Have a safe and happy 4th of July!!!!

Thanks Mr. Lemmons for all that you do.

(and yes, this is him making dinner. He’s a better cook than I am.)

Here are just a few more of my favorites from Saturday. I’m sure I will be posting more later. This wedding was amazing!

He’s my one and only blood-related sibling. Though he’s only a year and a half older than me, as a kid he always seemed so much older.

I grew up tagging along behind him and trying to not be a “pesky little sister.” I’m sure he often grew tired of me. We had many adventures growing up out in the country. I have fond memories of making mud pies and bug collecting. Luckily for him I was never a girly girl and I would ride motorcycles with him or go hunting with him. Of course as I got older, I would try to drag him shopping with me but he was never interested. Now that I’m older and married I realize that most men aren’t interested in shopping. Go figure.

Having an older brother is the main reason I wanted to have more than one child. I learned how to share, how to get along, and even how to fight. I often laugh when my kids start bickering  in the back seat of the car. I have many memories of Nate and I pestering each other in the backseat. Being the more “mature one” I would often scream “MOM, Nate is hitting me!!!!!”

Nate, I love you more than you know and I’m so glad I’m your little sister.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday!

My bro:

Nate has a salt water tank and lately he’s taken up photography so he can get good images of his fish and his tank. I have to say that I’m completely impressed with his photos. I’m so proud of my brother the photographer!!!

I want to give a special thanks to my awesome hubby for not only watching the kids while I worked all weekend, but for telling me to photograph this shot from this angle.  I personally think he’d make an amazing photographer. Unfortunately for me, he’s not interested.

Congrats Gina and Tyler. I will be posting more really soon!

I’ve never actually used film professionally. Yes, I’m a digital girl. In the last seven years that I’ve been into photography, all I’ve ever shot with is digital cameras.

Lately I’ve been playing around with different photo effects to get that old school “film” look. It’s been a lot of fun playing around in photoshop to try and get the desired effect that I want. I get tired of the same ol’ processing that I do, so it’s nice to change it up every once in awhile.

This beautiful couple was from my May 16th wedding in Astoria. I think this effect fits these images perfectly. What do you think? Any and all feedback is totally welcomed!!!

This whole change has been in the works for quite some time. I needed a fresh look and something that reflected my style a bit better.

I’m still playing around with background papers and slideshow images. Don’t worry though, I’ll get it figured out!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Thanks so much for having me photograph your big day. I hope you enjoy your preview!!

how girls get ready…

how guys get ready…

I can’t even begin to tell you how much fun I had with these folks. As my regular blog readers know, I don’t like traditional group photos. I’m always looking for fun and creative ways to photograph large groups. These guys totally made my job easy and fun!!

Paul and Rachel didn’t see each other before the wedding, so we had some extra time to get nice portraits of them by themselves.

Mr. and Mrs. Strickland!

Congrats on your marriage, Paul and Rachel!!!

Thanks Bri for being such a great friend and a great mama to this wonderful little guy. And thanks Mr. B for letting me steal your wife to hang out!

okay seriously can’t resist this little face. How cute is he?!!!

I’m in love with this golf shot. Total perfection!

Thank you so much for having me do your photos, Rachel and Paul. I hope you had fun on your honeymoon!!!

I cried a lot this week. Thinking about what I would do if one of my babies were suddenly gone.

It made me wonder if there was anything I’d do different in my life. Would I change anything dramatically? Would I whine and complain about the little things? Would it really matter if the kids made a big mess in the living room? Do I let my friends and family know how much I love them? Do I hold bitterness towards others?

I’ve hugged my kids more this week than any other week. I’ve spent more time with them and tried to think of all the fun things we can do together this summer. I wasted less time playing on the computer, and spent more time reading books to them.

I’m teary eyed just writing this because I know that even though these poor little lives are lost, it’s already done something good for someone.

It’s helped me realize how short life can be.

(and because I can’t leave on such a sad note, here’s some goofy pics of my littlest guy taking pictures of his mama.)

She reads my blog almost daily and is one of my biggest fans. Her heart is made of gold and she’s always doing volunteer work to help other people.  Whether it’s putting together dental kits for kids in need or making Norwegian goodies for people, she’s always up to something.

Last year she was diagnosed with lung cancer and after many months of radiation treatments, she won the battle and is now cancer free. She’s such a strong and amazing woman.

I love you very much, Grandma!!!!!!

They got married at the Lewis River Golf Course in Woodland, WA. The staff was amazing. They even drove us in golf carts out to a pond to get some great shots of Troy and Kaylyn. This was my very first wedding at the golf course and I was more than impressed.

Kaylyn has such a sense of style and it showed throughout her whole wedding. The flowers and decorations were gorgeous. A lot of her friends and family pitched in to help. It was amazing to see how many people loved and supported Troy and Kaylyn. They are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in their lives.

Here’s a quick preview of the wedding. Click HERE to view the wedding slideshow to see many more images from the wedding.

