Go outside.

It's mid-March and it's nice outside. So I'm trying to remember to GO OUTSIDE.

Olive has been enjoying being outside with Honey, usually while I'm getting June down for a nap but I still have to remind her and give her a little nudge since outside has barely been an option since something like October. Today she got really dirty. Again. I left the bag of potting soil outside since yesterday and I caught a glimpse of her tossing scoops into the wind. Whoops. Oh well!

Eventually June and I joined her.



June is really quite amazing photogenic. Look at that face.





Places to go. With a geode. Obviously.



Yum. Geode.



Bubbles! Said the butterfly.......





They got into the wagon and we went for a walk. It was a bit windy so I didn't plan on being out long.. It felt a little cooler than I would have preferred. Olive and I should have dressed for the weather.

On our walk we found a few things. These pine cones were exciting but they were covered in sap. In this moment I decided they need baths as soon as we got home. I should have decided that earlier when photographing Olive's hands blowing bubbles. Because.. dirty.

We also found some really cool sticks covered in lichen. I tossed one in the wagon but June's preferred stick activity was hitting Olive over the head. So I quickly tossed that out.



June: Always pointing.



We went to the parkway and Olive declared it was time for her to run around to get some energy out. But it sounded more like "to get some enerdy out". She soon stumbled in a hole and fell and was concerned that she was broken. She's been a little over the top lately. She was not, in fact, broken.



June is rediscovering everything outdoors. I'm not sure he remembers that life exists outside of snow.



And sticks!





We found a few stumps where trees had been until recently. So... sawdust!







Eventually Olive threw sawdust all over herself, June was trying to run down a hill toward a street, and I really had to use the bathroom. So headed homeward.



But not after finding 10,000 sticks.



I saw this as we got back into our yard. I was informed that she was hunting for worms.

If you want to see more photos.. click here!!!!!!

Olive + June's Wagon Ride

Today was sunny and I find it far too easy to get stuck inside. This is one reason I want a smaller home next time. Olive was outside playing with dirty snow and June was having some lunch as he had just woken up from a nap. I saw our big wagon sitting in the kitchen and thought "hey, that wagon really shouldn't be in our kitchen" and also thought "let's go for a wagon ride!" So I threw on some real pants, bundled up the kiddos, and nearly an hour later (ha ha) we were outside. And it was cloudy. But we still had fun. :)

Here are a few of my favorite photos from today:





Olive had a last minute idea to bring the pinwheel along. It was spinning so fast.





This was hugely entertaining. I wouldn't call our neighborhood hilly but there's a bit of a slope. Today was fairly mild so there was a lot of melting. Each drain we passed was full of dripping sounds. Olive wanted me to stand on this one to see if it would break.

I kind like how their outfits are opposite.



We found so many puddles. Olive still calls them cuddles. It's amazing.



Olive repeatedly requested to pull June. At this point June was ready to go home.. he kept trying to stand up/jump out but soon found it amusing that his sister was pulling him along. She did a great job.

I am so happy that I found this used wagon for the kiddos on Craigslist for Christmas. The paint is peeling a bit.. but it adds character. I like how tall the sides are and that they're removable in case we have something interesting to carry or want to take the wagon in the car. I like used gifts, for multiple reasons. I like joint gifts. I like gifts that get us outside and moving. Gifts that add to the clutter and distraction and mess and add no direction to life are not my favorite.

To see the entire gallery click here!

my new friend, meadow. { frost on flower }

The first time I met Meadow was while she was being born.  I assume she wasn't really aware of my presence and probably wasn't really yesterday either.. so maybe we haven't really met yet.  But there will be plenty of time for that in the future.  :)  Meadow Jane belongs to our friends Brooke & Scott.  You can read about their birth (and see some photos I took) on their blog, if you like.

This session was kind of refreshing - I didn't have to waste any time lugging my supplies around (newborn sessions are typically full of props and things) and didn't have to go through the formalities of familiarizing myself with a location and a new family.  I was able to photograph Meadow in my own backyard.  :)



We started out with the soft white fluffy cloud.  She spent a few minutes attempt to nurse it (it's really fluffy and in no way feels like a person) so Brooke nursed her before we tried again.  It did the trick and she was ready to go.









