happy face. :)

every time I look at this picture I can't help but smile a little... :)

[prelude]: cottle|derenge wedding

strength.

this family?
this family loves deeply, laughs easily,
and has an inner strength that I've come to admire very much.
not only do they have two beautiful, busy little girls...but they have a son as well...
a beautiful son who happens to have CMV.
what's CMV?  she explains it on her blog:
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Seth was officially diagnosed with congenital human cytomegalovirus. Congenital means "born with". cCMV. Our son had contracted a virus while still in the safety of the womb, a virus that had ravaged his small body...and we never even had a clue.

The list of "abnormal" was long. Seth had breathing issues, low platelets, enlarged liver & spleen, severe kidney reflux, two holes in his heart & extensive brain calcifications, as well as a small cerebrum & cerebellum and underdeveloped optic nerve in his left eye. His prognosis was mixed. One doctor said he may have some learning disabilities, one said he would never be anything close to "normal". He spent 11 days in the NICU and then we took him home....to a world of fear, anxiety, guilt, sadness, wonder. Google became our best friend as well as our biggest enemy. We couldnt understand it - here was this horrible virus that can wreak so much havoc on an unborn baby, and we had never even heard of it!? And what would this mean for our precious boy, what would his future hold? We wanted to believe cCMV would not define our son, that cCMV would not define his life. We still believe that.

Today, Seth is a joy. Each day is a gift, and we are so thankful for his presence in our lives. It's been a hard 20 months, and it has flown by. Seth has had multiple surgeries - two for the kidney reflux as well as placement of ear tubes. He has had a total of 11 urinary tract infections. He has been diagnosed with mixed cerebral palsy, optic nerve hypoplasia and cortical vision impairment. He is legally blind.
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as always it's a pleasure getting to photograph these beautiful people
and to get to spend time with their beautiful kids!

also, if you'd like to help, check out melissa's blog for the best way to contribute!

yellow.

fitting song for this weeks challenge over at I Heart Faces, no?  :)

look at the stars,
          look how they shine for you, and everything you do,
                     yeah, they were all yellow.
                                  it's true, look how they shine for you,
and all the things that you do.

 

face lift! :)

part one of kreatid photography & designs face lift has commenced! :)
my new updated website is up and I would love for you to check it out!

kreatid photography & design

fireflies.

this post if mostly for me...I want to remember and not forget.

maddie rubbing my arm gently until I woke up because she was SO excited for mother's day.
breakfast (fruity cherrios, orange juice and a diet coke) in bed.
snuggle time watching dvr'd extreme home makeover...one of our favorites.
presents...

and one of my greatest treasures to date...a poem by my nine year old son...

my mother.
if she were an animal she would be a bear, because she hugs like one.
if she were a plant she would be a rose, because she is beautiful.
if she were a season she would be fall, because she is like a bright leaf.
if she were a time of day she would be sunset, because she is beautiful as a sunset.
if she were a word she would be awesome because she IS awesome.
if she were a musicle (musical) instrument she would be a piano because she sounds so sweet.
if she were an object she would be a heart because she loves me.
if she were a song she would be "fireflies" because she sparkles like a firefly.
if she were an emotion she would be happy because she is happy a lot.
love, micah.

they are the loves of my life...my treasures. :)

[prelude]: marinello's

I very much admire these two people.
if you can, you need to be at coldstone this wednesday...25% of the proceeds are going to their son.
you can learn more about their journey here...

all american.

he's just plain cool.
seriously.
smart, athletic, funny, loves Jesus, loves his family AND handsome?
yup.  yup. :)
and he's gonna kill me for saying this but when I coached him to "just look at me, no expression..."
it looks just like the smolder from tangled....it's a good thing kyle, I promise. :)

all american, straight up cool guy... :)

told you. :)

my favorite from the day...I just love his expression... :)

beautiful details :)

I'm super excited and proud of my sister of elizabeth ann photography who was
featured on the maternal lens today!

she's amazing at photographing soft emotion and capturing the beautiful details she staged for this
amazing vintage engagement session...details like:
flower filled mason jars, vintage cameras, love bunting, vintage postcards,
a bird cage veil and even champagne!
she asked me if I wouldn't mind designing the label for her champagne bottle and I happily obliged!

I simply LOVE how her gorgeous vintage e-session turned out!
check out here to see more of her session on her blog here or on the maternal lens here! :)

clarity...

it's may.
I can feel it.
there are only a few who understand what that really feels like.

you see, may is uphill for me...uphill with an incredible reward that comes the second week of june.
until that reward is here, I have to cling to this verse...I seemed to forget it the last two days...

"do. not. grow weary in doing good.  because at the right time, you WILL enjoy the harvest."

He reminded me of that today... :)

but.  a happy, big BUT...
we got to escape this last weekend.
a weekend full of laughing, talking, new sites, new food and most importantly...
moments of clarity and rest.

and now, after a seriously long day...I'm going to choose to not be mentally weary,
and remember my presents of clarity and rest.
and let the rest just go... :)