I worked on the slideshow for the past week. It has over 180 images in it. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to put it all together. Kudos to all the folks that do these all the time.

Whew!!!

I really wanted to make it special for them. I hope you enjoy it!

To view the wedding slideshow click HERE

I guess not.

So on this lovely Monday morning I found myself saying the usual round of parental warnings. For instance, “don’t smash the graham crackers into the floor,” “dumping milk on the table isn’t a good idea,”  “please stop playing golf in the living room, or ” no, you CAN’T have chocolate for breakfast.” Finally, my personal favorite; “stop taking your diaper off!”

At least I figured out why I keep losing my lens caps…

Have a wonderful Monday!

They always get awesome reviews from friends and family. It’s a beautiful way to show off that precious bundle of joy that just arrived.

Seriously.

Anyone looking for a good stylist should check them out.

(I don’t get any kick backs for saying that, so you know I’m telling the truth!)

I really love doing newborn sessions. It’s so much fun chatting with the moms and getting to hold and photograph beautiful little babies.It seems there’s quite the baby boom going on with all these gorgeous newborns I’ve been photographing lately. I’m having a blast!!

Thank you Autumn and Derek for a wonderful morning yesterday. I enjoyed meeting you and your little man. I hope you enjoy the preview!

I fell in love with this image as soon as I took it. Just look at those perfectly squishy cheeks… sigh. He’s perfect.

Sure, why not? Everyone likes a great deal!

So here’s the dealeo, yo.

Summer Mini Sessions

includes:

*Session fee

* 10-15 full resolution images on disk with re-printing rights.

* 5X5 black leather album with 10 images. Comes in a nice gift box.

All for only $300

(That’s a savings of over $200!!)

A few restrictions:

Sessions are only 30 minutes and include up to five people (each additional person is $10)

Mini-sessions are only during the weekdays. No worries if you work though, I have evening appointments available!

Your choice of locations at either Willow Grove Beach or Lake Sacajawea.

Spots are limited, so call ASAP!

“she’s just crazy, I can’t watch”

Well… that and it’s midnight and I’ve been drinking diet coke for the past few hours… but that’s another story…

I hope you enjoy!

WARNING: This has music so be careful playing if you’re at work. Not that anyone would read my blog at work, but it’s been known to happen

(it takes a minute to upload.)

This is the very first photo that caught my eye from Troy and Kaylyn’s wedding this past Sunday. I have hundreds of images, but this one just moved me. It’s always nerve wracking posing previews, wondering what people think of the photo. Will everyone love it as much as I do?  So I’m throwing caution to the wind and posting what I love.

Congrats Troy and Kaylyn. I had a blast photographing your wedding. I will be posting your full preview this next week. Thank you for trusting me with your big day.

Thanks to my awesome husband for putting up with me and my crazy self. To my dad who comes over every morning to get Miss K off to school. To my sister Lynsay for being the best nanny to my kids. Thanks to my friends who support me emotionally and let me come cry with them when I’m having a rough day. Thanks to my mom for being my biggest fan and always cheering me on. To my photographer friends who are always inspiring me and helping me get better.  Finally thank you Lord for everything. I am nothing without you.

I’m sorry to get all mushy on you today. I’m just truly grateful that I’m able to do what I love and have it as my job!!

So thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And because posts on a photography blog are boring without photos… here’s on of my middle guy hanging out on a bike at his Nana’s house.

Thank you very much for having me be your photographer. I truly enjoyed my time with you. I hope you enjoy your preview!

“A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.”
Author Unknown

We met out at Kalama for his graduation photos. He was yet another handsome subject and I enjoyed photographing him.

Thanks so much for having me do your photos. I hope you enjoy your preview!

I am amazed at how many good looking folks I get to photograph. Jesse is no exception.

Thanks Jesse for a fun session. I hope you enjoy your photos!

Thanks Dale for an awesome shoot. I had a good time and I hope you enjoy your photos!

You know… so you can see the cutest little ballerina there ever was (wink wink).

Miss K is “the forest” this year and she’s really excited about her dance. Their costumes get better and better every year. When she brought this home after class a couple of few weeks ago, I literally squealed (I’m such a weird mom, poor kid).

I’m in love with green and she is the most beautiful little thing I’ve ever seen. Okay, so I’m biased. There are many other beautiful ballerinas performing as well.

Okay I’ll stop gushing and show you my ballerina….

okay and she looks like a total goof in this one, but this is the Miss K that I know and love. She’s always cracking jokes and goofing off.  (LOVE those missing teeth!!)

I got to take photos at their rehearsal last night. I must be the most embarrassing mom. Here’s me with my huge camera, flash, and lens snapping away.  Nothing worse than having a mom who’s a professional photographer. Thank goodness she didn’t seem to mind!

Thanks for reading!

