Jude's first Christmas

family moments

Grandparents enjoying their
grandson

i am really thankful for family. i love how God created the family. i love feeling completely known and loved - the special feeling of loyalty and the sacrificial nature of caring for family members. i love the uniqueness that each family member brings to the family - giving it a vibrant, unique dynamic.

November and December were full of amazing time with so many family members. Here are some of my favorite family moments from the past couple of months.





Bethany, my cousin, cutting Ben's (her younger brother) hair! I love this moment!  How many teenage boys let their older sisters cut their hair?!

My great Uncle Tony is 93 years old.  He is full of spunk, energy and wit.  He's Czech, but his parents moved to America some years before he was born.  He's lived his whole life in Chicago.  He is full of stories, jokes and laughter.  We got to spend Thanksgiving with him - I always love being around Uncle Tony!

Rose is Tony's youngest sister - they are the two surviving sibling out of ten.  My Aunt Rose is so kind and caring and full of wit as well!  It was wonderful to be with them. 

The cooks (and the vultures :)) in the kitchen.

My Aunt Laura, Uncle Rob, and cousins Ben, Ashley & Bethany with Jude

 

My great Aunt Marie is 95 and has lived her entire life in Gadsden, Alabama.  She is my grandmother's sister, but has always been like a grandmother to me.  She never married, so never had grandchildren of her own - but she has always treated me like a granddaughter.  I adore my Aunt Marie.  She is such a godly example of loving others, praying, living simply and giving generously and sacrificially.

 Aunt Marie with Jude

Cousins at Christmas 

Merry Christmas!

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.