Jaidean's Blog

NEW BLOG, NEW BLOG, NEW BLOG

2008-10-15T18:14:00.001-07:00

It has been a long-time coming, but my new blog is finally done! Please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds if you read this blog that way because I will not be posting to this blog anymore.

The new blog address is: http://jaideanbakerphotography.com/blog/

Please leave a comment on the new blog and let me know what you think - I'd love to hear from you!

A gorgeous family

2008-10-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

I met up with this wonderful family this morning. Rachael and I are on a photo message board together, so if was great to finally get to meet her in person. They are from Coeur d' Alene and made the trek over into my neck of the woods for some family pictures. Her kids did awesome despite the freezing temperatures this morning. I did feel bad for Baby T though...by the end of the session her lips were turning as blue as her gorgeous eyes! She was such a trooper though!

C was more interested in watching the ducks than looking at me! I don't blame him - they are more interesting!

Look at all her hair. She is just a couple weeks younger than Emery and I just can't believe how much hair she has. Just adorable! Can't wait to be able to put Emery's hair in lil' piggy tails!

Interview with Teagun

2008-10-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Jami to do a Q&A with Teagun

1. How old are you? I don't know
take two: three

2. How old is mommy? three

3. How old is daddy? two

3. How do you bake a cake? blow on the handle, make it, and then put it in the oven.

4. What is daddy's name? Trevor

5. When is your birthday? handles make it

6. What is your favorite color? blue

7. What is your favorite animal? tiger

8. What do you want to be when you grow up? a big giant pirate!

Oh man, I thought this was going to be fun. That was like getting my teeth pulled to get him to answer these questions (absolutely no attention span)! :)

Now I'm tagging Stephanie and Jennifer

Growing Up

2008-10-08T15:51:00.000-07:00

way too fast. I downloaded these and then just kept looking at them on my computer screen thinking, "He is not that big. He is not that grown-up looking. Where is my baby?" I don't get to share him enough on here because he won't let me take his picture, but he saw me taking pictures of Emery here and said he wanted to touch the fence (hence the finger on the fence) for a picture too. Can't argue with that!

Under Construction

2008-10-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't guess it from this photo.

Wouldn't it be nice to sleep through anything??? We (or should I say Trevor) put new siding on our house this weekend (we put new windows in a couple weeks ago). I have no idea how she slept through the saw, nail gun and hammering, but she did. Right until I went in and took this picture and as I was closing her door apparently the tiny creak wakes her up...figures!

A Holiday Session

2008-10-05T13:42:00.001-07:00

I had my first Holiday session yesterday evening with the L family. They are all just so much fun. We were downtown and went for some not so traditional holiday pictures and I just love how they turned out! Thank you so much L family and I hope you enjoy your sneak peak!

Pink

2008-10-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

Being able to dress your baby in a pink, puffy, pretty pettiskirt...that's what having a girl is all about, right? :) I bought this shortly after Emery was born because I knew I would have to take pictures of her in a pink pettiskirt. Since we had one last nice day of weather on Wednesday I decided to break it out of the closet to see if it would fit and it does for the most part. I'm sure she will be able to wear it for a couple years, which is great!

Them

2008-10-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

A total snapshot, but I just love it. A glimpse of our afternoon. Pretty much everyday when Emery wakes up from her nap Teagun asks me if he can go in and play with her. I can hear them laughing and giggling in there and then Teagun comes out and asks if he can get in bed with Emery. Emery stands there hanging on the edge jumping up and down while Teagun jumps from one side of the crib to the other. Just love how I captured her actually holding still looking at me and caught Teagun in the middle of a jump.

Dress Up

2008-09-29T09:56:00.001-07:00

So after the poop incident when trying to take some 10 month pictures of Emery, I decided to try again that afternoon and dress her up a little for them. Teagun had gotten a pair of Uggs when he was born and for some reason they never looked very boyish to me, so he never wore them. When I had Emery though, I pulled them out of storage and she finally fits in them. They are soooo cute! So here are a few more 10 month pictures of Emery.