They’ve known each other since they were kids. Craig is best friends with Nicole’s cousin, Kenny. Their paths didn’t cross again until a few years after they graduated high school. They found out that all along they’ve had feelings for each other and weren’t sure if the other one would feel the same way. Once their true feelings came out, they got together. They’ve been inseparable every since.

Their wedding is going to be July 25th.

Congrats you two!!!!

The photo on the right totally cracks me up. We’ve decided this should be the one for their wedding invitation. Perfection!!!

and these are because people wonder whether I do “normal” photos or not.

Yes, I do.

I wrote Miss K a list of things that she needs to get done in the mornings before school. We were having trouble getting ready on time, so I figured if she had a list than it might make it easier. I taped the list to her bathroom door so she could check them off as she went.

Notice her “corrections” in blue.

She’s seriously a funny kid. She’s got better grammar and handwriting than her mom.

Introducing my new editor:

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!!!! We’re off to have some BBQ.

Lately, though he’s figured out that he has a voice. He has finally caught on to his big brothers antics and screams at him if he tries to take his toys. It’s pretty comical actually. He gives mom attitude sometimes, but for the most part he’s pretty calm.

I wuvs him.

He picked this flower from the garden and then ran away (thinking it was wrong and I would take it from him). I had to convince him that it was “okay” and he wasn’t in trouble. He’s at that age where he gets into everything and is often told he can’t have the wonderful thing he’s found.

The wedding took place at The Loft in the Cannery Pier Hotel. You can see the website here. It’s a beautiful location. Anne and Jimmy had every little detail perfectly planned out. I am totally in love with the blue shoes she wore.

her bridesmaids and her mom helping her get ready…

seeing each other for the first time. Jimmy was in awe…

a couple of formal photos of the beautiful couple..

his four groomsmen (on the right) are all brothers including a set of twins. Check out the face on the far right… love it!!

Anne chose timeless black for her bridesmaids dresses.

Simply perfect.

They are a perfect fit.

Some quiet time together before the ceremony.

the details were stunning.

The toast was one of the most entertaining I’ve seen. All the guests were in stitches. One of these days I need to add audio to my photos.

These singles were extremely ready to get hitched. Check out this action!

The Cannery Pier Hotel in Astoria, Oregon.

Simply breathtaking.

Congrats Anne and Jimmy. Thank you for having me be a part of your day. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do!!

To friends and family of the beautiful couple;

Please leave comments below with your well wishes!!

At the same time he completely melts my heart.

My three year old middle child. He is busier then my other two kids combined. Typically he can be found with a bat or golf club in hand hitting anything that resembles a ball. He’s in love with sports, but focusing that energy can be quite a challenge. I’d like to get him involved in baseball, but I know I don’t want to push him too early. Of course as the days go on, I’m thinking T-ball right now wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

This is the face he gave me after I had to take his bat away because hitting his little brother just isn’t nice.

I love him to pieces.

Thanks so much Garett for being a good sport about having your photo taken for a couple of hours. You were awesome to work with and I hope you enjoy your preview!

So without further ado, here’s the castle. Taken just minutes after the whole fireworks show. I was in awe of the fireworks show, so I didn’t take any photos of it. I’m not good with taking pictures when I’m on vacation!!

JD was an awesome subject. Being into basketball made the session pretty fun. I got to try a few new angles and ideas.

I enjoyed our session. I hope you enjoy your quick preview!

Here’s a quick preview for his parents to see. Thanks for having me photograph little “J.” He is simply perfect!

look at that incredible smile!

A tea party!!

I picked up this tea set a couple of weeks ago and was just waiting for the opportunity to use it. My little boys wouldn’t be too happy if I made them sit at a pink table, so it had to be for a couple of little girls.

It turned out exactly as I imagined. Thank you Mrs. C for having me do your girl’s photos. I had a blast and am very happy with the results!

I’m catching up on everything right now and I’ll be back to posting regularly from now on. I have some disney pics to share, but for now this is all I can muster the energy for today.

We did have a blast though!!!

Between work, my family, and life in general it gets pretty hectic. I’m grateful for all that I have and I’m blessed for everything God has given to me. But, I’ve been having a hard time enjoying things lately because it’s been so crazy.  When I was feeling down, I heard this song on the radio and this verse really hit home;

“When my life is like a storm
Rising waters all I want is the shore
You say I’ll be ok and
Make it through the rain
You are my shelter from the storm”

I started to cry and realized that I’ve been trying to rely on myself to get through the storm. What I need most right now is to trust that God will take care of me.

Without further ado;

Addison Road

“Hope Now”

If everything comes down to love
Then just what am I afraid of
When I call out Your name
Something inside awakes in my soul
How quickly I forget I’m Yours

I’m not my own
I’ve been carried by You
All my life

Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

When my life is like a storm
Rising waters all I want is the shore
You say I’ll be ok and
Make it through the rain
You are my shelter from the storm

Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

I am not my own
I’ve been carried by you all my life

Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

You’ve become my hearts desire
I will sing Your praises higher
Cause Your love sets me free
Your love sets me free
Your love sets me free

They’re a fun couple and I can’t wait to do their wedding on July 6th.

