Easter Shots

Easter at our house this year.

The Table

The Cake

The Eggs

{This was the first year Christopher really got to color eggs, he loved it}

The Hunt

Kisses from Papa

This is probably my favorite shot of all time...now if only Christopher wasn't off exploring...

I hope you all had a happy and blessed Easter.

We definitely had fun

{maybe a little too much fun}.

Now, we're just recuperating and trying to get rid of all these hard boiled eggs!!

Any ideas besides egg salad??

Simple Man

I've always loved and felt a connection with the song, Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It wasn't until I had my baby boy three years ago, that I understood why.

After I took these shots yesterday, I immediately thought of this song.

{really, what better way to spend an hour than to follow him around outside and watch him explore the world?}

The lyrics seemed so fitting.

Mama told me when I was young

"Come sit beside me, my only son

And listen closely to what I say

And if you do this it will help you some sunny day"

"Oh, take your time, don't live too fast

Troubles will come and they will pass

You'll find a woman and you'll find love

And don't forget, son, there is someone up above"

And be a simple kind of man

Oh, be something you love and understand

Baby be a simple kind of man

Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can

"Forget your lust for the rich man's gold

All that you need is in your soul

And you can do this, oh baby, if you try

All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied"

And be a simple kind of man

Oh, be something you love and understand

Baby be a simple kind of man

Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can

Oh yes, I will

"Boy, don't you worry, you'll find yourself

Follow your heart and nothing else

And you can do this, oh baby, if you try

All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied"

And be a simple kind of man

Oh, be something you love and understand.

-Lynyrd Skynyrd "Simple Man"

Hope you all have a nice weekend. We will be busy with egg hunts, pizza parties with friends and doing some work on one of our bathrooms.

And yikes, just realized, Easter is already next weekend?!?

Jade Elizabeth

Meet little Jade. She's 15 weeks old and nothing but a charmer.

Jason, Danielle and big sister Jasmine welcomed their little one into the world on a cold day in December. Since she's been around, she's filled their minimalistic world with more love than anyone can imagine.

Jade \j(a)-de\ as a girl's name (also used as boy's name Jade), is of English origin, and the meaning of Jade is "precious stone". Jewel name: the green stone which was believed to have the magical power of providing protection against disorders of the intestines.

When Jade was first born, she loved being snuggled warm and only slept in her car seat and swing. Now, she dozes off in her crib in her simple but sophisticated bedroom.

Framed on the dresser, is a picture Danielle received from one of her student's when she was pregnant with her first child, Jasmine.

No other caption is needed.

While I shot pictures of Jade, her older sister Jasmine watched Dora, read some books and did puzzles. "Berenstain Bears is my favorite" she proclaimed. And then of course, she did some posing on her own.

Thanks for being the perfect little model for me, Jade.

Oh Minted, How I Love Thee

My favorite online stationary store, Minted, is having an awesome contest and because I've been working on my photography portfolio, I'm so psyched to enter. All I have to do is submit 1 or 2 engagement photos to "Become The Face Of Minted" (and hopefully win $200 for the blushing bride).
This is where I need your help. Below are some pictures of an adorable engaged couple, Ashley and Aaron, that I took last summer. Please help me decide which images I should enter.
Do your best to imagine the picture being used for an advertisement or "Save the Date" cards or engagement announcements.

So, what'd you think? Which two are your favorite?
And make sure to check back by the end of the week. I'll be posting the winning pics here and on Minted's facebook wall. Then, you can head on over and "like" the images on their wall (as they plan on taking the amount of "likes" into consideration). Thanks everyone!