I was feeling black and white for these pictures, but thought I would throw this last one in color also so you can see the little boots better! :)

Weeks 24, 25, & 26

2008-09-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

My Kids and I

Last time at the lake for the summer! :(

Emery Sandwich!

15 Years

2008-09-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

Today is mine and Trevor's 15 year "dating" anniversary. I was thinking about it the other day and we have been together for half of my life...crazy! I did talk him into an anniversary trip (I had asked for recommendations a while ago), but we won't be going until December. We are going to go on a week cruise to Cabo San Lucas, Puerta Vallarta, and Mazatlan. I'm really excited! I tried to scan a picture of us on our first date back when we were sophomores in high school - a homecoming picture, but I couldn't remember how to work the scanner, so I found this picture from prom our senior year that was already on the computer (we are on the left if you can't tell!) :)

10 Months Old

2008-09-24T10:35:00.001-07:00

Happy 10 Months, Emery! I can't believe she is going to be one in 2 months. Crazy how fast the second baby grows up...way too fast! She is still content just cruising around furniture and crawling, thank goodness. She has no interest in letting go, so I am hoping it will be a bit longer. Two teeth finally broke through last week. She is a climber...anything she can reach, she climbs up on. The other day I was folding clothes in my bedroom and walked out and something caught my eye in Teagun's room and there was Emery on top of his bed standing at his headboard playing with the toys on the shelf. Oh, and she definitely has a little attitude. I am pretty sure she will be beating Teagun up within the next 6 months. She already swats at him and "yells" at him. They are going to be so much fun when they are older...lol.

I tried to get a couple pictures this morning, but right after this picture, she sat down and crawled away right into dog poop. sigh...

Baby A - 5 days old

2008-09-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

Oh goodness. I got to photograph the sweetest baby yesterday. You may remember his mama from her maternity pictures last month. She has a c-section on Monday and was up moving around like nothing when I was there on Saturday. Made me feel like a big baby! I'm pretty sure I would have been laying in bed still. :) lol...

Congratulations J family - baby A is just a doll! Enjoy your sneak peak!

Arrrrr, Matey!

2008-09-19T17:36:00.001-07:00

It is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, afterall.

Another Conversation with Teagun

2008-09-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

from this morning.

Him: Mom, you're a cute girl. You are going to raise into a nice gentleman.

a gentleman, huh? lol...

Rachel

2008-09-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning I met-up with Rachel downtown for her senior pictures - I love it down there because there are just so many different backgrounds to choose from.

She tried to tell me she always makes funny faces in pictures, but I think she was lying! :) I got so many great pictures of her.

It was so great to meet you - enjoy your sneak peak!

10 on Tuesday

2008-09-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

Well, today it is really just going to be 10 snapshots on Tuesday. I carry my little point & shoot camera with me all the time and I downloaded the pictures last night, so thought I would share some of what has been going on/what we have been up to lately.

1. Teagun got stung for the first time a couple weeks ago. He did really well when it happened, we put some ice on it and he fell asleep. When he woke up, though, it could have possibly been the end of the world! :)

2. Remember my "Moody" post last week. Well, this was taken the very next school day. Woke up silly as could be. He just likes to keep me on my toes apparently. But his hair was cracking me up. We finally went and got it cut this weekend.

3. Ahhh...to be a little boy!

4. We went boating with our friends, Holli and Jason, last weekend. Teagun LOVES to tube. We really need to buy a boat...

5. We went to the fair this weekend. Teagun is now to the age where he notices the rides first thing and that is all he talks about the whole time ("When are we going to the rides?").

6. Who needs dolls?!?!

7. We walked to the park this weekend and let Teagun drive his Power Wheels there. On the way home, Trevor put Emery in with him. It was so dang cute. Teagun kept looking at her and laughing and she just kept her arm propped up on the window sill acting like it was no big deal. She also liked playing with the radio buttons. I'm sure this is just a glimpse of what it will look like in 13 years!

8. I got a new "toy". I am so excited! I used it at a session this weekend and just love it! I have a new lens on the way too - can't wait!