Thanks Rachel and Paul! I hope you enjoy your preview!

I hope you enjoy the preview!

I hope you enjoy your preview!

I am excited to announce that my photo of mine will be on display at the Sixth Street Gallery in Vancouver, WA.

You can see their website here.

The art will go on display on May 1st through May 30th. I know I’m a bit early announcing it, but I wanted to make sure I didn’t forget to share it here on my blog. I’m also not too ashamed to admit that I’m excited about it!

The theme of the show is “Staring Back: Portraiture.”  I titled my photo “The Beauty of a Child.” The submission requirements called for you to interpret this theme in any way you’d like. I took it literally and submitted a photo of her staring back. Unlike some artists, I’m not too deep into the meaning of my photos. I do tend to like serious photos versus smiling photos since only some of our emotion is smiling. It’s interesting to me to see serious faces of children since children are often depicted laughing or smiling.

Anyway, enough of that serious business. Here’s the photo…

(and as usual I’m totally biased and think that my baby girl is the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen)

I got a great variety of dramatic looks along with your “usual” senior photos. She was a joy to work with. Despite really cold weather, she didn’t complain.

We met in downtown Kalama and had fun going through the back alley ways to find the cool spots.

Thanks Kaari for a fun time. I hope you enjoy your preview!

*Please do not right click, copy, screen print, or print any photos from my website. All photos are copyrighted by Jenica Lemmons of Lemondrops Photography. Thanks for your understanding!

I don’t think I’ve ever photographed kids this well-behaved before. I kept teasing the mom about her amazing kids, but she reassured me that they aren’t always so perfect. I think my kids should learn some behavior skills from them. They are all simply beautiful and get along great with each other.

Thanks to the mom for this wonderful session. It totally made my day!!

look at this handsome little guy… doesn’t he just melt your heart??

and yes, she is as sweet as she looks.

She totally reminds me of my daughter. Very loving towards her siblings and she’s one smart cookie!

these last two are my absolute favorite images from this week.

Anyways, miss Marriah asked me to do her photos and I happily said “yes!”

She’s absolutely gorgeous and was a blast. Nolan came along too, so we got a few great shots of the two of them together.

I hope you enjoy your preview!

I LOVE these two in the pink….

My favorite of them together. Not my hubby’s favorite, so I posted others as well. He helps me narrow down my selections unless we disagree

Miss Kirsti is no exception. She and her mom met me out in Castle Rock for her senior photos. We had a blast in all the different locations we tried out. I think we all got worn out by the end of our time together, but it was sure worth it. I got some great photos. Thank you Kirsti for such a great time. I hope you enjoy your preview!

I hate to have to remind folks, but I’m hearing about people scanning images or saving images from my blog and printing them.

If you’d like to use images for your myspace or facebook, please let me know and I’ll make it happen!!!

For more information from a previous post about copyright, please go here.

Thanks for your understanding!

(Is cool even cool to say anymore? I don’t know. I’m getting old)

Anyway, Kyle has some awesome hobbies. He’s got motorcycles, skateboarding (long boards), four wheelers, and cars.

We did his senior photos out in Rose Valley at some pretty cool locations. We knew for sure we wanted pics of him with his motorcycle in the middle of the road, so we made sure to find a spot with very low traffic . I’m always about safety around here. After all, my hubby is the safety director at his work. If he knew I was operating in unsafe conditions, I’d be in trouble

Thank you Kyle for letting me harass you with my camera for a few hours.

I hope you enjoy your pics!

totally love the funky conversions on these…

The last five sessions I’ve done have all been from Kelso High. It all works out since I’m a former Kelso student myself. Both my hubby and I graduated from Kelso High. Our parents even graduated from Kelso High. Heck, even our grandparents graduated from Kelso!

Dont worry though, I have nothing against Longview. Our daughter goes to a Longview school. I love both

This beautiful gal met me out in Kalama for her mini-session. She is full of personality and a lot of fun to work with. Her mom came along for the session and was a great help holding my reflector. Usually I just perform gymnastics trying to hold it up in the proper position, so it’s nice to have help.  I’m looking in to hiring an assistant. As flexible as I am, it’s getting tiring trying to balance everything on my own.

Thanks Kelci for letting me do your senior photos. I hope you enjoy your preview!

She wanted some fun spring ones this time around so we had a quick 30 minute session. Sometimes the mini session works perfectly if you’re just needing a few shots to choose from.

Andrea is a really easy model to work with, so we got done in record time with plenty of photos. Thanks Andrea for being a perfect model.

I hope you enjoy your preview!!

(is that a word?  If it’s not, then I just made one up).

Anyway, thanks so much for having me photograph you!! I hope you enjoy your preview.

As always comments are welcomed and appreciated!!

