Newborn Shoot: Noelle Renee Lehtinen

You can view the entire gallery on my photography blog.

Christmas Cards: Great deals at Shutterfly

Every year I wait and wait to find the best deal to get free or very inexpensive Christmas cards printed.  I have always loved Shutterfly, but their prices were always too high for us while being in seminary.  This year though, I have found the best deals at Shutterfly!  It all started with checking out at my local grocery store and getting a print-off for a free 8x8 photo book from Shutterfly.  I've always ordered my photo books from Apple, but since the Shutterfly offer was free, I thought I'd give it a try.  This is what I ended up getting (and will make a great Christmas gift for the grandparents! :))

When I received the book in the mail, it came with an offer for 5 free holiday cards and a coupon for 10% off of my next order.  Combined with other offers on their site, this makes for some decent priced Christmas cards.  I love the designs that they have and it's so easy to drag pictures in and edit your text.  Check out their different holiday card and Christmas card styles.

I'm so excited about this years' card because Shutterfly has the option to upload your own design instead of using one of their templates and it has a step-by-step explanation of it and it was very easy to do.  So I was able to get exactly what I wanted along with the ease of their card templates.  They sent me a sample of their new premium cardstock and it's a really nice, thick quality.  

While you're at it, you can order great photo gifts like wall calendars, photo albums, Hanukkah cards, and even upload and print pictures.  Go here to choose your own card or invitation!  I love these:

And great news for bloggers out there, they are offering a great deal right now of 50 free cards for you!  Go here to learn more about it. 

Jude's 9 month Tricks

he loves the camera

this is one of my favorite recent shots of Jude.  It makes me laugh because he makes this same face (wide open mouth smile) everytime he sees a camera or video camera.  Unbelievable. 

joys and strife

It has been a busy and hard past month. Some of you know that my knee started swelling about 5 weeks ago and got to the point where I lost all range of motion. So I started out going to my primary care doctor and, over the past month, have gone to many different doctors and had several tests run. I had an MRI done yesterday and go back to the orthopedist tomorrow for him to read it. We're hoping something shows up on the MRI - otherwise, we are going to be going to a rhumatologist next. Also, my back pain flared back up a couple of months ago and so I saw a different orthopedic surgeon, had additional xrays done and now am in PT for my back...with limitations due to my knee! :) So, needless to say, it's been a bit time consuming having about 4 appts a week and dealing with the pain and inconvenience of limping. On top of these things, our car broke down, my computer fried, and Greg lost one of his jobs (because of the car break down) - all in the same week. God graciously reminded me of how fragile life is and is helping me keep things in perspective. God never fails to provide for us and to care for us. It was a good reminder to me of how very needy I am of Him.

But in the midst of lots of difficulties, there have been great joys. These are some of my favorite moments from the past month and things for which I am very grateful.

1.  A healthy baby boy.  Remember when we used to be concerned about his weight gain???  Well, not anymore! Look at that chunk-a-monk!

 

2. Having some of my family nearby in New Hampshire.  They have really been such a gift and support to us while we've lived up here.  This is my first time to live within such a short driving distance of family and I am so grateful for them!  This is celebrating Greg's birthday at my Uncle Mike and Aunt Liz's house while my cousin, Dawn's, little girls helped blow out the candles.  (Jude just watched.)

3.  The leaves.  The changing colors and fall leaves make me so happy.  They have a super nostalgic effect on me each year, reminding me of the cyclical nature of life.  (Jude is eating a leaf below - don't worry, I didn't let him swallow it.)

4.  Our wonderful friends, the Arnoults, who are like family to us here.  Their little boys, Jacks and Paden, love Jude.  And Jude adores them.  

Jacks gives Jude a kiss

 Paden and Jude take a bath together

5.  Our dear friends, the Lehtinens, who just had a baby.  They stayed with Jude one night this month so that Greg and I could go out and celebrate our birthdays together.  

6.  My amazing mother-in-law, Cindy, who was here for 2 weeks this month and made it possible for me to go to all these doctors appointments, PT, etc while she stayed with Jude while Greg worked or studied.  She is such a gift to me - she treated us like royalty and babysit so Greg and I could spend time together and so I could get out and have some alone time.  I realize now that when you become a mother, you sometimes forget to take care of yourself because you are so busy caring for everyone else (I forget basic things like going to the bathroom until I almost can't hold it anymore :)) - and so it was SO comforting to have a mother here to "mother" and care for me.  She could not have come at a more perfect time.  Thank you, Cindy!!

7.  My amazing little baby boy, Jude, who reminds me daily of how quickly life passes and how I want to treasure each moment.  He makes me laugh when I am sad.  When he buries his face in my chest and wraps his arms around me tight - I want to bottle these moments while he is so small and remember his smell, his skin (& rolls), his coos.  I want more than anything for him to know Jesus and to live in the rich love of Christ all his days.  

my 31st birthday

i have always loved october.  but octobers in boston are the best octobers :).  i had a really sweet birthday this year.  we put jude down for his morning nap at our friends house while greg and i went on a mini date to several of my favorite places in South Hamilton.....Starbucks, Patton Park, Canaan Farms, and Hamilton Gardens.  We had lunch with our good friends and then came back home to rockport where i went to the ocean to journal for the first time in months while jude napped.  it was a glorious fall day.  ryan and lindsey babysat for us and greg took me to dinner in gloucester and then we built a fire on the beach across from our house and made s'mores and hot chocolate.  It was a day filled with many of my favorite little things....reminding me of how thankful i am for this life that God has given me to live.

Starbucks at the park

jude helping me open cards....he chewed while i read.

journaling at the ocean

s'mores and hot cocoa on beach