*the next two pictures were taken with my new camera

9. My busy body (you can't see it, but I have my foot on her to stop her from rolling over and crawling away...probably why she is giving me her scruntched-up nose look). We are in teething hell right now. I don't remember Teagun being really affected by teething. Emery on the other hand...

10. And a picture of our "first baby".

Kim & Colin

2008-09-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the honor of photographing Kim & Colin's wedding at the beautiful Duncan Gardens in Manito Park. It was just the perfect day - gorgeous weather, perfect temperature, and beautiful location! Congratulations you two! Enjoy your sneak peak!

Bruised

2008-09-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago (yes, I am still playing catch-up!) Emery did a not-so-graceful dismount from the coffee table and fell forward into it and ended up with a big ol' bruise on her cheek. She is definitely our tough kid...bounced right back. It has now just finally started to fade, thankfully (of course she had a doctor's appointment like 3 days after it happened...doesn't that always happen???).

Moody

2008-09-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

No, not this face?!?!

Oh man, this morning was rough. The newness/excitement of preschool has already official worn off, I think. He was a total pill this morning. He never wakes up very well in the mornings or from naps - has a very hard time waking up/adjusting (I blame that on Trevor because I LOVE to nap/sleep!). He cried, screamed, threw tantrums. He didn't want to get dressed, didn't want to eat, didn't want daddy to leave to work, didn't want to go to school. Just plain didn't want to do anything.
Anyone else have a child like this? Any tips/suggestions on how to make the mornings run a little smoother??? I won't make it through the school year if every morning is like this!

Lil' Stinker!

Emery's 9-Month Check-up

2008-09-08T13:48:00.001-07:00

Emery had her 9 month check-up last week. No shots, so that was nice. She is tall, just like her brother. She weighed 19.4 oz (55%) and was 29 3/4 inches long (97%). Our only major concern was how she likes to get most of her daily calorie intake in the middle of the night (seriously - I kept track last week and she eats about 24 oz a day and about 12oz of that is at 1:00am and 6:00am). It would seem an easy task to just get her to eat more during the day, but when you can get up and feed her in 10 minutes instead of listening to her cry for who knows how long in the middle of the night (to try to get her to move her feedings during the day)...it is just much easier getting up right now. I keep telling myself, "ok, next week is the week." and then it passes. Oh well...one of these days she will be sleeping through the night.

She is teething...they are right there. On Friday, I would have bet money that they would have popped through by Monday, but still nothing yet. But this is how she looks all the time now - just sucking on her lips (massaging her gums???).

Jaeden

2008-09-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of photographing Jaeden the other day. He recently turned one and was just adorable - curly blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes.

Weeks 21, 22, and 23

2008-09-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

My Kids and I

I'm having a really hard time keeping up with this, but I'm determined. I still have last week and this week's to download and post to be caught up. Hopefully one of these days I will be caught up again!

And Trevor must have took 20 pictures and this was the most in focus one...lol.

Madi and Kali

2008-09-06T11:58:00.001-07:00

And finally we have Madi and Kali - 9.5 month old twins. These two were just adorable and so well-behaved. They weren't too sure about the big black box in front of their face, but warmed up to me quickly and were more than willing to show off their dancing skills...so cute! And those pony tails just make me smile.

Ben

2008-09-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

Ben also attended the Portrait Party. He is 3.5 years old and so cute and stylish! He took me all over the yard to get pictures. It was nice to photograph a 3 year old who would actually look at me. Not used to that since Teagun does not like the camera right now!

Dane

2008-09-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

Up next from the portrait party is Dane. He is 2 years old and just all boy - playing with his tractor, climbing trees, and playing in the dirt. He was so much fun!

Grace

2008-09-04T06:45:00.000-07:00

Monday evening, I had the great pleasure of photographing several kids/families at a Portrait Party. We had a lot of fun and got some great pictures.

First up is Grace. She is 7.5 months old and just so sweet. And look at her beautiful blue eyes - love them!

