Personal

 by Terri

Happy Father’s Day | {to ALL the dads}

Father’s Day…according to Wikipedia it is “is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society.”  On this day, we make the time to let our dads know just how much they mean to us…not that they don’t know that, or at least they should, but it’s a day that we make extra effort to let them know just how special they are to us and how much we love and appreciate them. Dads can be birth dads, step dads, or just a male figure that has had a great influence in our lives…it might be a grandfather or an uncle, or just a friend, but it’s someone who has impacted our lives and made a difference. Many have had to say goodbye to their dads…and sadly can’t tell them how much they love them on this special day, but remembering the great times, the love and difference they made in your life is a tribute to them.  My dad passed away over four years ago…and still to this day, I miss him every day, there are things I want to tell him, share with him, photos to show him or just to tell him I love him. I’d love to hear him tell some of his great jokes or sit down and just visit over a good Manhattan or margarita with him. He was awesome, he loved his kids unconditionally, was encouraging and supportive…and trusted us to know we would make the right decisions…he’d given us the tools to do that, along with our mom…and for that, I’m eternally thankful! I know that I’m not the only one missing my dad more than usual on this day, but oh, what I’d give to just be able to tell him one more time how much I love him and thank him for EVERYTHING!! My amazing husband has been a wonderful dad to our two children…and is there to support and encourage them along the way…to listen, give advice, lend a helping hand if needed and to let them know they are loved…what more can you ask for in a father…I know that I’m so lucky to have him in my life and to have shared together in raising our two great children!!

With my job, I have the pleasure of meeting some GREAT families and I especially enjoy watching parents interact with their children…and seeing the young families starting out is such a joy! It’s fun to see just how much more involved dads are with their little ones today…and it’s an AWESOME thing to watch! This past spring our daughter and her husband because first time parents and it’s an incredible thing to watch the love that grows by leaps and bounds each day between a new parent and their baby..and it is about the most amazing thing ever. The gift of a child and the gift of the love for that child…truly priceless and irreplaceable!  Our son has been a dad for 6 1/2 years and I never tire of watching he and his daughter together…the love between them is so strong and it warms my heart when I see them cuddle or say they love one another…

So, in honor of ALL the amazing dads out there, I’d like to say HAPPY FATHER’S DAY and thank you to each and everyone one of you…for being great role models and loving your child and your family…it really is the best gift you can give them!

Here are some photos of my family…and some of the great families I’ve had the pleasure to photograph so far this year!

My dad, mom, myself and my brother, nearly 5 years ago at my daughter’s wedding…what a wonderful day!!

Our son, daughter, granddaughter, myself and my INCREDIBLE husband!!

My sister in-law, father in-law, mother in-law and my husband…his great family!!

Our granddaughter and her dad, our son…so cute together!!

Our daughter, her husband and their new daughter…who’s cuter than cute!!

The Jacobson Family…dad, Jason, mom, Katie, and children Indy and Joe, such a sweet family!

I love this photos of Ed and his son, Max…sorry for not including mom and daughter in this, but to me, this is such a GREAT father/son photo, I had to use this one…aren’t they both so handsome!!

Marzano Family…brand new parents, Jerad and LeeAnn, with their handsome new son, Carson!

Another set of new parents…Thomas and Magi welcomed Ryder into their family…he’s a sweetie!!

This couple, Brandon and Varvara are wonderful parents to their beautiful daughter, Piper!

More new parents…Eric and Jennifer, with their adorable son, Landon. I’d also like to thank Eric for serving our country…another job that is just as important and for he and all the others, I’m forever grateful for their sacrifice…and for their families for their sacrifice…you all ROCK!!

This wonderful family, Michael and Allison are going to welcome a new addition to join big sister, Abigail, this summer…they are a special family that we love dearly…our “adopted family” from Tennessee…love you guys!

And last, but certainly not least…the Leible family…Rick, Jessica and Brylee who are awaiting a new little girl in the next month…such a delightful family!!!!

in Children / Families / Love / Personal 0 comments
 by Terri

Baby Shower…with Emma | {Blessed and Precious}

Here I go again…another very personal post…and since it’s Mother’s Day…I figure that I have the right to share with you a LOT of photos from a very special day in our family’s life! Last Saturday we finally had the baby shower for our daughter…which had been postponed as it was scheduled for just two days after she delivered her daughter, 5 weeks early! Of course, no one expects a baby to arrive early and this little gift was no different…family and friends were surprised and concerned, worried and hopeful about Jessalyn who was soon to bring her daughter, Emma, into the world, not as planned, but it was going to happen and there wasn’t anything that could be done, but to hope and pray that all would be fine! And, it is…Emma was in the hospital for three weeks before coming home with her parents, Jessalyn and Sean,  and now she’s six weeks old and doing wonderfully! Both of our families are so thankful that all is well and this shower was a great opportunity to celebrate this beautiful little girl!! Family and friends gathered and we welcomed Emma’s attendance, which wouldn’t have been the case if she’d been born on schedule. Naturally, everyone was excited to see/meet Emma and get a chance to hold this sweet little girl.  We enjoyed some wonderful snacks, DELICIOUS cupcakes by Angel Cakes, we made some adorable headbands, hats and hair clips to adorn Emma’s tiny head, played a few games and shared in the excitement of the thoughtful, useful and cute gifts she received. Thanks to the incredible friends, Danielle, Jenny and Allison who helped with all the details, this shower was a huge success…it wasn’t quite as we had originally planned, but it was perfect in the end!! Thank you to ALL who shared in our celebration…we are so blessed with wonderful people in our lives to share such a joyous time!

