Genevieve - 6 days old

Well, here she is again...adorable Genevieve. As you can see, she couldn't hide her "smiles" even at six days old. These are a few of my favorites for mom to see.

Genevieve

This beautiful little girl was less than an hour old here. As you can see, she is very alert & calm for her first time in the big outside world. I couldn't decide which image I liked better, so you tell me...color or black/white?

My kids

Here are a few recent pics of my kids...they are growing up so fast. Kerissa is 3 1/2 and Eric is 11. My daughter gave herself a haircut last summer, but thankfully, it's growing out a little. :-D

my tough girl - this is all her idea - hamming it up for the camera:

outAZAblue Market & Cafe

I had a wonderful dinner at a cafe last night, so I thought I'd share. We had dinner at outAZAblue (http://www.outazablue.com/) on Hwy 6, just 10 minutes west of Banks, OR, and just minutes from Forest Grove, OR, too!

Owner and Chef Gabriel Barber prepared a absolutely delicious dinner for the four of us and made sure to come out and chat with us while we were there. Sierra was fast and friendly as our server. I had the Grilled Rib Eye. It was moist, seasoned to perfection and served with seasonal veggies that were fresh and very tasty. Our friends who introduced us to outAZAblue said that they have been there many times and it is always wonderful. Maybe that's because Chef Gabriel retired from the 5 star Ritz-Carlton Hotel as Executive Chef right before he purchased this restaurant. The warmth and genuine friendliness of Chef Gabriel and his staff just added to the ambience.

If you're looking for great food and hospitality, go visit outAZAblue! You won't be disappointed.

For directions or a menu, visit their website at http://www.outazablue.com/.

Lyda Family

This was one of my favorite shoots of this fall. The weather was threatening, but ended up being perfect. The colors were brilliant and the humor was in full swing. I've been friends with these guys for awhile now, so that just added to the laughs and made it even more enjoyable. We had a lot of fun and ended up with a great group of images that made a really cool coffee table book for them. Here are some of the favorites. It was hard to whittle it down to only ten. :-)

Whitney

Here are a few from Whitney's session. She will graduate from Banks High School in 2009 where she is training with the Banks Fire Department. I have loved horses since I was a little girl, so it was fun to incorporate that into this session, too.

Tim

Tim's session was my first one where the rain came down for most of it. I love all the different types of shots we had. From his pulling trophies he won at the Banks BBQ Truck & Tractor Pull, to quads, guns, chainsaws and dogs, we had quite the variety. Tim will graduate from Banks High School in 2009 where he is involved with FFA. He will be joining the army after graduation. Thank you for your service, Tim.

Ryan

I've known Ryan for over a year and I was looking forward to this session. Despite the fact that what he really wanted to be doing was riding quads, Ryan patiently followed all my directions and we came out with some great images. Mom did a perfect job as my assistant for the day, too. :-)Ryan will graduate from Banks High School in 2009 where he plays baseball and plays drums in the band.

Sisters

These adorable sisters were fun to work with. From playing peek-a-boo to giggling at silly faces, they did all the cute stuff they needed to in order for mom and dad to have some great memories. I've known them for a little over a year, so it was really fun. Here are a few favs.

Madison

This was a very hot day! Luckily, we were able to shoot in a wooded area for the first half of the session. Madison was a good sport and did very well. She will graduate from Banks High School in 2009. We were able to get some great shots! Here are a few of my favorites.

Lexi

Lexi's session was another fun one. We kept finding cool little spots around their property to get great shots. She will graduate from Banks High School in 2009 where she is active on dance team and yearbook. I truly enjoyed working with her.

My beautiful nieces

I get to take pictures of these girls regularly, but I never get tired of it. It always involves lots of laughing and goofing around. Pretty soon, they'll have another baby sister to add to the mix. I can't wait!

Kevin

Kevin will graduate from Forest Grove High School in 2009. He is in band, plays guitar and follows directions well. (He laughed at all my dumb jokes after I told him he had to.) lol

Here are a few of my favorites.

Johanna

Well, Johanna's session had it all. Girls, trucks, pigs, goats and giggles. She is a part of FFA, enjoys painting and will graduate from Banks High School this spring. We did this session at her place on a hot day in August. Her two sisters were my assistants for the day and her mom kept the cool drinks handy. I have rarely felt so comfortable and welcomed so quickly into a home. I was impressed by the love this family has for each other and the sense of humor that is a core part of them. I'm looking forward to seeing what Johanna has in store for her future!

Hattie

Well, this shoot was definitely an adventure! We had some good laughs and some memorable moments! Hattie is on the dance team at Forest Grove High School and will graduate there in the spring. She has a quick smile and a great attitude. Great session, Hattie!

Cousins

Here are some family shots from a group of kids whose grandma hired me to get a group picture of her grandkids. Great set of personalities here! It was a fun shoot and I believe it was the first time I worked with construction equipment. :-)

Baby C

This little man was over 11 lbs when he was born! We took these images when he was 7 days old. Isn't he kissable?!

Anna

I've known Anna for almost five years now, and have had the privilege of "shooting" her twice now. She was such a trooper during this shoot. It was super cold and windy at times that day, but she stuck it out and we were able to get some wonderful images! Anna will graduate from Forest Grove High School this spring. She was a homecoming princess this year and is on the volleyball team. She truly is beautiful inside and out. I know she has great things in store for her!

Andrea

Andrea will graduate from Forest Grove High School this year. She plays the clarinet and the sax and loves hunting. She was a great subject and made my job easy. We caught a few pics with her mom at the end of the shoot that were a lot of fun, too. Here are a few favs.