First day of school

2008-09-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

Teagun had his first day of preschool today. It went really well. I realized, though, that I need to be a little more organized in the mornings now to be able to get myself and two kids dressed, fed and out the door on time. Not used to that! But we made it and he was really excited and did great getting dropped off (me too!) and said he had a lot of fun.

Here is a picture I took real quick with my point-n-shoot this morning as we were headed out the door. He was not happy I was making him stop to take a picture!

Rick and Gina

2008-09-01T14:40:00.001-07:00

I had the great pleasure of photographing Rick and Gina's wedding this weekend. It was at a beautiful location in North Idaho - the Heartland Ranch. Such a beautiful day and gorgoeous wedding! Thank you for letting me be a part of it.

Glowing

2008-08-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

I had a session this morning with Ariel. She is such a gorgeous pregnant lady. Thanks for letting me drag you around the streets of downtown this morning. It was great to meet you!

Check out those cute shoes!

HOLIDAY MINI SESSIONS!!!

2008-08-27T13:20:00.000-07:00

TELL ME MORE ABOUT THESE MINI SESSIONS

WHO? For you, your kids, your family (up to four subjects). $10.00 per each additional person.

WHERE?
October 4th - Downtown
October 19th - Finch Arboretum
Very limited time slots available. Contact me right away to schedule your session!

DETAILS The cost is $115.00 and that is due at time of booking. Mini-session package must be purchased to participate in this special. One pose only in package prints. Additional prints/poses may be purchased at 10% off. Additional sets of cards are $50.00 per package of 25. All orders must be placed by November 15th. Portraits make great gifts - get your Christmas shopping out of the way!

Contact Me If interested, please email me at jaidean@jaideanbakerphotography.com.

DRAMA queen

2008-08-26T19:54:00.001-07:00

Isn't she too young for drama?!?! A few outtakes from the pictures I took this weekend of Emery. She kept doing this totally fake cry trying to get me to stop. It was cracking me up (is that mean that I just laugh at her??). :)

and the "can this be any more boring, mom?" look...

9 Months Old

2008-08-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

Today is Emery's 9 month birthday {sigh} - she is growing up way to fast!

- She still has no teeth
- She is sleeping MUCH better
- She is still a mommy's girl...she has even started leaning away and hugging her arms around my neck when someone else tries to take her. I secretly (or not so secretly now) love it! :)
- She clapped for the first time a couple days ago.
- She said "Momma" for the first time this week too - she was crying looking for me and said it. Trevor even heard it, thankfully. However, the next day I was telling my sister about it and was trying to get Emery to say it again, and she said clear as day, "Da-Da" - little stinker! I'm definitely counting "momma" as her first word though!

We all just love her death and are so thankful to have her in our life!

A few pictures I took of her yesterday.

Stay Tuned

2008-08-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

It's that time again to start thinking about your holiday portraits and cards. Christmas will be here before you know it!

I am going to be holding a couple days worth of Holiday Mini-Sessions in October, which will include a short session, portrait prints, and custom holiday cards. You will get custom portraits to give as gifts and your holiday cards to send to family and friends. More detailed information coming next week. Space will be very limited, so if you think you might be interested, please email me and I will get you on the list.

Here are just a couple of the card designs I will be offering this year - gorgeous folded cards that will display between 1-4 of your favorite pictures from the session!

Rock Star

2008-08-23T14:28:00.000-07:00

Last week Teagun had a shirt on that said "Rock Star". I was telling him what his shirt said and he told me he'd better play his guitar then. I think I should have grabbed our video camera instead of my regular camera...it was pretty cute!

(click to see it larger)

For those...

2008-08-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

in the dark ages. lol...j/k!

Here is the link to the Twilight Series. Holli - if you want to read them, just get the first one and then I have the last three you can borrow! :)

And HERE is the google reader link (if that link doesn't work, just google "google reader". I think you might need a gmail account, but not sure on that??? But you just subscribe to blogs you like to read and it automatically lets you know when they have been updated. So no wasted time having to go to individual blogs to see if they have been updated anymore - love it!