We had fun hiking around and trying to find fun and unique locations to have his photos taken. He was fun and relaxed in front of the camera. It sure made my job easy!!

Thanks Damian for choosing me to do your photos. I hope you enjoy your preview!

She is how I got started into photography. She’s still my favorite subject and I never tire of photographing her. My baby girl who is growing up so fast.

I was photographing her little brother and the wind picked up. It caught her hair just slightly. I managed to catch this shot in the perfect moment.

Thank you Carley for a wonderful session. I hope you enjoy your preview!

As always, comments are welcomed and appreciated!!

I took them out for a “quick 15 minute session.” Of course that’s how long I told the hubby it would take.

I was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

I tried every trick in the book and am convinced they have heard it all.

Anyhoo… this is the best I could get. Not smiling, but at least looking (albiet in different directions, but I will take what I can get).

The next frame was this.

I love little bare feet. I’ve been wanting a shot like this for quite some time, so I’m glad they cooperated.

I’ve been waiting patiently for the sun to finally make it’s appearance here in the Great Northwest. We had a very long Winter and I’m looking forward to being outside more often. Yesterday and today were especially beautiful. As I’m typing this, my hubby is mowing the lawn and the smell of the fresh cut grass is pouring into the house. It’s such a wonderful time of year.

Here’s a couple of Mr. D.  He’s now almost 15 months old. Time sure flies by!

Congrats on your senior year Erikson. Thanks for hiring me to do your photos and I hope you enjoy your preview!

As always comments are welcomed and appreciated!

We had his one year birthday cake smash last week and finished his session this week with his one year portraits. You can see his cake smash here

Happy Birthday little G. You’re one handsome little man!!!

Today I’m going to let the images speak for themselves.

I hope you enjoy the preview!

I will post more later.

This whole newborn photography thing is *almost* making me rethink my decision to not have any more kids. Course my three are busy enough as it is!

This little gal was one of my subjects yesterday and she couldn’t be more perfect. I will be posting more images throughout the rest of this week, but I couldn’t help but show this one right away.

No, really.

I think some days I’m the luckiest person to be able to meet and photograph such wonderful people. Take this family for instance. Not only are they beautiful, they are some of the funnest people I’ve met.

Is funnest even a word?

I meet the “M” family out at Willow Grove beach for their lifestyle session. They were the perfect family. Little Miss “A” was the easiest little girl I’ve ever had the pleasure of photographing. I think she’s destined to be a model someday. I know I say this about my own daughter, but this Miss A had some amazing modeling skills. Not a single shot of her turned out bad. Her little brother wasn’t too far behind either. He was a ball of energy with plenty of smiles to go with it.

Thanks for letting me photograph your family. I had a great time and hope you enjoy your images!!

Just please don’t ask to see those videos of me acting… it’s a scary sight.

Today’s pick is “One Step at a Time” by Jordin Sparks

You can listen here

Lyrics:

Hurry up and wait
So close, but so far away
Everything that you’ve always dreamed of
Close enough for you to taste
But you just can’t touch

You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you’re gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face and the door keeps slamming
Now you’re feeling more and more frustrated
And you’re getting all kind of impatient waiting
We live and we learn to take

One step at a time
There’s no need to rush
It’s like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It’s gonna happen when it’s
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

You believe and you doubt
You’re confused, you got it all figured out
Everything that you always wished for
Could be yours, should be yours, would be yours
If they only knew

You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you’re gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face and the door keeps slamming
Now you’re feeling more and more frustrated
And you’re getting all kind of impatient waiting
We live and we learn to take

One step at a time
There’s no need to rush
It’s like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It’s gonna happen when it’s
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

When you can’t wait any longer
But there’s no end in sight
It’s the faith that makes you stronger
The only way we get there
Is one step at a time

Take one step at a time
There’s no need to rush
It’s like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It’s gonna happen when it’s
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

One step at a time
There’s no need to rush
It’s like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It’s gonna happen when it’s
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

It seems like yesterday I was doing his newborn photos. He came over for his “smash the cake” session and cracked us up with his anger towards the cake. He was totally fine eating the cake, but at first he didn’t know what to think. The last one on the storyboard is my absolute favorite.

I think it was a very successful cake smashing session. Next week baby G and I are going to do his big boy outdoor photos.

I hope you enjoy the preview!

here’s one of his newborn photos…

I’ve found this to be true in my life. No matter how many kids I’ve had during different stages, it was usually one more than I felt I could handle. Now with three kids, I often feel like I need ‘just one more hand’ to get them all wrangled together. Having three kids and two hands always proves to be an interesting experience when grocery shopping (or doing anything that requires running around town). The baby is usually on my hip, Tinker holds onto my pocket and Little Miss usually knows she needs to keep close. I don’t worry about her too much. According to her she’s practically grown up anyway.

