Thank goodness for this project because the day I caught them painting our house could have resulted in the cops being called on a mom gone crazy. Instead I used my camera as therapy. As I was shooting I was reminded of all the crazy things I did as a kid. And it caused me to realize that one day I will look back on this and laugh. It’s the creative, strong-willed, adventurous kids that go far in life… I keep telling myself. Life is way too short to let a little paint get in the way of enjoying the moment. I have to get my mom face on in front of them of course, but inside I’m laughing hysterically. It’s funny… it just is. I could list many stories about the adventures I had as a kid and I’m thankful mine will have some of their own. One day we will all be sitting around talking about the crazy things they did as kids and nothing will bring me more joy as a mom than listening to them talk about the time they painted the house.

The last two installments can be found here and here.

 You can join along at our facebook page here. 

I’m being dramatic and I’m totally off topic, but that’s not a big surprise for those that now me well. Okay back to the reason for this post… here are some of my favorites from my project 365 for the month of February. To learn more about what a “project 365″ is, or to see some of my favorites from January you can find that post here.

I hope you have something fun planned for the weekend, happy Friday everyone!

When I first entered the Zeitlin home I knew it was going to be a great session. Not only was their home beautiful but it emanated the feeling of love. Sweet Josh instantly stole my heart and how could you not want to just gobble up precious little Grace. The session started in the back yard and ended with a little painting on Josh’s easel.  My favorite part of the day was when Josh in his sweet little voice looks down at his belly and says, “Um miss Linsey, why don’t I have a shirt on?” I asked if we could take his shirt off for the painting portion. Being the sweet easy going little boy he is he just went along with it, but a few minutes into painting he thought he would clarify why he was shirtless? I left with a new little friend and that is always my goal.

I adore this family and I’m so excited to share this session with you!

Thank you Zeiltin family for inviting me into your lovely home and allowing me to document this precious time in your life.

Here is a little about Haitian Creations:

Haitian Creations is a non-profit organization rooted in empowering the women of Haiti through education & design. We are based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Crafting Beauty. Giving Hope. We are all about our artists. This ministry is not just about charity to the poor…it is about building empowering relationships with the women in our programs. Women who have completed the sewing and beading program have the option of making jewelry and purses for Haitian Creations. If they decide to create products for us, we buy them and sell them in the States. Haitian Creations is a program of Heartline Ministries, an organization serving in Haiti for over 20 years. Please visit Heartline’s website at www.heartlineministries.org to learn more.

I have to give a huge shout out to the beautiful models. These sisters are not only gorgeous on the outside, but they are gorgeous on the inside. They gave up their afternoon and braved the cold.  To say they were amazing would be quite an understatement. Thank you Taylor Marie Hill and Logan Hill, we couldn’t have pulled this off without you. You girls made my job easy!

And thank you to Deer Creek Valley Ranch for providing the incredible location. We could not of asked for a more amazing backdrop, your venue is breathtaking.

I also have to thank Chandler and Sheila for being so amazing during the shoot. From styling outfits to helping me with my gear and putting together all the props. You guys are amazing and I’m a better person after meeting you both.

models: Taylor Marie Hill and Logan Hill

location: deer creek valley ranch

product: haitian creations

]]> http://linseywiltphotography.com/haitian-creations-product-shoot-denver-portrait-photographer-4/feed/ 1 http://linseywiltphotography.com/haitian-creations-product-shoot-denver-portrait-photographer-4/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/linseywiltphotography/HXBM/~3/cV5DYji0ZfI/ http://linseywiltphotography.com/haitian-creations-preview-denver-portrait-photographer/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 23:18:28 +0000 admin http://linseywiltphotography.com/?p=1610 I am so excited to share this session with you. Here is a little preview, look for the full post coming this Monday.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

They just don’t understand.

They just don’t get it.

“$19.99 for hairspray? Can’t you find something cheaper?”

“No. I need this one.”