And a picture of Emery since this is a photo blog afterall!

10 on Tuesday

2008-08-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

I'm jumping on the "10 on Tuesday" bandwagon...this week anyway. I'll see if I can even get through 10 today first.

1. Teagun started swimming lessons yesterday. I seriously almost teared up when he walked away with his class to get in the water - he looked so big and independent, but he is still my baby. I am *not* that mom, so it totally caught me off-guard.

2. He has preschool orientation next week. I'm guessing by my reaction to swim lessons, that the first day of preschool might be kind of rough on me...unless he acts like he needs me. I think that is what got me yesterday, he was just like, "see ya later, mom!" and turned around and walked away without thinking twice about it. He went to daycare full time for 2.5 years and he loved it and I loved it...I seriously have no idea where this is coming from. But we both are super excited for school to start! Now I don't have to feel guilty that I am "dumbifying" (like that word??) my child...lol!

3. Next month is mine and Trevor's 15 year "dating" anniversary. I'm trying to get him to go on a mini-vacation, but he is fighting it of course. Any good recommendations??? I was thinking of a short cruise out of California, but haven't looked into it all that much.

4. I have a girlfriends long weekend planned in October with two of my very good friends from high school. We all turned 30 this year, so we are all flying to San Diego and hanging out and going to the spa - can't wait!

5. Yes, Trevor endlessly complains about all my trips and leaving him at home, but then when I try to plan a trip with him, he doesn't act like he wants to go, so it is his own fault! :)

6. I jumped on the Twilight book bandwagon and am loving it! I am not a big reader - I honestly can't remember the last book I read, but I have read almost 3books in two weeks now. Love them. Yes, they are geared toward young teenagers, but I don't care! The third book is taking me a long time, but I think it is because I know I will only have one book left and then it will be all over! So I need book recommendations - preferably series books, but I am open to single books too!

7. Look how big he is getting. I get asked all the time if he is four...makes me kind of sad because I'm sure people expect him to act a little older than he really is then. But he is so darn sweet and cute (minus the whining and talking back).

8. And my Miss. Piggy. Seriously, this girl will eat anything and everything and can't get enough.

9. I love Google Reader. I don't know how I lived without it! I love reading blogs and am subscribed to almost 150 now and can keep up with relative ease. If you don't use it, you should (just be sure to still click into my blog and leave me a comment every now and again still!!!) :)

10. I am putting together information on my Holiday Mini-Sessions I will be offering, so be on the look-out for that in the next week or so! Yes, it is only August, but Christmas will be here before you know it and you will then already have your cards ready to go and pictures to give as gifts!!!

Expecting #3

2008-08-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

I had the great pleasure to meet Kari who is expecting her third child next month. She had traditional maternity pictures done with her first and wanted this one to focus more on her and her children. Mr. S and Miss. M were just adorable and are so excited to meet their baby brother next month. Enjoy your sneak peak!

Trash the Dress Session - Haley

2008-08-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

A few pictures of one of the other models we had for our TTD session.

Trash the Dress Session - Trina

2008-08-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

As you may remember a while back, I had a "casting call" for models for a trash the dress session. Two fellow photographer friends, Keri of Keri Doolittle Photography and Susan of Whimsical Photo Design, came to town to participate also. We had three GREAT models and had so much fun! Here are a few pictures of one of the models, Trina.

Another Conversation

2008-08-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

I always promised myself I am going to document funny things my kids say and by the time I get around to doing it, I have forgotten...so I'm trying to be better about it!

We were on our way to the pet store to get a new pump for our fish tank. Trevor ran in while I waited in the car with the kids. Teagun asked what he was doing as he was getting out and Trevor said, "I'm getting a pump for the fish."

Teagun: Mom, is dad going to get the fish a salad too?

Me: A salad? What are you talking about?

Teagun: Dad said he was getting the fish a pop - is he getting them a salad too?

bwwaaahhhhaaaa!! Kids are so funny!

