklahoma windy day..

Check out those heels!

Isn't she gorgeous?!

Love this

Yeah, she's got curves

Rockin' it

I was feeling very artsy for these bridals

Stunning

and still able to have fun

She has way more talent than me.. she could spin in heels without falling down!

:c)

Now.. since she started planning this wedding, I thought it would be awesome to set up a photobooth. I thought I'd have this together waaay ahead of time, but it came down to some very last minute projects. The wireless remote I bought didn't work, so I borrowed my lovely friend Cheryl's. The lights I borrowed from Deshawna, and Creel loaned the background stand and a few other accessories. I had the frames and camera. I figured out how to have the camera link to a computer to show pictures 2 days before the wedding. After getting everything together, I think it turned out great! My only regret is spending time setting this up during the reception when I could have been hanging with family and friends, but that's over and done. Even though things stopped working during the shoot (the wireless remote ran out of battery, and the tethered computer started acting up), my cousin's stepped in and shot photos for me and I think everyone enjoyed it! Big thanks to Bryan and Lindsey for making all the paper props just hours before the wedding :c) They were my favorite part! On to the pics..

These girls started the fun with some Lady Gaga-ness

and action shots!

B and I sported the wedding attire

while the real bride tried to save our parent's marital dispute!

Family photo op!

Followed by 'those guys'

Who'd you say?

Yay, those guys.

The guys who do crazy things like this

But real couples were in the crowd! The engaged..

and the married!

And these cute girls kept appearing.. making me smile :c)

Of course not everyone was so sweet..

But the bride knew how to get some lovin' from her girls!

You never know what a group might do..

Welcome, Matt!

Some posed behind frames

While others were behind frames, in front of frames.. oh my.

This kid (my little brother) kept giving me a hard time about the 'ghetto' set up of wires and frames...

but for some reason he kept showing up in pictures!

Two brides :c)

and two people who need some serious help..

My stepdad found a chance to get some fishing in!

and here's the lovely couple who made all the great mustaches, hats, and glasses..

Yayy!! Kacey and Matt, I hope you guys enjoy!

My Sister's Married!

2011-04-05T12:00:00.003-05:00

Oh my! What a crazy couple of weeks. After recovering from the crash, I had 5 photo sessions to shoot and edit, then of course, my computer totally started a ridiculous meltdown that made editing (and blogging) difficult. With all this I was trying to find the right family car to buy, pick up extra shifts at Deaconess to make those fabulous new car payments, clean my house, and get the last few things together for MY SISTERS WEDDING! So needless to say, that is why I've not been here (I can't even remember the last time I read a blog, nonetheless blogged my own..). But I am thrilled to announce that my sister is now Mrs. Price, and the wedding was a fabulous event all around! Now that I get a chance to breathe, I would love to share some of things I've been working on! First up, a stop motion film created just for Matt & Kacey. This was all shot in my bedroom with a ghetto rig up, but I think that it turned out super cute :c) (ps. big shotout to my amazing hubby and our computer guy who worked from last Sunday to Friday to get this thing off my broken computer and onto a disk in time for the wedding!)

Kacey & Matt: Game On! from ashley ofosu on Vimeo.

My weekend

2011-03-16T11:01:00.002-05:00

So I'm stuck here with 4 sessions that I would LOVE to edit (and have tried numerous times) but of course my computer is acting up. The last time I remember this happening was last year around this time when I had about 4 sessions in one week that I needed to edit. I think I've learned to never shoot a busy weekend in March.. lesson learned! So as I try to find ways to edit (Deshawna's going to hook me up.. thanks girl!) I figured I'd post a my life post from this weekend. Ray and I traveled up to Tulsa primarily for a shoot that I had, and it turned out to be a jammed pack weekend full of fun and friends!

On Friday when we got up there, I went to my friend's Bryan's engagement party and got to laugh at him and Craig as they played the Kinect (the picture is a snap shot form a video.. very low quality) but a great reminder of all the fun!

