It's been awhile...

Hello.  I'm still alive.  Suprise! ;)  

I have been waiting for the perfect time to be able to collect my thoughts, organize and write them down...

...well, it seems there will never be the "perfect time" to sit down, reflect and write out my thoughts here.  Truth is...time must be made.  That is what I hope to do more here in the future.  I think it actually might be therapeutic. 

To catch up, here is what my life has consisted of the past year... almost 2 years...in bullet form for ease:

* transitioned and finally planted in a wonderful church family

*homeschool...goin' sometimes not steady, but strong

*accepted the honor of becoming Kingdom Life Fellowship's

Director of Worship Culture

*Dave accepted the honor of being KLF's youth pastor

*closed my photography business for a season

*opened photography business on a MUCH smaller scale

*gained weight

*recently lost 25 lbs

*started running again (training for my first 5K)

*started kettlebell workouts

*trying to do fun improvements to the house

*completed Dave Ramsey's FPU

*ate fried pickles for the first time...and LIKED it

Lots of life has been happening at the Brown home...some overwhelming...some fun...all of it welcomed.  We are growing more than ever where we are now and are so thankful for this season God has us in.  I don't know if anyone actually reads this thing, but I am sorry for being absent for so long.  I hope to keep going...I think it will be good.  

As I type, I hear the laughter of my boys playing with the water hose in the back yard.  I am trying to start letting go of my compulsive tendencies to keep everything "perfect" and let them be boys.  Let go of the reigns and start letting them make choices...make mistakes...and learn from them.  Little stuff now, nothing crazy...but Lord help me...

...I'm sure a mud pit will develop shortly...

Love to you all, and believing that you are finding rest in HIM...

XoXo

{aDaMs FaMiLy}

You will probably remember Jolena from an earlier post. I had taken her out for some pics because what mom EVER gets some fun profile pictures of herself...anyhoo, before I left Montana I was able to spend about an hour with the whole fam...capturing their huge hearts for each other...

This family is one that inspires me. They are full of adventure and the love that explodes from each one of them is simply wonderful! The kids are pure, sweet and silly.

Heath and Jolena are still madly in love with each other. I love how their munchkins are confident and there's a feeling of safety as mommy and daddy are completely in their "love bubble." So awesome!

I could go on and on about how much I absolutely heart this family...since a "picture says a thousand words," I'll just let the images do the talking :)

Lovin' on "Sissy"

I just couldn't resist posting this image...

...because it makes this next image that much better :)

...wonder where they get that silly streak from???...

The Love Bubble

LOVE YOU ADAMS FAMILY!!!

bArKeRs {three's a charm}

Once upon a time...when I was a pharmacy technician makin' IV's at Benefis Hospital, I met Kristal...a pharmacist who was super patient with me as I was new to the whole IV compound thing...anyway, I thought she was pretty cool!

She contacted me right before I left MT to see if I would take her families pictures and I was honored to oblige :) I don't wanna leave anyone out from my Montana "chapter of my life" so had to post these fun pictures from their session :)

This makes me laugh!

Mommy and Daddy time...

{sMiTten...}

...by these two...

They are twins and they are SO much fun!!! Each with their VERY different and unique personalities. It was so cool talkin' with Mamma about this huge difference before meeting them, and then really experiencing what she was talking about.

May Claire: reserved yet a risktaker

Emma: cautious yet comfortable

This was my last session I did in Great Falls....and I am truly thankful that I got to play with these sweet girls before I left. They are at such a fun stage! And they aren't like alot of 7 year olds I see...they truly have kept their innocence...THAT is what I love!!!!

And that is what I wanted to capture...their purity and their playful spirit :) Before their session, I had a dream...Yea I know it's weird, but I dream shots... Anyhoo, I saw them painting each other's faces...so I mentioned it to Mamma and she loved the idea! How many photo sessions do kids get to do that?!?!? So, at the end of our session I broke out the paints and let them go at it...after they were done, they wanted to paint my face too!

I quickly accepted the invitation and went back in time:

the fair

the face painting booth

the coolness of the paint

the tickling of the paintbrush

These girls gave me not only a fantastic evening, but the opportunity to be a kid...again...

The light was so pretty here :)

Mamma said I could easily cast in the movie "Brave Heart" with the twins' awesome makeup artistry :)

Dustin&Suzie {plus sweet munchkins}

When Suzie called me up for some pictures, I new right then, what a sweet hearted person I had encountered! They all were so amazing to put up with the windy weather too. This is the same session that we took the crazy cape pictures...I was relieved that Suzie said Dave and I were quite entertaining to watch. I'm so glad I can have fun with what I do!

Oh my word...and the baby!!!! This baby was AMAZING! She was so patient with me as I bundled her up...It's babies like her that tempt me into having more kids ;)

This family pulled my heart strings in a big way and I'm so thankful they let me peek into their lives and capture their fabulousness. Thanks guys for the fun time and laughs!!!

Look at that sweet yawn...

Is it creepy that I want this picture on my wall???

I'm still sayin' it Suzie...you are fierce...in a hot way ;)

Ling-Stowers {fam}

Did anyone else drift away into a food coma yesterday?!?! I think I had turkey 'roids' on my brain too much yesterday because I was tired before I even ate one oz. of the injected poultry. Weird...

Anyhoo, last year I had the opportunity to donate to a couple of auction fundraisers and for one of the auctions, this sweet family outbid the rest! They wanted to stay on their property for this session which was SO much fun because they had miniature donkeys, guinea hens, and turkeys that I could "talk" to. I know I'm weird. Be what it may, but I actually enjoy it when I can get a bird to gobble back at me...

...maybe I was subconsciencly trying to warn them of their popularity

associated with the upcoming holiday???

The afternoon light was beautiful!!! We romped around letting the kiddos play. Their dog was SO well behaved that I had to get a shot of him...I think I really confused him though because he kept looking back at his fam...like he was asking mom and dad permission...making sure it was ok to listen to this crazy woman ;)

Dave snagged this shot...

Warmth of the wheat + sweet innocent eyes = ali's heart strings tugged

Klaire {munchkin}

With all the seniors I have lately, I had the opportunity to play with this cutie-patootie for a session. I forgot about "that look." Do you know what I'm talking about? The look of a child gazing up at my camera...SO PRECIOUS!!! Children don't care if their hair is perfect or if they are too thick or thin. They just are...that's my favorite trait of a child. The pure innocence and trust. It's so much fun to let them play and at the right time, the moment is captured. Whether it's joyful, curious, or even pouty...I LOVE that kids are truly who they are in front of my camera. It's those real life moments, that when fossilized, we can revisit down the road and emotionally experience that time in our little one's life. There's no amount of "cheese" that would give the same effect...

I promise :)

The Youngs {family}

You probably remember my dear little Drew and his baby sister I had sessions with in the past.  Well I finally got to do a family session with the whole caboodle.  I always love hangin' out with my buddy Drew.  I'm so honored that these guys keep comin' back to me for their pictures...Drew is very comfortable in front of my camera now.  I love that he trusts me when I take his little hand and go to a cool spot to shoot.  He's got it down.  And his sister isn't far behind...she was quite content stuffing the wonderfully textured tutu in her mouth for exploration.  LOVE IT!  OK...so here they are...all of 'em...Ali Brown presents....the Young Family :)

The red chair returns...upon request :)

He's gettin' so big