Mr. D at Manito Park

2008-08-15T19:53:00.001-07:00

My good friend Rachael was in town visting from Arizona and asked me to take some pictures of her son, D. Now doesn't he have the most pinchable cheeks ever??? Oh goodness, he is so cute! Thanks for letting me take pictures of him!!!

Conversation

2008-08-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

A conversation with Teagun.

Him: "Dad is my favorite."

Me: "Well, what am I then?"

Him: "You are my cute little girl!"

I guess I'll take that! lol...

Standing

2008-08-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

I think I mentioned in a previous post that Emery started pulling herself up a couple weeks ago. Well, she took a break after she did it a couple times, but now has come back full force. She is pulling herself up on everything now and even starting to take a few steps "cruising" along the furniture. Yikes!

She also started waving "Hi" and "Bye" last week and ::drumroll:: slept through the night for the first time on Friday night. However, it was short lived as she has been waking up two times a night since them. Hummpphhhh!

The C. Family at Riverside State Park

2008-08-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening I got to hang out with Noah and his parents. His grandma, aunt/uncle, and cousin also joined in and we had a lot of fun exploring, watching the river, and playing with the dirt and rocks. Thanks for letting me photograph your family. Enjoy your sneak peek!

And do you remember this lil' guy? Landon was the winner of my last blog contest and I took his one year pictures a couple months ago. Noah and Landon are cousins and we tried really hard to get some pictures of them together, but Landon was not interested in getting his picture this day. I thought this was pretty cute still.

Preston

2008-08-10T08:09:00.001-07:00

I had the great pleasure of taking pictures of Preston yesterday morning. He just recently turned one and was so cute and so full of energy. His mom, Kim, and I are in a Mommy Group together and I was so excited when she contacted me about taking his one year pictures. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy your sneak peek.

Jeff & Stacy

2008-08-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of meeting Stacy and Jeff. Stacy contacted me about doing some pictures of her and Jeff in their wedding attire for their third wedding anniversary. We initially had planned on doing the session up at Arbor Crest, but because of an event going on at that location we had to change plans at the last minute. We ended up at Manito Park. Despite the initial stress (your not supposed to have stress like that when it is not even your actual wedding day!) of figuring out whether or not to reschedule or find a new location, we got a lot of great shots. I hope you guys had a great wedding anniversary and it was great to meet you! Enjoy your sneak peek!

and their adorable son, David.

Weeks 18, 19, and 20

2008-08-07T19:32:00.001-07:00

My Kids and I

Catching up

2008-08-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

with a whole lotta snapshots (all taken with my point-n-shoot camera)

So as I mentioned, my sister and nephews came to visit a couple weeks ago. The boys did a lot of swimming and Teagun saw how much fun his cousins were having jumping off the diving board and finally did it himself.

and then my sister and I joined in on the fun.

Emery learned to bear crawl.

And ate watermelon for the first time and couldn't get enough.

We went to the Deer Park Settler's Day parade where my parents were the Grand Marshalls.

And my nephews got to ride in the parade with my grandpa who was "Mr. Eagle"...ok, I can't remember exactly why he was in the parade, but it was something like that! :) He is now in the hospital recovering from surgery and we are wishing him a quick a full recovery!

We also got to go to Silverwood and had a great time despite the crummy weather.

Then this weekend, I flew to Las Vegas to meet-up with some friends. It was too short, but we had a great time!

Ok, that's what we have been up to the past couple of weeks! :)

Still here...

2008-08-01T13:16:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to write a quick note to say I am still here! Just extremely busy lately. My sister and nephews were in town and just left on Wednesday and we had a great visit. I got this great shot of my older sister and me doing a canon ball off the diving board together...debating whether I want to put it on here or not. If it was just her, I definitely would (hee-hee!). Anyway, I'm headed to Vegas tomorrow. It is my first time there and I am meeting up with a bunch of friends there and am soooo excited! I hope to catch-up on posts and the "my kids and I" posts here soon...I have the pictures from the past couple of weeks, but just haven't had a chance to download anything yet. Anyway, hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Family Pictures

2008-07-26T06:23:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned below, a fellow photographer friend, Keri Doolittle, of Keri Doolittle Photography was in town visiting family and was nice enough to take some time to take family pictures of us. (if you are in Arizona and need a great photographer - contact her!!!). She just used my camera and I did the editing on them - so if that sucks, it is totally my fault! :)

10 Things I Love About Teagun

2008-07-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

- His sense of humor. He is so funny.