Saturday morning we headed to Jim Norton Toyota, that afternoon, we drove off in our new Highlander! Now the baby will have a sweet ride to come home in, and if all goes well, Ray plans on giving this car to the kid for their 16th birthday!

After that we visited with Ray's dad, then headed over to Colten's 1st Birthday party! What a cutie, huh?

I also got to spend some time with my mom, and even though Sunday morning was a bit chilly, had a great time shooting out on my friend Summer's family farm. I'll share pics when I get through these computer issues..

Now on today's agenda is a Perfect Pregnancy Workout with some friends! Woo-hoo!

The Parcell Family- Downtown OKC

2011-03-16T10:20:00.002-05:00

This is a favorite family of mine, the Parcells!
Their last shoot was in the park, so we took this one downtown on a pretty Friday morning.
Enjoy!

Sea of Green$

2011-03-04T15:09:00.002-06:00

Can I confess something?
If you know me, you probably already know this, but I hate to spend money. Both my sister and I do. We grew up learning to save and learn the value of things, but there is some innate thing in me that hates spending money. Why I don't know. I know it's not pride or fear, I think I'm just cheap and I don't think anything is worth my cash. I always think there is something "better" that my money can go toward.
Well today has kinda been about money for me. It started with a trip to the bank with a 2 quart full (and probably 30 lb heavy) container of coins. Ray and I way under-guessed this..

Total price: $142.10 :c)

The next number I found out was the amount of my ticket for "Failure to devote full time and attention to driving".

Total Price: $249.00 :c(

Next on the to-do list... figure out hospital cost. CT of head, sonogram, ultrasound, lab, and 2 doses of morphine..

Total Price: $27, 999.75

I don't have the official ambulance cost, but it was estimated at $1200

We were anxious to know all of the above so we can know how to plan to buy a new vehicle (total cost: To be determined). Then beyond that, provide for this little bundle of joy..

But won't it be worth it to see this man hold his own offspring?

(This is Nathan LaRue, a good friend of ours born last week)

So amongst this sea of $green$ that seems to be flowing out of us...

God lets beauty shine.
I took this picture early this morning before all of the above happened, because I like the first signs of spring, but now I see it also portrays a sign of hope. I live such a blessed life, and I don't ever want to devalue that. Last week I was grateful to be alive and healthy, now I want to grumble about something that doesn't really mean that much to me anyways. Mastercard has it right when they say that some things are priceless.
Thank you for letting me share. I know that some people have it much worse than all this, and I don't want to come off as whiney and spoiled. I simply am sharing my day as I experienced it. I also want to share what a good friend told me just a couple days ago. He is a fabulous guy with a heart for others and a family that just doesn't seem to stop growing. He admitted that they spend more than they make, when you look at the books (not because they spend on credit and go crazy, this is just to care for daily life). He also said that they always have enough. I watch this man work hard, give his time and money to others, support a household, and trust a God who is bigger than this all. And he always has enough.

"And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you."

—Psalm 9:10

My Etsy store :c)

2011-03-01T12:36:00.002-06:00

Hello! One of the good things that has come out of this recovery is that I'm getting some things done on the computer that I've been needing to do! Body-wise, I'm doing much better and will return to work on Thursday, but for now, I want to share with you my new etsy shop! I will be selling prints of my photographs on this fabulous site, please feel free to stop by and share with others! To start, I have put up 4 shots from Ghana, but I will continue to be adding to it.

My etsy site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ashleyophotoart

My Crash..

2011-02-27T08:22:00.003-06:00

How to begin? I have been looking forward to my birthday post since December, but as life would have it, it's going to be a little different now.
On Thursday morning when I was driving to work (late because I couldn't find my keys.. they were in my jean pocket from Switch), I was hit by a school bus.

