Holiday planning

So as I sit waiting the eternity for my photos to download from card to hard drive, I thought I would catch up on my blog. I feel lots of excitement building in our family. At 13 weeks pregnant, I'm starting to show (um-uh, well, it's more like I'm starting to look pregnant and not just like I'm putting away too much ice cream...though I am actually doing both!). And I am so excited because I have a closet full of beautiful maternity clothes. So many actually, I may get to wear something new everyday from now until May 1! And luckily, I have lots that will be for warm weather so I'll have an excuse to keep wearing the maternity clothes after the baby is born. And the excuse will be I have to get a few wears of this cute summer maternity outfit in instead of, "I'm still way bigger than my regular clothes." A fact I have already accepted, but doesn't the cute clothes bit sound way better!??

The other excitement is that we are entering into the Holiday and Birthday quarter of the year. We have Halloween coming up...the girls are going to be cow girls...with matching outfits. OMG! They are soooo cute (special props to my friend Lisa who made the costumes, because while I am many things, a great seamstress is not one of them!)!

Then we will celebrate Savannah's 6th birthday!! We were party planning fools this weekend. She's having a harvest party and it is going to be so much fun.
Next is Thanksgiving and my wedding anniversary...on the same day!!!!!!!!! I haven't even begun to think about how to work that out. We're thinking of traveling to Mississippi to visit my family for Thanksgiving, but the thought of 20 hours in the van over the span of 4 days just may be too much.

Of course, next will be Christmas and we're planning a trip to sunny Florida!! Everyday my kids and I plan, let's get ready for the beach! And we talk about all the fun we're going to have there and all the things we need to pack. Hopefully, this game doesn't get boring over the next 2 months!

Then New Years and Sacred's birthday, which I'll start thinking about a little later. My brain can only take so much right now!

In between all our planning and partying, I will be taking clients for Holiday Sessions! It's not only our holiday season I realize!!! So I will be offering a really great holiday package for those who wish to have their portraits for gifts or for holiday cards. We can customize your session to include the whole family, the kids, the pets, whatever and whoever you wish to send greetings to your family and friends. And I personally think the perfect gift is a beautiful portrait!! Something that is a keepsake not a space taker or something someone already has or can't use! I admit, I may be biased, but really, you know I'm right!

So contact me today to book your holiday session...to guarantee prints in time for shipping, please schedule early! You can complete the contact form on my web site, www.sonyastone.com,
to secure your session.

List Of The Day: Great Olan Mills photos

I found this by chance today and wanted to share. It was my laugh for the day. Wow, we've come a long way baby!! I have my own collection of ridiculous studio portraits from my childhood. I'll see what I can stir up and post for your continued amusement.
Until then, enjoy...

List Of The Day: Great Olan Mills photos

baby Canyon

I love babies (yeah, no kidding, really, 3 children starts to teeter on the edge of insanity in most people's books). But how can you not...I mean look at this face! And I was not lying about the eyes, right?

And at 5 months, I'm pretty sure this is the last time we'll be able to fit this little guy into the tea cup!

covering the bases

Ok, I realize that Oct. is 3/4 over and this is only my 4th post. I am lost in the world of a thousand photos! Really, maybe 2 thousand! But I have to tell you, I have some from a shoot this week of a baby with possibly the most beautiful eyes on the planet. I AM NOT kidding! So stay tuned for a post in the next day or two to get a glimpse and you can cast your vote.

Meanwhile, I am hanging out at Growing Young Cafe while my kiddlets have a Spanish playgroup. Those of you who know me are probably saying, "what? I thought the kids are taking German classes!" Yes, they are. How many language classes are too many? I don't know. I just know that I'm going to need a translator when we are traveling the world and my kids brains are much more pliable than mine...especially since contracting pregnancy brain.

And for those of you who have not had children, pregnancy brain strikes early and viciously draining you of most short term memory, of your ability to rationally balance emotional impulses, and in my case, of taking in any new information.

The good news, is I have not forgotten how to take photos or write so as long as I can remember to #1 take the photos, #2 download and edit the photos, & #3 post them to my blog...you should get to see some soon. Oh, and as long as I don't have an emotional breakdown some where along the way!

The apples are in!

Apples, Apples, Apples! Autumn is in full swing and so are the WNC apple orchards. We recently visited Sky Top Orchard in Flat Rock. We took both the pre-K and Kindergarten classes from our learning co-op, Grow with Me. What fun! It was super foggy, which was a different experience than the typical beautiful mountain views at Sky Top, but it created a really neat atmosphere. Here are some friends on the ride around the orchard.

getting down to business...picking apples!

Visiting with the animals...and the highlight of the trip, wagon rides down the hill! I am pretty sure that the sign specifically says this is a "no, no." But what can I say, my hubby was leading the pack.

flowers wild

There is such a sweet innocence about milling about picking wildflowers. I think my girls could do it all day long. It seems like I am always trying to hold on to summer just a little longer. It is definitely my favorite season. So we are out, admiring (& usually, picking) every last wildflower before they die off.

summer's gone

I wanted to share one of our last summer "hoorahs"... an expedition to Turtleback Falls. What we thought would be a short ride to the other side of Brevard turned into a very long drive, but a beautiful scene. We read it was the "other" Sliding Rock, with a falls that you can actually slide down and into a pool that's 10ft deep. Well, I think we over estimated our bravery for such a ride down the falls because there was NO WAY any of us were sliding down this rock.




But we did have some fun just splashing in the river, just being careful not to get swept away by the current!