- That he loves to have "dance party" with me in the evenings.

- That he told me I was his best friend the other night. Normally daddy is. I am going to win him over one of these days!

- How he whines and whines about not wanting/needing a nap and then proceeds to sleep for about 3 hours everyday still.

- How when he is helping daddy, and Trevor says something to me, Teagun will repeat the exact same thing to me right on the tail of Trevor. He is Trevor's little "mini-me".

- How he squeals back at Emery when she starts squealing and laughs and laughs about it.

- How he differentiates his grandmas by calling one grandma "Grandma Crazy-Hair" (yes, she knows this!) :)

- That he still has to have his milk first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening and it still has to be warmed up.

- How he calls the bank the "penny" bank. "Are we going to the penny bank today, mom?"

- That he still asks to sit and snuggle a lot of evenings before bed still. I'm sure that isn't going to last much longer!

And a picture of him not looking at the camera, of course! This picture was taken by a fellow photographer friend, Keri Doolittle. She took some family pictures of us the other night, which I will be sharing soon!

10 Things I Love About Emery

2008-07-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

- Her big, beautiful blue eyes.

- How she S Q U E A L S at the top of her lungs...and such a girlie squeal too!

- That she is a momma's girl.

- That she is a zerbert blowing fool (except when she blows her food all over my clean shirt!)

- That she loves to eat everything and sweet things too - taking after her mommy!

- How she thinks Teagun is just the funniest thing alive.

- How she will sit there and twirl both of her feet in circles. She has done this pretty much since day one and I just love it! And it is so cute how they start going even faster when she gets excited.

- That she is sleeping about 8 hours at night now (thank goodness!).

- That she keeps me on my toes and can't leave her for a second because she will be into something she isn't supposed to be - like taking a big fistful of dirt and trying to eat it (ok, this probably is more annoying than anything, but it does keep me going nonetheless!)

- Her easy-going nature...she always have this serious look on her face like she is just taking everything in.

{Sidenote: she just pulled herself up to standing today. Yikes - I have a feeling she is going to be walking (running) around way sooner than Teagun did!)}

Emery is 8 months old already (well tomorrow!). My 8-month old beauty!

I'm on a color-kick lately so thought I would throw a black and white one out there for the fun of it!

Nothing better...

2008-07-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

than your own bucket full of water on a hot summer day!

Teagun Update

2008-07-20T14:42:00.001-07:00

Teagun's turn! Probably won't be as long as Emery's since he isn't doing so many new things in short amounts of time now, but still wanted to do a post dedicated to him.

- Teagun is going through a "I hate the camera" phase...again. It is an on-and-off again love for him. Ok, it rarely is ever "on", but he definitely cooperates sometimes for me. He will not have any of that lately.

- He will probably kill me for posting this in public later on in life, but it cracked me up, so thought I would share. He "nursed" his Boo Bear last week. I was feeding Emery and he came up next to us, lift his shirt, and proceeded to feed his bear.

- His new phrase is "Oh my gosh!" and says it with such enthusiasm no matter what it is. "OH MY GOSH, Mom, look at that mixer!"

- He remembers everything now. Definitely have to really think about what I am "promising" him now in our discussions!

- He LOVES to spend the night at his grandparents. He just stayed the weekend with my parents and cried and cried when they brought him back home. Made me sad!

- His imagination has just exploded! He is always telling us these funny and crazy stories. Just amazes me sometimes.

- Anytime he sees a bunch of trees, he says it is the "wilderness" (no matter if it is in the city of not) and there might be tigers in there. We must be careful! :)

Ok, I realized I need to do these more often with him because he says funny things or does something funny all the time, but I have the memory, so need to write about it write away or I forget about it.

