I am very excited to be part of a great group of photographers showcasing personal images of their everyday lives each month for the next year. The group is called 'Tell Me a Story' and all of the images are taken in the course of one day, giving a tiny glimpse into each of our lives.

However, I'm feeling a little foolish because I goofed up in the very first month. My grand plan was to take my images all on a weekend day. Due to our lovely winter weather (sense the heavy sarcasm) things are generally dark by the time I get home during the week.

The kink in my plan was I didn't look at a calendar and I ran out of weekends. I realized this week that the end of the month was coming before I expected. So, improvising on the fly, my first segment of 'Tell Me a Story' is going to be character-less. I spend a couple days of week working from so I see our house as it is when no one is around. The material aspects of our lives scattered everywhere. So I thought I'd use that to set the stage of the story of our next 12 months. After all, you can tell a lot about people by the way they keep their houses.

I promise next month I'll have images with people in them. ;)

This is my older daughter's room. She's learning to read and write in kindergarten. She loves to see how much taller she is getting on the marks on her door frame.

He was the one who kept propping me against the wall until I could walk to him. He was the one whose bed I climbed into at night.

He could do everything I wanted to do. He was the epitome of cool to me. I copied everything he did right down to how he wore his socks -- he folded, I folded; he scrunched, I scrunched and when he switched to black, so did I. However, at this point I stick with black socks because it doesn't show the dirt and I hate washing whites. ;)

As most little sisters are, I was in awe of my oldest brother (yes, there are two other great guys in between). He was our family's trailblazer, doing everything first. By the time I came along six years and three siblings later, everyone already knew my family. Some people still know me only as "Joe's little sister".

But there were two paths I went down first -- marriage and parenthood. And now I get to stand and watch as my big brother joins me and becomes a daddy.

I  couldn't have been prouder to be able to do a session with him and my sister-in-law as they prepare for their new little one.


I love that my future niece or nephew will be able to see these images of his/her parents before their birth - the excitement, nervousness. So full of hope and dreams for the future. The baby books on the night stand, the way Mom rests her hand on her stomach and the love in Dad's eyes when he looks at her.


One of the things I thought of a lot while I put together these images for Joe and Erika was how much I wish I had more images of me and my husband when I was pregnant with my children. I wish they could see Mommy and Daddy before. Maybe someday my niece or nephew will show these to their own kids - Grandma and Grandpa awaiting their birth. These photographs will be such treasures.


Isn't Erika gorgeous?! Funny story, I've known her since I was about four years old and we started kindergarten at the same time. If you'd have told me she was going to marry my big brother, I would have thought you were crazy. Now I can say they are a perfect match.



So much love. ♥



Your adventure awaits. So happy I'll be able to see it all.

The sweetest presents are always homemade. And I don't think there's anything more homemade and perfect than a baby.

Martha, from Martha.Anne - Living Through Creativity knows all about lovely homemade goods and her and her husband Ryan got the perfect homemade Christmas present with the arrival of little Parker Rye. Did I mention that I LOVE his name?

I got the pleasure of photographing these three when Parker was just a week old.

Just love seeing new moms (and dads) with their little ones.