Mother’s Day…a day when we recognize those someone who has been probably one of the most influential people in our lives…someone who has loved us unconditionally and stood by us, through thick and thin, picked us up when we’ve been at our lowest and lifted us up without batting an eye…I can’t imagine life without my mom…she’s has been an AMAZING role model for me…she’s strong, confident, hard working, loving, caring, thoughtful and oh, so much more…I could go on and on…and I don’t think I could ever thank her enough for all she has given me in my years…which have helped to create the person I am and the mother I am to my son and daughter. As I think about my daughter, my baby…now being a mother herself, it brings tears to my eyes, I’m so happy for her and her husband, they are and will be INCREDIBLE parents…they are so blessed and I’m so happy for for them…it’s an amazing thing to see life continue, families continue to grow – and to know that our sweet granddaughter, Emma, has a very special life ahead of her…with a mother and father that love her unconditionally and that whatever she wants in life…she can achieve…you go Emma…and to our beautiful daughter, Happy Mother’s Day, Jess…LOVE you!!!!

in Babies & Bellies / Families / Just Because / Love / Personal 0 comments
 by Terri

Baby Emma…So Precious | {Beautiful Baby}

Finally, a chance to share some photos that are very special and precious to me…as well as my family. I’d like to introduce you to my new granddaughter, Emma Lynn! She is SO loved and adored by all of us, but most especially her parents, Sean and Jessalyn, who have waited and planned for this bundle of joy who has blessed their lives from the moment she was thought of! I must share a little bit with you…my daughter is a teacher and wanted to “time” Emma’s arrival perfectly to work with school schedules…and I must say, they did a great job of that…she was scheduled to arrive on May 3rd (yes, tomorrow!!) and everything was planned and scheduled around her arrival date. A couple months ago, this little one was breech and despite all plans to get her to turn, she just wasn’t going to do it, so it was looking as though a c-section was in the future, so although not quite what was planned, at least it could be “planned!”  Then, one afternoon late in March I received a phone call from my daughter…”change of plans, Emma is coming TODAY!” Now she wasn’t too calm at that point, it’s not what she had expected, at all, nor what she wanted, it was 5 weeks early. Little stinker, this baby had plans of her own, and was teaching her parents and early lesson, that with babies, and then children, plans don’t always work the way we want them to! So, family and friends gathered at the hospital…an impromptu “maternity session” was held in the waiting room of the maternity ward at Good Samaritan (maternity photos were schedule for the next Monday!!)….and we all waited and waited and waited some more! Then, at 8:32 pm on March 29th, our precious bundle of joy arrived…weighing 5 lbs. 5 ounces. Not bad for being 5 weeks early, but still pretty small. She was doing good, as was mom. We all had a quick look at our newest family member and were all thankful she was here and healthy.  As you probably can imagine, babies that early don’t go home right away…and this little one was no exception…she ended up being transferred to Tacoma General’s NICU about 1 1/2 days after she was born and was in there for 5 days before being transferred to the Intermediate Care Nursery, where she was until she was just over 3 weeks old. For mom and dad, several trips a day were made to the hospital, and as tough as it was, leaving her there each night, they knew that was where she had to be…she just needed time to get a bit stronger, develop her lungs a bit more and learn to regulate her body temperature on her own. When the day came…ahhh, the smiles on their faces…truly priceless and to see them ALL walking into their home, a blessing for each of them, finally HOME together, a family, the family they’ve always dreamed of!

As you can imagine, I was anxious to photograph my newest granddaughter, and although she was 4 weeks old when we finally got to do this, it was SUCH a joy, it warmed my heart more than I can tell you…to see my daughter and her amazing husband, together with their child, their baby, who they loved more than anything….it was the BEST sight I could have imagine. So, without further ado…here is Emma Lynn, just 6 pounds, but doing great…and her parents…LOTS of photos for you to enjoy!!

A little bit of information on this photo…this cradle was Emma’s mom, when she was a toddler, it was given to her at the age of two, never could I have imagined that someday, her baby would be photographed in it…

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this photo…you can see the joy and happiness these two have, now that their daughter is here…

Yes, there were plenty of photos, but given that this little one is pretty darn special to me, I figured I could share as many as I wanted…and each and every photo brings a smile to my face and tears to my eyes…we are all truly blessed and thankful for this BEAUTIFUL baby who is now a part of our lives!

in Babies & Bellies / Families / Love / Personal 12 comments