Giving Back :: Pillows-of-Love 2010 Derby

A rather cold and blustery April Saturday could not stop kids and their parents from coming out to participate in the 2010 Pillows-of-Love Derby held at the Milton Hershey School gazebos a few weeks ago. The Pillows-of-Love ministry was started in 2004 by Kimberlee Jerrehian to provide beautiful pillowcases and Bibles to women and children who are displaced, in a recovery shelter, a pregnancy center, or an international orphanage.

Each pillowcase is handcrafted by a caring volunteer and embellished with the message of Psalm 4:8. A gift of The New Testament or a children's book about Jesus is included with each domestic pillowcase.

The derby is held each year to raise money for materials and distribution of pillowcases & Bibles. Children hop, skip, walk or run around the track and earn punches on their card. Donated prizes such as stuffed animals, gift cards and items from local businesses were given away throughout the event. Face painting, clowns, fun games and a quilt raffle were all part of the festivities.

More on the story behind the ministry can be found here: http://www.pillows-of-love.com
as well as images from previous years, and more images from the 2010 will be added soon.

Please note that all images here are copyright protected and may not be copied or downloaded without permission. You are welcome to bookmark this page, or email me for information on purchasing images. All proceeds from image purchases from this event are given to Pillows-of-Love ministry.

Bits of Life :: Sweet Miss Sunshine

Time sure does fly when you have kids. It's hard to believe that our sweet little girl is soon finished with elementary school and is literally (gulp) just a couple years away from becoming a teenager. She has been such a blessing to us. I love our boys dearly but there is just something special about girl time and having someone of the same gender to relate to. Our girl's weekends (just mom & daughter) are always exciting and fun times, and something we both look forward to each year. God has certainly blessed her with the gifts of empathy and compassion and it's neat to watch her grow and change and become her own person. She loves to help younger kids~ they take to her so quickly and she is a natural teacher.

Last fall, I let her pick out her own design for a fun skirt from etsy's Boutique Mia and she asked me to photograph her at Jim Shower's garden in Etown with all the spring blooms. In addition to having a green thumb, Jim is also a very talented artist, using texture and splashes of color~ there are some interesting architectural elements in the space. To say our daughter is an avid reader is an understatement, and these images reflect how her friends and family know and see her, and where she is happiest~ buried in a book!

We both loved the hanging blown glass creation~ very Medusa-like
and looks like something out of a Percy Jackson book!

















(Striped sweater from Matilda Jane's new Hammond Bay Collection)

Baby Portrait Session :: One-Year-Old Cutie

One of the great things about being a mom and a photographer, is that I can totally relate to moms when kids do the opposite of what she was hoping for, especially in the case of portraits. You'd never know it by these images, but this little cutie was not having the best day~ and she was letting us know (and I will definitely have to post some of those images at another time!) This was not expected from a baby who generally is happy and rarely fusses, so something was definitely up. Turns out later that evening she did have a slight fever, so I say blame it on the teeth~ right?

Our time together wasn't a complete loss, of course. She recently celebrated her first birthday and I was so impressed with her signing "more" for more snacks, more singing Elmo, etc. It was also cute to watch her handing any speck of dirt to Mom to take care of. Though we tried pulling out all the stops, she decided to be done, but that's okay, because I'm secretly rejoicing that I get to see her again sometime soon!

Circle of Life Photography :: Take a Spring Break!

Spring is in the Air: 
Time to refresh your look, your wardrobe 
and your home! 

You are cordially invited to join us for a Spring Renewal:

Refresh your skin, your closet and your home with products from 
Mary Kay Cosmetics, Matilda Jane Clothing, Gold Canyon Candles, 
and Circle of Life Photography.

Just stop in at The Playhouse Cafe (directions below) 

on Friday, April 16, 2010 between 10:00am~1:00pm

Enjoy some cookies and coffee, chat with friends
and fill out a Circle of Life Photography entry form~
One lucky person will receive a FREE 
Children's Portrait Session + $100 Gift Print credit!

The Playhouse Cafe is located at 1 Lemoyne Square, Lemoyne
It is a fun place for kids to play, while you cafe!

Not familiar with Matilda Jane Clothing? Eclectic patterns, fun combinations 

and endless mix&match possibilities. They even have adult pieces
from casual to funky~ all very fun!!  Local trunk keeper Cathy Yohe 
will have the Hammond Bay Collection available on Friday. 
Looking forward to seeing you there!

Baby Portrait Session :: Baby N's 1st Year (6 months)

This little sweetie is part of our Watch Me Grow! first year series...she has been growing like crazy since I last photographed her at three months~ and somehow, in just a few short months, she has gotten even cuter with those pig tails~ over-the-top cuteness! She loooooves her bunny and kept a close eye on me the whole time... and let me know when she was ready to move on! Her family recently moved to a new home about two weeks ago so they are just getting settled and we had lots of new spaces to explore and beautiful window light to work with on an otherwise gloomy, rainy day. Nothing like an adorable baby to make those rain clouds disappear!

The Watch Me Grow! series captures babies at newborn or three months, again when they are sitting up and a final session around their first birthday and includes an album. 

Baby Portrait Session :: Better late than never!

Last summer little B's mom scheduled with me to photograph him just after he was born in the fall, but as we all know the best laid plans are sometimes not of our own choosing. So here we are a few months later for a baby portrait session~ and this little cutie is just a joy and blessing to his mom, dad and big brother. His big smiles definitely came from his brother's silly antics, although really big bro only had to walk by to get the biggest, sweetest grins. I have know this little guy's mommy for a long time and she is a dear friend. It has been neat to see her transition from a single girl to a married woman with a great husband, to a wonderful mom of two boys. I love when God matches me up with just the right friends, near and far. I am so grateful to be a part of their lives and watch them and their families grow and change.

Newborn Portrait Session :: God Is Gracious

This little one is blessed to be born to Kristin and George, who are both doing an amazing job caring for their newborn. He is already filling out 0-3 month clothing, has beautiful skin and perfect wisps of dark hair. I was so lucky to be able to hang out with them for a few hours and hold him!

This adorable little guy also reminded me today just how hard motherhood can be. Not because he's an overly challenging baby~ he just does what all new babies do: eats a lot, poops a lot, needs held a lot and intermittently sleeps. New moms must gauge each action and consequence and are instantly transformed from a life of independence and freedom to one of being needed at any moment and required to learn a baby's language with no translator~ a tough adjustment.

Thankfully in most cases it does get easier, and because they change so quickly, capturing images of newborns is really the best way we can remember them at this stage, even a few weeks later. It took a few hours to get these images~ we had the room nice and warm (honestly the adults were melting!) and he still wanted to be wrapped up and held, so we adjusted the plan and went with what worked for him. Maybe I am a little biased, but I think he's just precious and perfect. And that's just how God sees each of us~ we may be a lot of work, but we are worth it to Him!