It was my fault. I ran a red light that I did not see. The accident was less than 3 miles from my home, so I'm very familiar with the road (although it is not my normal route, I chose it because I was running late). I remember making the decision to go straight a mile back, then I don't remember anything else from the next mile except seeing a car stopped to my left, looking up and seeing a red light, thinking 'it's raining, I'm not going to stop very fast', then looking to my left and seeing a school bus. The next thing I can remember is sitting in my car, lights and people everywhere. There is a firefighter at my door. They ask me the year and I can't decide between 2010 or 2011 (I think I chose 2010). They also ask if I know what happened, and I reply, 'I think I ran a red light'. Then I see Ray, in the rain, amongst all the strangers. I wave and blow him a kiss. Some guy tells me the smell is because of the airbags, I hadn't realized it smelled bad until he pointed it out, or that airbags had gone off.

I hear Ray tell the workers the I'm pregnant (the big news I've been wanting to share!! We're pregnant!!), but at the time I think he's crazy- I tell myself "I'm not pregnant". I couldn't figure out why he said such a thing. As I wrestle with that idea, firefighters use their equipment to get the door open, and I'm put on a backboard and neck brace. It's still raining so they cover my face as I'm put in the ambulance. I hear the medics discussing where they should go, because trauma call changes in 6 minutes. They decide OU trauma level 2. My sweatshirt is cut so they can get IV and vitals(my first time to wear this gift, sorry Eric and Rachel). I tell them they should put a poster on the ceiling like at the dentist office. I also say thank you to everyone who had taken care of me. I notice they aren't riding with the sirens, but I fell okay. I'm still breathing hard trying to calm the pain in my side. I finally decide that maybe I am pregnant, I put my hands over my abdomen and pray.
When we reach OU, I am put in a trauma room and there were like 15 people working on me. My Minnie mouse scrub top is cut off (another gift, sorry Eilene). They decide to do a head CT because I lost consciousness at the scene. I remind them I'm pregnant. They shield my abdomen for the chest xray and the head CT. They also decide to consult OB. They clear me of neck injuries and take me off the back board and immobilizer. I am super thirsty, and although I understood we are waiting for results (what I always tell my patients) I really want some ice chips!
I was surprised my parents were there, they drove down from Tulsa. Matt and my sister were there (she was working at OU when she found out). Our roommate Art also came to see me. I kept telling them they could all go. Of course my hubby was there the whole time. When I went to give a urine sample, I was appalled at how I looked. Hospital gown, no bra, fuzzy hair (rain on the day you run out of gel is not good), and eye makeup smeared under my eyes. I make myself as presentable as possible, but I find it funny how easily I transformed into one of my patients.
I go to a sonogram to check the baby. My sister and mom follow me (I'm not quite sure why at the time), but when we get to the room, they get to come in and watch and I'm super glad they got to share that with me! They last ultrasound we had was basically to confirm the pregnancy, and as excited as Ray and I were to see our child, it looked like a blob. I was amazed to see the changes that had happened in 5 weeks. The first things we saw were defined legs! We also saw the spine and ribs, face and brain, heart and chambers, arms, legs, hands, and feet. Everything checked out great and I was super thrilled.

Our campus pastor Chris came to visit us, as well as a friend of ours. My photolife group caught wind of what was happening, and put out prayer requests and even dinner set up for the next 5 nights. We had a bag of yummy food on our door step when we got home that night.

I tell you what, if you feel lost in a big church, lifegroups is where the church exists. I have felt so much support on that day and the following days, I just feel so extremely blessed. I also have to brag on what a great husband I have. He has been a fantastic caregiver, comforter, and all around supporter. We have never had an experience like this, but he continues to show selfless love. Even when I apologize for the money I cost us, he reminds me he's happier to have is wife and baby safe. Thank you for being so practical Ray.
After an entire 12 hours in the OU ER, I was finally released to go home (so much for getting out of my day at the hospital.. I just spent it at OU instead of Deaconess). Thank you thank you to all who prayed for me. As crazy as it is, I never felt fearful the entire time, and looking back I feel like baby and I were protected by our Father above. If you look at the car, the impact hit just right in front of the drivers door. A foot back (and like I said, it was pouring rain, so stopping did not come quickly), and this could be a different story.