I’m typically the “buy it and don’t tell,” type. But we live far away from stores big city folk take for granted. So on this particular night the opportunity became available for me to pick up some much needed essentials. One problem, I was on a date with my love.

Ulta is right next door to a bike store. I thought, perfect, he can keep himself occupied with lots of things with wheels and he won’t be lurking behind me as I look at all the awesome new products I just might need!

I was in the hairspray isle and I heard it. “Linsey.” What?! How could he be done that quickly? I thought I at least had twenty minutes. My basket isn’t even that full yet. “Hi, babe, what happened, I thought you were checking out the bike store?”

“Yup, I pretty much saw what they had to offer.”

“Oh.”

Great, now I found myself shopping for overpriced hair essentials with my bald (by choice) husband.

I was still good though, he was looking around and wasn’t paying attention to the prices below the products… yet. I was doing my best to just move it along and not really bring up conversation about the task that was at hand. “So what was your favorite bike over there? What were you thinking for dinner? You look really handsome tonight!” I would of rather been self-absorbed with all the glorious concoctions in front of me and daydream of how they are going to make me look gorgeous, but now my priority in my present situation had changed. Distract the husband was on the forefront of my mind.

Then I felt something change. His patience started to get the best of him. I’m sure his growling stomach wasn’t helping the situation. He started to notice his surroundings in greater detail. I was seeing him start to stare at price tags. Oh goodness! Then I heard him from the next isle over, “What!? $64.99 for a curling iron?”

I stayed quiet. I didn’t point out that, in fact, it wasn’t a curling iron, and it actually was top of the line.  I held back the need to correct him for the sake of keeping my secret, a secret.  I also made sure the rest of my treasures where covering up that same curling iron waver he had noticed, so it wasn’t obvious that it was in my basket.

Now he was curious. Now he wanted to know what I was buying. And now I knew it was time to go.

What was I going to do with him at checkout?

He’s too involved, he’s too curious, I made a big mistake in taking as long as I did and letting his patience get the best of him. Now the cat was out of the bag.

He had huge smirk on his face and he wasn’t going to leave my side without seeing exactly what I was buying and how much I was spending. When he heard the total, he just laughed. He quietly turned around all dramatic like and let out the biggest noiseless laugh I have ever seen.

“What is in that stuff that you would pay $33 for jar of it, whale tusks?”

I then unveiled to him the reality of the situation. “I’ve been doing this for years honey, I’ve just never taken you along.”

“You can never get mad at me again for buying books.”

“Deal.”

If you missed last months installment, you can view it here. Make sure to head to the main page and check out all the amazing photographers that are involved in the this project and their take on “The Kids Were Here”.

Photography is all about documenting those things we want to remember forever. It’s about capturing the details so that we can look back and remember that specific time in life. It’s about keeping record of the quirky things that make up this amazing life journey. Sometimes I forget about the details. I find myself looking at the bigger picture rather than those simple things that I will cherish most. I am starting a new project with an amazing group of photographers titled, “Kids Were Here.” It’s all about documenting those details. We are photographing our children without them in the frame.

When I was getting ready to start shooting for this project and I started to really think about it, what it really meant, I started to tear up.  It caused me to realize just how fast time is slipping by. And how soon I won’t care about the messes, in fact, I will miss them. How the baby blankets will soon be packed away for safe keeping. How my windows will be clean of little fingerprints, and I won’t find George placed randomly around the house with his pet rock. And someday there won’t be four little plastic cereal bowls left on the table after breakfast. As cheesy as it sounds when I was thinking about these details in my children’s lives I was reminded of that book by Karen Kingsbury ” Let Me Hold You Longer.” It’s all about how we are so quick to document our children’s firsts, but we often forget about their lasts. If you haven’t read it, it’s a really sweet book. But let me warn you, you might cry… I have every time I’ve read it. And now you have learned that I can be a big cry baby. I admit it, the subject of time passing gets me every time.