Course as crazy as I feel with my kiddos at times, I still love kids. I think I’d have a dozen more if it weren’t for the whole financial/space issue. Though when I see moms with multiple kids, I wonder how on earth they manage. I know my friends with only one or two wonder how I do it.

I just tie a rope, hold on, and enjoy the ride.

Here’s a few from last week of Little Miss M. I had a quick mini-session with her. You can see her sister a few posts below (little miss “C”). Thanks for being such an adorable model. I hope you enjoy your photos!

I had the pleasure of photographing and attending her third birthday party this last Friday. She’s an absolute doll. I got this face right before the cake was cut. I love the excitement of birthdays. So much sugar and so much fun.

Happy Birthday!

sweet victory

Yes, I upgraded!

I’m extremely excited about the new possibilities that await. This photo was taken at ISO 1000. For all you non-photographers that means that I was able to take this photo without flash, in very low light. He was sitting on the floor in my kitchen with only the regular overhead light. Very little noise. With my other camera this photo would look bad. I would have chosen to use flash to make for a more pleasing portrait.

What does this all mean, Jenica?

This means that I am now more equipped to handle low lighting situations. I have a whole summer of weddings ahead of me and it’s going to be even better now that this new camera is here.

So yay for new tools!!!

Silly kid.

When she was 18 months I took her to a model scout to see if they thought she could be a child model (don’t make fun, she was my first kid). It turned out to be a scam, so I never got her involved. Often people will say that she looks like she could be one, so I guess she’s picked up on that idea. She’s got a good self esteem. No problems there.

She’s losing teeth like crazy so she’s at that awkward smile stage. She let her Uncle Craig pull a tooth out yesterday while we were at a birthday party. She didn’t even flinch. She’s a tough cookie. Of course after her tooth was out she went around the room collecting money from grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Turns out she’s even smarter than I thought!

Trying new processing today. Let me know if you like it. Some days I’m just not in the mood for black and whites or super bright colors. I won’t be getting rid of those any time soon, but it’s fun to play around.

I almost melted into a puddle right there.

She was so genuine and sincere in her apology. Her mom and dad are teaching her well! I know quite a few adults who could learn this lesson (myself including). How often we don’t admit when we’re wrong and ask for forgiveness. She did it right away and without hesitation.

Sometimes I learn some great lessons from those that are small.

Edited to add: due to some weird color shift changes from firefox, I changed the pictures from the post. Sorry about the neon colors. I figured out my issue now. Enjoy the (smaller) photos.

]]> http://www.lemondropsphotography.com/2009/03/little-miss-c/feed/ http://www.lemondropsphotography.com/2009/03/it-feels-like-this/ http://www.lemondropsphotography.com/2009/03/it-feels-like-this/#comments Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:50:41 +0000 Jenica Lemmons http://www.lemondropsphotography.com/?p=1262 Hi, I’m Jenica and I’m a recovering lazy person. It’s not that I’ve sat around and done nothing, it’s simply that I’ve chosen to be completely unfit for the past seven years. I blame my children, but that’s another story.

Two weeks ago I started working out. If you’re my friend on Facebook you’ve seen my random status updates of “hey, I’m working out” or “my lungs burn from running.” It’s been the topic of conversation with myself. It’s a big step since I’m trying to become a more well rounded person (minus the “well-rounded” part). It’s not about weight loss. It’s about being healthy. I used to run back in junior high and high school, but haven’t put running shoes on since then.

Okay, I take that back.

ONE time after Tinker was born, I ran a mile and almost peed my pants. My body totally and completely rejected the idea of me doing something so insane. I hung up my shoes and didn’t touch them again.

IT IS ALL CHANGING NOW.

I am now a person who works out. Today I ran 2.5 miles on the treadmill. It took me a looooonnnggg time, but I did it. I feel fantastic. I actually folded five loads of laundry this afternoon. If you ask my family they will tell you it’s a miracle. I feel energetic,  I feel stress free, and let me tell you…

It’s awesome.

Miss “C” being her joyful self. More of her tomorrow.

Where did the time go? He’s growing so fast I can’t keep up. He has friends now. He made sure they were all invited to “my burstday party.” He collects Pez dispensers so it made sense to have a “pez pizza party.” Of course while shopping for his party stuff, he then decided he wanted trucks for the decor. It all worked out fine since I had found pez in the shape of trucks. I didn’t realize how many different kinds of Pez dispensers existed until I found pez.com. I now understand how far parents will go when trying to keep up with a kids’ hobby. He keeps hiz Pez in a special spiderman backpack he carries around everywhere we go. He has about 50 pez dispensers. All with different names. Some are twins, some have candy. They are all special to him and if he misplaces one, the world ends and we have to find it before we can move on.

Happy Birthday Tinker. I love you. Pez and all.

Chad took us out to a really cool place out in Castle Rock on Toutle River Road. It was picture perfect, but best of all it had a big ol pile of rocks for him to play with.

Thanks Chad for being a good sport and for showing me your cool truck.