I am still bothered about why I did not see the red light. The things I remember are so clear, even passing the car that was stopped at the stoplight. I am pretty sure I was not on my phone, or looking for something, or gazing out the window (there was nothing to see in the rain), but I am grateful and feel fully blessed over the outcome of it all. There were no kids on the bus yet and the driver was not injured. I was the only injured one, and for that, I'm grateful. I have 2 small cuts on my hands, a bump on my head, and some bruised ribs, which considering the impact and the distance I traveled, I am doing very good. When the cop came Friday morning to deliver my ticket (yes, my first present on my birthday Friday was a ticket for lack of paying attention), he said this was one of the top 3 wrecks he's personally seen. He was also amazed I was doing so good. And he wished me happy birthday as he left :c) Another crazy thing, Ray actually drove up on the accident (he left the house about 10 min after I did). He thought the car looked like mine so he was going to call to make sure I was okay. As he grabs his phone, he gets a call from a 405 number and immediately knew it was the cops. They were surprised he was already at the intersection.I'm sure the whole thing was a lot more scary for him than for me.
So in the end, thank you to all the emergency workers (esp the ones who had to be wet for their entire shift, sorry), the hospital physicians and nursing teams, and all the friends and family who have offered continual support. I am glad to be here to share this story.

I am also thrilled to share the news of baby Ofosu. I am 14 weeks now (yay for second trimester!!) and the expected due date is August 27 (bring on the summer heat!). I had a really good first trimester, and am excited to watch this baby bump grow!

God is good.

I thank You and praise You alone.
Let me live this life for You, Lord.
Amen.

Jayde's Downtown Senior Session

2011-02-20T12:46:00.004-06:00

Here is the rest of Jayde's Senior session. Besides taking some really awesome photos, I also enjoyed watching Jayde as she so comfortably posed in front of the camera and her mom tried to hold back tears watching her beautiful girl. It was a gorgeous afternoon, and the downtown area made the perfect backdrop for this Mustang senior to shine!

Love her smile :c)

But she can also rock the no smile

I loved this black jacket

And she loves Dr. Pepper, so we had to incorporate!

America's next top model?

Love this shot

So I worked it several ways :c)

Her next outfit looked great against this red.

And also fit in well with the field!

Love the light and color in these pictures

and eyelashes... always a love of mine!

Isn't she stunning?

and not just because she shaves her legs..

Onto the blue..

Her eyes, the scarf, the door.. yum!

I thought her hair color was beautiful as well

Cute headshots

of a beautiful girl. Good luck in your future Jayde!!

Shedding of the winter coat

2011-02-16T22:18:00.002-06:00

I love the changing of seasons!!
Actually, I love it when it changes to spring and fall. I describe myself as a 'middle of the road' kinda person, so these in between seasons suite my well :c)
The last couple of days have been just gorgeous, esp. after a particularly cold and snowy couple of weeks. Yesterday, I decided to run at the park since I had missed it during the snowy weather. I wore pants and a long sleeve shirt, thinking that I didn't want to feel any bite in the wind. Well, silly me, there was no bite, just beautiful short sleeve weather! So today when I dressed for the gym, I put on my capris and and short sleeve. It wasn't until I was outside walking to the gym that I felt something funny brush against my legs. When I looked down, I discovered that something had not 'brushed' my legs at all... it was my leg hair blowing in the wind!! Yes, the winter coat I was trying to grow to stay warm (hush, it's the excuse I use) did not look so pretty in 70 degree weather. But I'm happy to say that it is all gone now (and I'm also happy I work out during family time when there are very few people in the Chk gym)!