Summer babies are lucky - I love outdoor baby sessions.  The lack of clothes, even lighting, and greenery makes everything easier and a little better.





She was great at making faces.





And she didn't seem to mind being in a big wooden bowl.













We moved onto Olive's suitcase.. because how can you not put a baby in this lovely suitcase?



And she knew exactly what to do.  Can any other baby in a suitcase photo ever manage to top this one?  She's smiling.. in a suitcase.. That's just perfect.









We took a couple of minutes for family photos.



For being a photographer, Scott is surprisingly not so great at looking at the camera.  I think he kept watching Olive wander into some landscaping.  But that's ok.  :)





Welcome Meadow.  :)

lowry hash { northside 365 }

My neighborhood has this really neat yearly photograph project called Northside 365.  A person is assigned a day of the week, takes a photograph within north Minneapolis on that day, and then it is posted to the website, Facebook, and more.

I've just picked up Tuesdays.

This is my first contribution to the project and a brief description:



Yesterday I visited the Lowry Cafe with my friends and Olive.  We went to admire our newly hung prints on the walls - 6 by myself and 6 by Scott Tuska.  It was exciting to see our work framed, hung, and for sale, but this delicious, new, and authentic Corned Beef Hash took the spotlight and hit the spot.

a winter wedding. { frost on flower }

I photographed a wedding the weekend after Christmas.  It's a busy time of year for a wedding and has the potential to be quite chilly.  But everything seemed to go quite smoothly and no one lost any appendages to frost bite.. though it was touch and go there for a few minute!

I was excited when scheduling this wedding - the church is very close to my house which always makes for a nice ending to a long day.  I've never been inside this lovely building with the bright green doors and was happy to have the chance!  It sits just down the street from the new Minneapolis Public Schools headquarters building.

Before heading in to meet the girls getting ready I snapped a few shots of the building.  Daylight was not going to be on our side so I wanted to grab that even before I was on the clock.

I absolutely love doing the "getting ready" shots in black and white.  They really make emotions and expressions stand out.  I find them much more moving than the same shots in color.

Lots of serious hair work was happening.

Got lucky to have such a lovely framed mirror around.  :)

It was a chilly and potentially snowy day - a good choice to have bridal boots and leg warmers on hand.

I was excited to see how these flowers would look outside against the bright snow!

Photographing the guys getting ready typically takes about 1/16 the time it takes to photograph the girls.

Time for first look!

Such a lovely door.  Look at the detail on top!  And the hinges!

And a very lovely bride as well!  :)

My favorite bouquet shot to date!

This lovely couple actually lives in Arizona!  The groom has only been to Minnesota a few times.  He has hand warmers in his hands.  ;)

The bride did a wonderful job looking warm and cozy despite the frigid temperature.

I believe it was about 10 degrees... You can't even tell.

We gathered up the entire wedding party and headed across the street.

By this point the sun was nearly gone.

The reception included a wonderful hot cocoa and coffee bar so we grabbed some mugs for a few outdoor shots.

I love the simplicity of this sanctuary.

The sanctuary was very very dimly lit.  We didn't have much flexibility with the available lighting - it was either very bright (which the couple did not want) or very dim.  A few spot lights in the balcony helped shine a little more light on them during the ceremony.  They made the choice to face the congregation rather than face the back wall.. which was quite helpful for me in terms of lighting.

She had a nice long train.

They did an amazing job turning a church gymnasium into an entirely different world.  It was a wonderful setting and I was impressed by their ability to change the room so well.

I also really enjoy reception photos in black and white.

There were wood cuts, Christmas trees, candles, lights, and wonderful little touches everywhere.

This cake was calling my name all night.

I love the way the lights created a canopy and made the room feel much more intimate.

The reception was relatively short but included everything important.  They got the job done joyfully without the event dragging into the night.

They were even able to pull off a sparkler exit!  Thanks to wonderful guests who were willing to brave the cold and not light each other on fire.  :)

Congratulations!  :)

I'm actually thinking of giving this church a try now!