Beautiful little A. who is so sweet and loving!




I am looking forward to meeting the newest addition to this family very soon!

So, don’t tell Kathie I told you but she got so excited when she called to tell her friend Allison that she won…. that she backed right into a post at church. Yep folks, she was crying and emotional and smack… Have I told you all how much I love my job? Sorry Kathie but such a true testament to your love for Allison!

I asked Kathie to please write me a little about the family for me to put on my blog tonight. Kathie has incredible writing skills and when she sent me the entry it was beautiful, well-crafted, and really long. So, I essentially asked her to shorten it for all of you readers.

From Kathie:

Ron & Allison Valdes are the proud parents of two amazing boys, Reagan (7) and Jake
(4- his birthday is today, Christmas Eve!).  They do their best to both nurture
their family and work hard, while also juggling commitments to the church choir,
nursery committee, and special projects at church (such as Trunk N Treat at
Halloween).  Allison works during the day, while Ron works in the evenings, ensuring
one of them is always home with their boys.

They are an exceptional family in all of the ‘normal’ ways… the first to volunteer
to help out, wonderful positive outlooks, dedication to God.  But that is not what
makes this family really special.  Their story begins when Reagan was born;  both he
and Allison were in dire straits during the delivery process.  When Reagan was born,
he was not breathing, and it took almost ten full minutes for the medical team to
revive him.  During this time, Allison was not conscious, and Ron was facing the
possibility of losing both his wife and his son.

Against all odds, nearing the ten minute mark, Reagan took a breath.  He spent the
beginning of his life in the NICU, fighting an uphill battle to survive, but he had
a secret weapon… a team of two parents who would move heaven & earth to do the
very best for him.  Reagan has cerebral palsy, and at age six was just beginning to
walk on his own (without his walker), after a number of rounds of intensive,
expensive suit therapy.  This past summer, though, his progress was halted due to a
need for surgery to repair his hips.  Again, he was in ICU, in incredible pain and
struggling to get through each day.  But, as always, he had his parents & Jake to
count on…

Reagan is up and moving again, playing with his brother, and working hard to gain
back the skills he lost due to surgery.  You would be hard-pressed to find a happier
family, despite their challenging circumstances.  They exude faith and in many ways
emulate Christ-like behavior.  They are beyond thrilled to have the opportunity for
professional photographs of their family!!

Thank you Elizabeth, from the bottom of my heart.  I cannot tell you how much it
means to me, and will mean to so many others, for you to do this for this special
family.  For all they give to their children, to their church, and to others, I love
that this is a gift for them.

Merry, Merry Christmas!!!
love kathie

Thank you Kathie for taking the time to nominate them. Tonight I had a voice mail from Allison and she told me that these will be the first professional images ever taken of Jake. All money has been spent on Reagan since Jake’s birth so there has never been extra money for this. I am beyond honored that I will get to photograph both the Kelly’s and the Valdes’ in the next few months.

Well, the clock is ticking over here and Santa is busy putting together a kitchen for Eliza. Mrs. Clause should be stuffing stockings and helping Santa… so I must run. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

I got eight entries total and I was truly moved by all of them. It was difficult to make a decision and I spent lots of time praying and thinking about which family I could best be of service to. My heart wants to help everyone but I realize that is not realistic. I could not narrow it down to just one so in the end.. I choose two families to help. Thank you to all of you who took time to nominate someone special to you.

I introduce you to the Kelly family and their story….

The Kellys had their first child, a son named Isaac, Jr., in July of 2007.  In late January 2008, Isaac, Jr. was getting some tummy time just before getting ready for a bath and bed. His father picked him up off the floor, and Nicole was talking to him and playing with him. Isaac took his last breath and was gone. He was exactly 6 months old. The Kellys handled their loss in such an amazing and graceful way. I really saw God and the divine in the Kellys during this time. Obviously, they were (and are) devastated, but Nicole, who is a wonderful singer, sang at the funeral and did the eulogy. One thing she said stuck with me — “If God had asked me, ‘Do you want this perfect, funny, loving and healthy little boy to light up your life for 6 months, but then he will leave you to live with Me?’ I would have said,  ‘Yes!’” That is Nicole, and the faith that she and her husband demonstrated was a lesson for all who have the privilege of knowing
them.  At the time Isaac, Jr. died, they were trying for another baby. Nicole was pregnant but didn’t know it for some time. But she lost that baby in February.  Soon thereafter they got pregnant again, and the Kellys had Ian just a couple of weeks ago. What a year of ups and downs for this family.  I believe that they are truly deserving of your services and that a photographic celebration of Ian, Nicole and Isaac, Sr. would be the perfect beginning to their new family.

