Fall in my New Neighborhood

For a while now, I've been making a conscious effort to practice gratitude.  I believe in looking for the good.  I don't always succeed, but I'm trying.  We recently moved, and I absolutely adore our neighborhood.  I love fall - the colors, the crisp air, the feel of a warm coffee cup in my hands, corduroys, boots, scarves, the whole shebang.  I couldn't wait to explore the lake that our house backs up to.  It is riddled with bridges, foliage, picnic benches, a walking path around the entire lake, and lots of interesting nooks and crannies.  This morning, I popped out of bed and my camera and I went on a walk.  The steam was rising off of the lake.  It was so beautiful.  I couldn't help being immensely grateful for my surroundings.  Here are a few of the photos I took.

This is the view from our backyard.  This morning was beautiful - crisp fall air causing steam to rise from the lake.

      A tree canopy

Beautiful leaves

 The ripple of a creature stirring in the lake.

 Beautiful light.

 A pretty bridge surrounded by fall foliage.

That leads into a wooded area.

 Another pretty bridge.  I picture families here getting photos taken.

So picturesque.

 The splendor of fall.

 A shaded nook full of plants, stones, a bridge and even a bench to sit and enjoy nature.

Go out and enjoy the beauty around you this week.  Be present.  Be grateful.

Wichita Children's Photography Foltz Session

I have been itching to photograph these stunning young ladies for a long time!  Their mama and I taught together, and every time I would see her kids, I was always struck by how breathtakingly beautiful they all are.  I love their outfits, and the colors of the field we were in.  As you know, small children lose interest after a while, so I did my best to document their personalities as they really are, and capture real interaction, not just posing.  There's only so much posing you can do when they're real small.  Enjoy!

               They should all three be models!

           The girls got distracted by a ladybug - children are natural explorers, and you just have to go with it!

 The colors are delicious!  I want this on canvas.

 I really wanted the little pumpkin to look up, but then. . . 

                                 She did this!  Even better.

And then she lit up like this.  I'm in love.

 One word.  Stunning.

 Sweet

 Of course, we had to climb trees.  This was a majestic, beautiful tree.

 I insisted Mama get in a few.  We mama's tend not to document ourselves, and I think it's so important.  One day, the girls will treasure this.

 So cute.

 We tried to stack them three in a row, but little cutie wanted to be independent.  

 Towards the end, they were done.  Then I got this.  Delicious.

What a sweet way to end this blog entry!  Thank you, Foltz's for letting me spend some time documenting you as you are.  So beautiful.  

Wichita Family Photography Christian's Session

Phew!  I just finished conference week, and we are pretty much packed and ready to move.  I've had so many things going on lately that this blog has been seriously neglected.  Now that my life has slowed down a bit, I hope to be more regular at posting.  I was privileged to take family photos of this beautiful family Friday night.  Little blondie was precious!  He was such a ham!