I hope you enjoy your preview!

Mini sessions are shorter sessions that only last up to 30 minutes instead of the 1-2 hours I usually spend. Only 10-15 proofs are shown instead 30-40. It’s perfect for a kid session or a quick family portrait. It’s also a great economical way to get custom portraits without spending as much.

For mini sessions you have your choice of either Lake Sacajawea or Willow Grove beach for your session. Mini sessions are only held during the week.

Mini sessions are priced at $40. Please contact me today to schedule your mini session!

*when doing a family mini session, individual photos won’t be taken. For seniors, only one clothing change is allowed.

Check it out!!

Thanks M for letting me photograph one of my favorite little guys. I had a fun time hanging out with you and will definitely be coming to Portland more often!

Anyways, if you’re a facebook person, I’d love to add you!!!

Here’s a link to Lemondrops Photography Group:

http://groups.to/lemondropsphotography/

Please come join the fun!!

I’m friends with their mom and we do their pics every few months. I get a kick out of photographing these boys since they know me so well. Mr. D kept asking where Mr. I was (my son). They are buddies and we get together as often as we can. Both boys are the same ages as my boys so it’s really fun to watch them grow. Baby “T” just turned a year old this week. Mr. D turned three a few weeks ago. They are too cute!!

I hope you enjoy the preview!

hugging or choking, we’re not sure which….

this one is my husband’s favorite. I was editing and he starting laughing pretty hard at this one…

Totally speaks to me. I totally make mistakes in life and though I try to live as I should, I often fail. So “I will not be moved” explains exactly how I feel lately. I’m not very good with words (if you couldn’t tell by my blog posts, haha) so I like to communicate through music and photos.

Here’s the lyrics:

Natalie Grant

“I will not be Moved”

I have been a wayward child,
I have acted out,
I have questioned sovereignty,
and had my share of doubts,

And though sometimes,
my prayers feel like their bouncing off the sky,
the hand that holds won’t let me go,
and is the reason why

I will stumble, I will fall down
But I will not be moved
I will make mistakes, I will face heartache,
But I will not be moved

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand,
I will not be moved

Bitterness has plagued my heart,
many times before,
My life has been a broken glass,
and I have kept the score,
of all my shattered dreams,
and though it seemed,
that I was far too gone,
my brokenness helped me to see,
it’s grace I’m standing on.

I will stumble, I will fall down
But I will not be moved
I will make mistakes, I will face heartache,
But I will not be moved

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand,
I will not be moved

And chaos in my life,
has been a badge I’ve worn,
and though I have been torn,
I will not be moved

I will make mistakes, I will face heartache,
But i will not be moved

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand,
I will not be moved

His true passion is baseball (and football, and soccer, and anything and everything to do with a ball and throwing). Tinker often gets into trouble playing ball in the house and hitting brother and sister with whatever ball he has. It’s an ongoing battle we have with him, but I’m hoping to channel that energy into something more positive. So on Friday before play group I took him to the local ball field to let off some steam doing what he does best. With the baby strapped to my back and a camera in hand, I let Tinker do his thing.

Here’s the results…

Mr. J was a delight to photograph. I got the pleasure of photographing him last week. These are the sweetest moments and they pass all too quickly. It was just a year ago that my little guy was born. I’m not ready to have another, so I’m thankful that lately I’ve been getting to borrow sweet little babies so I can photograph them. They are just too precious. I think I’d have a dozen if it weren’t for the whole laundry thing…

I also did a few photos of Mr. J’s big sister while Mr. J was eating. She was dressed in her princess attire and I don’t think I’ve ever had the pleasure of photographing such a beautiful princess. She totally stole my heart.

Thanks B family for allowing me to photograph your beautiful kids. I hope you enjoy your preview!

the big sister Miss “A”

So for all you gals reading this

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL JUST AS GOD MADE YOU!

*Oh and don’t watch this with little ones around. It’s got a bit of sensitive material in it.

I will let you know that the dishes ARE being washed as we speak. Thank the Lord almighty for dishwashers! That was a gift from the hubby for my last birthday. I’m still waiting for the gift of a person to come in and load the dishwasher for me, but I’ll take what I can get for now.

So yes, it’s late and I’m blogging. Too much chocolate at late hours will keep a person awake for long periods of time. You’d think I’d know this with all the late night chocolate munching I do, but I guess today was a rough day and I decided to eat an entire chocolate bar in one sitting (oh and they are NOT small, mind you). Hi my name is Jenica and I have a chocolate problem. I swear I’d be thirty pounds lighter if I could kick this habit of mine.

But I digress.

I’m writing to share about how wonderful my husband is to me. He brought me flowers TWICE for Valentine’s day. The first time was a couple of days before Valentine’s and on the day itself he brought me a dozen roses, chocolates, a bottle of wine, and two teddy bears. He’s perfect!! I know to some it’s not a big deal, but he hasn’t always been this romantic. I’d like to think that it was all the time I put into molding him and shaping him into a perfect husband, but that is FAR from the truth. He’s come this way on his own. We’ve been together for eight years now. I love him more and more each day. It has nothing to do with bringing me gifts and everything to do with him being a wonderful man.