I will be heading to Nicole and Isaac’s house for a newborn session next week and I am so thrilled to meet them. Their story is very touching and I feel honored to be a part of helping them celebrate this new beginning as well as honoring baby Isaac’s short life.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography — $1000 worth, to be exact. Whether it’s canvas or albums, prints for Grandma, or a slide show to watch over and over, it’s in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a $250 print credit. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside in the greater Atlanta area. Tell me who you know, what they’re experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

* Leave a comment here on the blog to let me know you have entered and then e-mail me the full story at elizabeth@ebsphotography.com

* All entries must be received by December 23rd, 2008 at 8 AM.

*Both sessions must be completed by July 15th of 2009.

I am one of numerous photographers who are banding together this year to create wonderful portraits for very deserving families. Here is the map of all the other participating photographers:

The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve so get nominating! I can’t wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season — and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

With love,

Elizabeth

For now… I must introduce you to this beautiful family. Such a sweet mommy and what beautiful children. It was the first time I had the pleasure of photographing them and we were lucky to get a semi-nice day to be outside. It is so cold now that the outdoor days are really coming to an end.

This was one of only two smiles I was able to get out of little L. His mommy told me that he had not been feeling 100% and he was having a very tough afternoon. I was grateful that mom was realistic and laid back and she let me try several different times with him. Finally, I got this and I felt great success!


Big sister S. was especially sweet and loving with little C.

I end with the second smile of the afternoon… I am so sad that baby C. is not in this image too.

This sweet little angel was so much fun to photograph. She did NOT want to sleep for me but we finally got her down for about 5 minutes. That is when these the above and below images were taken. This next image is my all time favorite from the session!


Next up is this darling brother and sister! She was full of expressions and I literally laughed out loud when I opened this up.

Her very handsome big brother…


Finally, I wish this was as sweet as it looks. Trust me when I say this was a SECOND in the making. Little K. was really done by this time so she was squirming all around.

This is a family who I first photographed about a year ago. I was thrilled when they invited me to come photograph their newest addition. Baby W. was a very sleepy little newborn and his brother just loved and loved on him! I adore this image…


beautiful family…

Last but not least… this very sweet family. This was the first time I had the privilege of photographing them and they were pure fun to work with.

Look at their cute little doggy who joined us for a family portrait!


Can you resist smiling when you look at this sweet boy?

That about sums it up for now. Hope you guys enjoyed all the fun images from this past week. I promise to try to stay on top of things for the remainder of the year. Have a great week!

By the way, I pulled out all the Christmas decorations at the studio today. If you are coming by in the next few weeks it will look very cheery. I am not one for decorating before Thanksgiving but this year I gave in. There is such a short time from Thanksgiving until Christmas this year that I want to enjoy every second of it.

Speaking of holidays…anyone started shopping yet? If so, please do not tell me. I can’t think that far out right now.

When I do shop it will be on the Internet… I can promise you that! I do about 80% of all my shopping on the Internet. Ahhh- the power of the little silver keys on the computer.

Alright enough ramblings. I know this is a completely random post! Clearly, if you read the first paragraph, you know that I should be working.

Oh, and by the way, one last reminder that I am booking January 2009 now. PLEASE do not call me and beg for a Christmas session. Sadly, we are officially out of time!

Peace!

When you have exceptionally beautiful parents- you have exceptionally beautiful kids. It just works that way!



The chaos of a family with three young children… not that i would know anything about that!

Finally, a family portrait…

I am working hard to finish proofing the eight sessions from last week. Stay tuned over the next few days for lots of sneak peeks.