simple days can be so magical...

so don't forget to bring your camera.

i'd be willing to bet many photographers get those eye rolls from friends and family members about having to stop for a picture. c'mon--you know what i am taking about right? my husband is captured several times in this post with "that look" that i am describing. he hates that i bring my camera everywhere. hates even more when i whip it out in public places like the colorado rockies game last night.

but i can't help it. i am a photographer right?

hi, my name is mary beth, and i have a problem....

everyday moments can often surprise us with powerful emotion and even more powerful memories. and the way i look at it...the power is in the simple interactions. the real interactions that aren't scripted.

so our lovely occupational therapist and friend lindsay kindly offered us 4 great seats to the rockies first fireworks game last night. it didn't even cross my mind not to bring my camera and a lens or two (despite the cloudy skies). i knew i couldn't bring a tripod so i figured i'd make the best of my hand held skills.

and although the fireworks shots are less than perfect (where my tripod and cable release would have made the world of difference), the simple moments of father and sons enjoying a baseball game together are, to me, just priceless.

yes casey's struggles were a huge factor of the night. the noise and the crowd frightened him terribly. he cried and wanted to leave several times. but a few treats later and we were happily enjoying our view (and the snacks). and he did pretty well too during the fireworks (his first ever).

so despite the eye rolls and frustration with my passion for documentation of our lives together--i've created a nice set of images for us to forever remember our lovely lovely evening together as a family.

thanks lindsay and brandon for your generous gift.

somewhere under the rainbow

a magical wedding.

a couple so in love their eyes danced.

yummy pre-storm light for the ceremony and portraits after.

fun fun fun doing what i love love love.

and...

a

kiss under the rainbow.

making the most of a special day....

birthdays always seem to be centered around cake and ice cream, balloons and presents.

for this, casey's 4th birthday, i decided it was time to be more 'present' in his life and spend some quality time being creative. so in honor of that i uploaded these images straight out of the camera. no editing, no extra time spent at the computer. and i love them even though they were shot in our dimly lit basement.

we got messy. we laughed. we got messier. and we have these lovely pictures to remind us of our fun.

the best gift i can give my kiddos, no doubt, is to give less "presents" and to just be more 'present".

happy birthday my sweet sweet baby boy! affectionately termed " the cheese man".