And I will end with this quote from JUDE WOOD because it describes perfectly what this project is all about. “One day we will have a wonderful reminder. evidence left behind written upon our hearts and minds of our children. Photographs that will bring us back to this very day, when our kids were here.” -jude wood

My dear sweet Abby girl,

It has been forever since I wrote to you. Your journal that I started for you when you were born has been collecting dust for quite sometime. I have been recently inspired to start writing to you again. I want you to be able to look back when you’re older and know what nine year old Abby was like. NINE!! What? How in the world did that happen? It seems like just yesterday you were toddling around with your bouncy little pigtails on top of your head, always with your pouty bottom lip sticking out as you were taking in the big world around you. You are growing and maturing, at what seems like a rapid rate, but you’re still the same in so many ways.

You were born with a zeal for life and always could do anything you set your little mind to. You walked at nine months and could recite your alphabet as soon as you could talk. You still have that same ambition. If there is something in front of you that you want to succeed at, you do. You don’t let anything stand in your way. At times it’s frustrating as your mom because you are so strong willed and already have your mind made up. You will even go against my wishes knowing you might have to suffer the consequences later, but you get accomplished what is to you of high-importance. I would be lying if I said you didn’t get that from me.

You got a Kindle for Christmas, but at the moment have your heart set on already upgrading to a Kindle Fire. You had no interest in chores before. In fact when we were discussing doing chore charts for money, you said no thanks. Week after week would go by and your brother and sister would be paid and it didn’t bother you one bit. You had no interest because there was no goal. Now with an end result in mind of owning a Kindle Fire you ask me almost daily what you can do to earn money. You are even trying to come up with clever ways to earn money. Asking to rub my feet for $2.00, knowing that I can’t resist a foot rub. Cleaning out your possessions, pricing them and trying to have a backpack sale for your friends at school. You and your sister are hosting a rock/ junk garage/chips and salsa sale out of our garage so you can raise more money. I’m afraid your only customers might be the deer, but it’s adorable to watch you so motivated. I would also be lying if I said you didn’t get your entrepreneurial itch from me. But, what it really comes down to is that you are determined and nothing will stop you. I have no doubt that you will own a Kindle Fire by summer. You are one that will move mountains one day with your ambition.

You are a beautiful girl with a laugh that lights up the room. But you are not just a pretty face, you have the brains that are going to take you so far in life. You want to be the President of the United States, and I think you would do a fantastic job! But, if life takes you down a different road, whatever you do I have not doubt you will be successful. The other day we were writing a letter to one of our friends in VA. I was helping you by telling you what to write down so we could get it done and in the mail. I looked down at the paper and saw that you decided not to take any of my suggestions. You wrote something entirely different… and it was better.

You are an amazing reader. You finished the fourth Harry Potter book in four short weeks. Your dad set a goal with you that if you finished that book by your birthday that you could get your ears pierced. You now have sparkly ears!

Lately you are always dancing, singing, writing songs and entering every Disney contest you can. You ask me all the time if you can be in gymnastics, dance, or take singing lessons. You want to be the President, but a close second to that is a famous star. You called about an audition that Disney was having here in Denver a few weeks ago. I was so proud of you. You talked to the lady, got your audition time and had everything set. After you got off the phone, and told me what time I needed to have you in Denver you said, “Whew, that was awesome. I was scared to call, but I did it! And it wasn’t that hard.” Love that!

I enjoy the time we get to spend together when it’s just the two of us. I get to focus on just you and the beautiful woman you are becoming. Your love language is quality time and so nothing brings you more joy than one-on-one time. I love watching you light up when we are alone and you finally have my full attention. Sometimes when we get home after school you and I will spend a few minutes alone in the car so you can tell me about your day, I know this is one of those small things that means a lot. To both of us.

I get sad when I think about how fast time has gone by and how big you are already. But I also can’t begin to describe what immense joy I feel watching you become the woman God has planned for you to be. I feel like the luckiest mom in the world to have you as a daughter.

Love you Abs

Mom

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