(and to all of you photogs out there who will be wondering how I did this crazy effect on the rose. It’s a preset from adobe lightroom killer tips and can be found here )

Jessica had really rad rocker chick hair. She’s totally artistic and it was fun thinking outside the box for photos that would go with her personality.

Thanks for letting me photograph you and I hope you enjoy your preview!!

check out those gorgeous eyes!!!

“nap time”

“okay seriously, I’m fine. I really don’t need a nap…”

he smiles just seconds after pulling the dog’s tail and pushing brother over…

my daughter has decided that since mom is a horrible cook, that she will take it upon herself to learn..

and though this isn’t our dog, it’s my new “nephew.” His daddy (my brother-in-law) brought the new baby over for us to see. Please welcome Hank to the family…

hope you enjoyed some snapshots of my life!!!

Thanks Ariel. I hope you enjoy your preview!

Congrats to mom and dad for your newest addition!

I hope you enjoy your preview…

an outtake, but I couldn’t resist showing this….

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I had some plans going into it, but once we started having fun, my plans went out the window and I got to photograph just for fun. She and I had a blast and I felt like a little girl all over again. We chased each other through the fields and I kept teasing her and calling her “miss sassy pants.” She would laugh a great big belly laugh and then strike another “sassy pants” pose.

“you can’t see me”

oh how I love backlit hair.

“raining sunshine”

sour face

she laughs….

okay not the cutest face, but I couldn’t resist the colors here… sigh… I have been working on backlit stuff for awhile now and it’s just amazing what the sun can do!

“miss sassy pants”

Today is my birthday. I feel 40 sometimes and yet 15 at other times. Age is irrelevant. I grew up quick and now here I am with three kiddos, and awesome hubby and a pretty good life. I don’t think I’d change anything at the present moment. Guess that means I”m doing okay then, right?

Ten years ago I made a “plan” of my life and what I wanted to do. My plan went through the window many years ago and I’m grateful that life didn’t go according to plan. I’m sure I would have messed things up along the way had it been my choosing.

I still don’t have a plan for the next five years. People are always saying that we should plan things out, but I live on the edge and like to think that in five years I’ll be doing something totally different than what I thought. Besides, I told God that I wanted to live according to His plan anyway. We’ll see what He has up his sleeve for Mrs. Jenica Lemmons. I hope I’m still doing photography and loving every minute of it like I do now.

But today I will celebrate life and the gift of it that was given to me.

Today I’ll probably be doing the same ol thing as I normally do. I’ll be researching lighting techniques and looking at inspirational websites and being a mom as well. No big plans, but that’s cool with me. I for sure WON’T be doing dishes or laundry on my day. Course that’s not far from the norm either. lol.

And because I can’t post a blog without showing pics… here’s one of me when I was a kid….

oh yeah buddy, I had a mullet. Aint it cuuuuuutee??

here’s me and the little button

Have a great day and eat lots of chocolate and drink lots of coffee!!

Thanks Miss A and I hope you enjoy your preview!

My future sister in law is a professional cake maker/decorator and she made his adorable cake. She works at Market Place and also does AMAZING wedding cakes as well.

the perfect little cake…

ahhh the drool….

hmmmm… I think this might look good on me…

laying on the cake might be fun

SUGAR RUSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh yeah, it’s THAT good.

so pleased with himself..

SUCCESS!

A perfectly smashed cake.

and the storyboard I made…

This doesn’t have much to do with photography, but it’s a bit about me. I hope you don’t mind

So here’s my favorite song…

I’m Letting Go

My heart beats, standing on the edge
But my feet have finally left the ledge

Like an acrobat
There’s no turning back

Chorus
I’m letting go
Of the life I planned for me
And my dreams
Losing control
Of my destiny
Feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe
So I’m letting go

This is a giant leap of faith
Trusting and trying to embrace

The fear of the unknown
Beyond my comfort zone

Chorus
I’m letting go
Of the life I planned for me
And my dreams
Losing control
Of my destiny
Feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe
So I’m letting go

Giving in to your gravity
Knowing You are holding me
I’m not afraid

Feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe
Feels like I’m falling and this is the life for me

Or do you know anyone having a baby sometime soon?

I am offering two free newborn sessions. Baby must be under two weeks old. I will do the session for free and you will get a free 8X10 of your precious bundle of joy.  A signed model release is required as images will be used on my site.

Please use the contact form for more information!

Thanks W boys for letting me hang out and capture your day!

I hope you enjoy your preview…

The flooding caused the entire  beach layout to change with all the extra driftwood. It was calm and clear and a perfect day.

yes, he never stops drooling…. poor kid…