Since I didn't think you'd appreciate a pic of my hairy legs, here's a cute senior that I shot last Saturday in some more gorgeous weather-

Kacey's Bridal Shower

2011-02-10T15:06:00.002-06:00

Last Saturday was my sister Kacey's Bridal Shower. It was put on by her future sister-in-law, and was an absolute blast! Friends and family came from all over (despite the crazy snow) and I thought it was a huge success.

Kacey enjoys being the bride :c)

We had lots of good food,

drinks,

and of course, laughs!

She played a game where if she gave the wrong answer, she had to chew a piece of gum.

Let's just say, she got more wrong than right..

Present time was fun, this was my gift to her (made by the fabulous Nicky of Stylemark Designs)

Kacey and her cute flower girl/niece.

Sisters in purple

The Hake clan

Friend Belinda

Bridesmaid Megan

Stepmom Darla

Price In-laws

College buddies

Aunt Roxane and Cousin Anna

Great turnout, great party, and great time with people I love!

"Fresh Powder!"

2011-02-09T14:33:00.002-06:00

Honey was on watch-out duty when she let out the report.. "Fresh Powder!!"

The neighborhood boys rush together and devise a plan.

That's it! Pull the snowboarder behind the van around the neighborhood!

But Mike says "I don't need no stinkin' van"

"I see a jump ahead!"

"Here we gooo.."

"YIPPEE!"

Does he pull of the landing?

Nice and smooth, he's still on his feet, and almost on his neighbor's porch..

Ray says "Here goes nothin'!"

(Sadly, I got tired of waiting and didn't catch his jump)

So if you see this scene out your window

Please don't run over my husband!

Todays' Lesson: When you can't beat this winter weather, you might as well enjoy it!

Mayor's 3 Month

2011-02-06T10:41:00.001-06:00

So this is the second time I have finished a post and it has disappeared on me. Since I have more to move onto, I will just introduce this and show you the pics without as much commentary, lo siento.
This precious boy is 3 month old Mayor. He's already grown so much since we shot his newborns a few months back! We were snowed in, but able to get some great light on his sweet expressions. Enjoy!

Snowed In

2011-02-02T16:58:00.004-06:00

I don't know where your reading this at, but I think most of the country is dealing with snow and cold. We are on day 2 of being snowed it, and have really enjoyed the days at home. Ray battled the cold to scrape the driveway (we have snow shovels this year thanks to the Christmas storm of '99). I hope wherever you are that you're safe and warm!

Honey watching Ray from the warm indoors

and sun bathing in the light on a cozy rug.. yep, she's enjoying being snowed in :c)

Vintage Guthrie Wedding

2011-01-28T13:20:00.002-06:00

In a few hours, on this beautiful January day, I will be heading out to second shoot a wedding with my good friend Cheryl! I enjoy getting these opportunities to see her and shoot some beautiful weddings :c) I realized I had never shared my last wedding we shot together in December. It was such a beautiful, classy wedding held at the Sand Plum in Guthrie (the same place my sister will be getting married at, only in a different room!). Without further ado..

The stunning dress fit in well with the location

Loved this beautiful birdcage veil.

The bride got all of her bridesmaids custom antique jewelry

And her own was absolutely stunning

The groom was busy preparing himself

Getting every piece in place

and looking mighty dashing himself.

You can tell the bride thought so...

The details were beautiful

and the ceremony sweet

but their love for each other was unmistakable!

Sweet embrace

I just love this image!

A little dip fun

All of the sudden the December sky turned purple, which made the perfect backdrop for this beautiful cake!

And check out this cool cup that they both can drink out of!

Love their tenderness towards each other..

The bride really pulled off the antique look, changing into this stunning dress for the exit!

and exiting in this pimp car!

Excited for some more shooting tonight! I hope you guys enjoy this beautiful Friday!

