Christmas 2010

First I guess I need to step back and explain Jack's new do! You probably noticed in the last post that his hair is a little shorter than usual and I can assure you it was NOT something that was done on purpose. His hair was getting kinda shaggy so I stopped in for a quick "trim" at Sports Clips in Marion. To make a long story short, that "trim" turned into a hacking and I left $14 poorer, with my son's hair all whacked off and I was almost in tears. To make matters worse, whenever I got home Bronson (who wouldn't notice if I dyed my hair black) said as soon as we walked in the door "what happened to Jack's hair!". Ughhhhh.....it was a very traumatic experience for me, although I think Jack could have cared less. And I'm not kidding, the entire next day all I needed to do was think about Jack's hair and I would start to cry. So, it's taken a little while, but I can finally say, I'm over it. I truly LOVE Jack's hair (after a trip to my stylist to fix it) and maybe it was meant to be. I mean I never would have consented to the "chopping" and he hasn't been called a girl as much either. I say "as much" because we still get it from time to time. So that is the hair story....moving on.....


Christmas was very busy for us this year, as always, but it was a great one! Jack was so much fun this year and Bronson and I had a blast shopping for him. To sum up everything he got, if it's a train, truck, plane, construction implement, has to do with The Cat or SuperWhy he got it!!


I didn't get as many pictures as I usually do because I wanted to truly enjoy the day with my family. It's very difficult to do that AND be behind the camera. But here are a few shots from the day. We started Christmas morning at our house, then went to Nanny and Poppy's, and then came back to our house to celebrate with my parents, Brons' dad and Suz, my g'ma and Brons' g'pa. And yes....I managed to cook a full dinner complete with a delicious ham!!































And I will save you from the camera speak and just tell you I got a sweet new camera and a couple new lenses thanks to my boys and family!!!

Jack in the Snow

I'm working on a Christmas post, but here is a few pictures of my little buddy in the snow to tide you over....

The Chaudhari Family

Several weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting the Chaudhari family! They were so so kind to me and I truly enjoyed spending my Saturday morning with them! Here are a few of my favorite shots from the morning.....

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by Jenna at A Little Blue, so here goes nothing.......


1. four shows that you watch:
(1) The Office
(2) Castle
(3) How I Met Your Mother
(4) The Cat in the Hat Know A Lot About That & Super Why (although not always by choice:)


2. four things you are passionate about:
(1) my family, with a little blonde-haired boy in particular
(2) photography
(3) music
(4) history


3. four phrases you say a lot:
(1) holy moly
(2) Are you serious?
(3) sweet! (ya, I know that's soooo 2004!)
(4) that's awesome!


4. four things you've learned from the past:
(1) everything happen's for a reason (I have to agree with Jenna on that one!)
(2) family is the most important and precious thing we have and it can all be taken away in an instant
(3) karma is a very powerful thing
(4) don't wish time away because someday you'll want it back


5. four places you would like to go:
(1) Germany....again! And then to Austria to see Finja!! :)
(2) South Africa
(3) Hawaii
(4) Australia/New Zealand


6. four things you did yesterday:
(1) wrapped Christmas presents
(2) made fudge!
(3) took Jack to get a haircut (more on this to follow....)
(4) ate pancakes for breakfast with my boys


7. four things you are looking forward to:
(1) Christmas
(2) our cruise with the Moseman's in January (again, more on this to follow....)
(3) our trip to Chincoteague in July
(4) warmer weather


8. four things you love about winter:
(1) SKI!!!
(2) holiday decorations
(3) hot chocolate
(4) my birthday



9. four bloggers who should share their list of fours:
(1) Tonya
(2) Mandy
(3) Melissa
(4) Beth

The Ragan Family

This is loooong overdue. I know I'm a little behind in my posting. But here are a few of my favorite pictures from a recent shoot I did of the Ragan Family. It was so refreshing to do a mother/daughter shoot, especially with these two beautiful ladies. Both Amy and Ginna are just dolls and I thank them for allowing me into their home! I tried really hard to leave it as I found it!!!! :) But seriously, could they get any more beautiful??!!......

The Cat in the Hat

Things have been crazy busy. I even had a "Tuesday Ten" planned that I didn't even get to. Maybe we'll have a "Thursday Ten" this week!! :)

Last week we went to Nanny's school to meet "The Cat" one of Jack's favorites and hear Lia Mira (From CILFM) read a book in Nanny's classroom. He watches "The Cat" every morning on PBS and we sing along to all the songs. I must admit, I'm a little into it too! But what did Jack say when he finally met "The Cat"??? He said "Where's your Thingamajigger"?. If you don't know, that what he rides around in. It was pretty cute!

We had a great time, but I unfortunately only got this one picture....

New Website is LIVE!

First, I need to take a moment to really brag on Danielle, The Design Girl! I'm telling you, she is not only an amazing graphic designer, but a mind reader as well! She always seems to put into design EXACTLY what I'm thinking! As I told her, "You have a customer for life!". She's not only good, but she's fast, reasonably priced and just as sweet as she can be! We realized that we both live in Illinois and I think if we lived closer than 6 hours from each other, we would probably hang out!


If you are not familiar with her work, click on Design Girl, and check out her site! She does fantastic work that includes blog makeovers, blog websites, logo design, business cards, stationery design and much more!


Ok, I could go on and on and on, but I think you get the idea! Danielle is my hero! :)


Below are my rotating banners for the new website. But just let me tell you how difficult it was to decide which pictures to use. Although it did narrow it down when we decided the best pictures were off center.



















Also, she included a blog button which you can access from the website if you're interested, like the one I have in the far right column at the bottom:





So please visit the new Katie Parrish Photography and let me know what you think!