Coles Famliy Pics

2011-01-26T11:11:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday I was blessed to shoot my first family session of the year, the Coles. I work with Allison at Deaconess, you may remember me mentioning her on here for a prayer request. Last fall Allison's husband Sean was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer, shortly after his 30th birthday. He started his chemo as soon as they received the diagnosis and recently they did a PET scan to check the progress. It was not what they were hoping for. This Monday they started a new, pretty intense, chemo regimen. So we wanted to sneak in some family pictures before all this started. We were blessed to have such a beautiful day on Saturday to be shooting outside, and once we got away from the windy park, it really wasn't that cold by they lake. I hope that you enjoy the pictures of this precious family!

Sean and Allison are on a journey that they did not ask for, but now they are forced to deal with. Under these circumstances, some people will turn their anger on God, but it has been the most beautiful thing to watch as these two have grown even clsoer to God. Sean was baptized the day after this shoot, and I am tearing up right now thinking about it. As a nurse, honestly, I sometimes struggle with praying for healing. But for Sean, I am praying for a miraculous healing as a child of God. I believe in a big God, who can do big things, and that He is being glorified through this all. If you want to join me in this prayer, it is greatly appreciated. Thank you and thank God

Photo weekend

2011-01-23T21:29:00.003-06:00

Is it already Sunday?
I had the busiest photo weekend of the year (meaning, I actually picked up my camera ;c)
It started with a blog post that I finished, but didn't get posted because I had gotten kicked out of google (will repost later, just wanted to let you know that I did try).
Then I went to our photolife.tv's maternity session with our one and only Deshawna at the fabulous Limerick Studio. Deshawna was beautiful and patient, we had a wonderful turnout, and an absolute blast!
Saturday evening I shot a family session for a friend and God blessed us with some amazing January weather! You'll be seeing that soon too.
Then most of today I spent on a project for my sister (it's a secret..), but super exciting, so I'll share that when I can :c)

For now, here's a few unedited shots from our lifegroup shootout.

Beauty

I am so ready for Owen to be here!

Love her honest laughter here!

Behind the scenes..

Hidden in the depths of the P&S...

2011-01-11T12:27:00.004-06:00

When I bought my point-and-shoot camera, I though, 'I'm a photographer, I'm used to uploading photos, I'll keep this up good'.
Well, today I went to pull 2 pictures off of my camera from a night out with friends this weekend, I realized I had not connected my camera to the computer since this summer! Yeah, there's 'keeping it up good'! So here's a few pictures from the past half year that I wanted to share with you :c)

First, our night out with Matt and Juliana Friday night.

Ray and I on Friday

I remember planning to post these on here, but this is actually a picture from the wedding my friend Chainey and I shot in Mexico.

A beach shot

In our van transport, we enjoyed our driver!

Next up was the Tipton chruch picnic!

See the excitement?

Mom, Summer, and I

Gotta love the dime toss!

The next day we took a trip up in the hills of Blue Hills

Family and friends in the back of the truck

Headed up the hill

To enjoy the beauty God created in central Kansas (don't mind my confused face).

My sister, cousin and I had to sneak in a laughing picture

Beautiful sisters!

Weird friends

Gorgeous group members

Fabulous friends

and an amazing husband :c)

Oh no he didn't..

2011-01-04T22:55:00.002-06:00

Ray: "You know what you haven't done in a while... blog."
Me: "I know, I know, I've been trying to get to it."
Ray: "Looks like I'm going to have to find other blogs to look at."

Oh no he didn't just go there! Doesn't he realized that I cleaned, laundried, cooked, hosted, and emailed before I would let myself blog! Well know that all the above is done (or partly done), here's a snapshot of Niko I took at our pl.tv party. Isn't he beautiful?

As for me, I safely survived my first snowboarding trip this past weekend as I visited my fabulous family in Albuquerque. I didn't take a camera (I lost my point and shoot camera on the mountain last time), but we had a blast, and my body has recovered from the soreness! Now, it's bed time.
Happy 2011!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T20:52:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving is just the start.
Give thanks to the Lord our Savior for giving His life for us.
Enjoy the time with loved ones, for you will never get the time back.
Appreciate the gifts that God gives us daily.
And love, as He loves us.