Anyway, this is what I get when I try to take a picture of him lately. Absolutely NO eye contact and then runs away. ALL. THE. TIME. Booooo!!!

Kai and Kaylee

2008-07-18T22:10:00.001-07:00

While at the river last weekend, I had the opportunity to take some pictures of Kai and Kaylee. They are both just so cute! Kaylee and Teagun are only 6 weeks apart and I think we might have to have an arranged marriage with them - cute little blonde-heads, you know they would make the cutest couple! :)

A Baby Tush

2008-07-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

Nothing sweeter than that! :)

Week 16 and 17

2008-07-14T12:31:00.001-07:00

My Kids and I

Playing catch-up! These snapshots were all just taken with my p&s camera.

Two pictures taken one right after the other - do you see that look in his eyes in that first picture??? You can just see the wheels spinning...lol.

The River

2008-07-14T11:34:00.001-07:00

Our friends, Tracy and Ryan, invited us up to their river cabin this weekend to hang out and go boating. Teagun LOVED it to say the least. He had so much fun playing with Kai and Kaylee, swimming, and tubing for the first time. They even talked me into wakeboarding and I finally got up for the first time! But then totally face-planted shortly after. Now I feel like I am suffering from some serious whip-lash...I am too old for that apparently! :)
Trevor and the kids got me a new point-and-shoot camera for my birthday a couple weeks ago (30 - yikes!) that is soooo tiny and I can just put it in my purse or pocket for these kind of circumstances. I am in love with it though. I just had it in my pocket, took it out, and took some pictures while holding Emery. So much easier than my big camera! So these were all taken with me "new" camera.

She loves her cheese puffs!

Emery Update

2008-07-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

Thought I would do a post about what new things Emery has been up to. I want to try to do this for both kids more often.

* She likes to take a mouthful of food and then blow a big zerbert (Ok, I have no idea how to actually spell that?!?!) so it goes all over me. Thinks that is pretty funny as a matter of fact. Me, not so much!

* She can push herself into sitting position. Has been doing this the past couple of weeks.

* Started CRAWLING yesterday! Yikes! Teagun didn't start crawling until 8.5 months, so I was hoping to have another month before she did!

* Still no teeth and no sign of them really. Teagun's always popped up on us unexpectantly too though, so maybe soon.

* Is finally starting to sleep better. Still has not slept through the whole night yet (well, she is going anywhere between 6-8 hours at night, but she goes to bed at 7pm, so even if she sleeps 8 hours she is getting up at 3am still. But she is good about just eating and then going right back to sleep until around 7:30am).

* Loves, I main really loves, to eat. Puffs, cut-up bananas, crackers, spaghetti noodles, bread - you name it, she will eat it (along with all her baby food - haven't found anything she doesn't like yet). And she is actually really good at self-feeding. Seemed like it took Teagun forever to figure that out.

* Would live outside if we allowed it. Anytime she is being grouchy, I just have to take her outside and she is perfectly happy. She also loves the pool too - the cold water does not phase her at all.

* Still nursing, but I think she is just tolerating it now for my sake! My supply has gone down soooo much the past few weeks that we are now supplementing formula quite a bit so she isn't starving. I should probably just give it up, but I am having a hard time...probably because I know she is my last and I am not ready for my baby to "grow up" just yet! :)

* Much to my dismay, she doesn't like shoes. She will kick and pull at them until they come off. Teagun wore shoes from day one and I never left the house without shoes on him and he never had any problems wearing them. Emery, however, never has shoes on. Guess we are saving some money there at least! Hopefully she changes her mind about shoes here soon because I was so excited to have a girl and get all the cute girl shoes they have!

Bummer!

2008-07-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

Apparently I didn't read the fine print well enough, but Emery has been disqualified from the Parents Cover Model Contest. I received this email this morning:

We regret to inform you that your child does not qualify as a semi-finalist in the Parents Magazine contest. Per the eligibility section of the official contest rules, children must be at least six (6) months old and not more than six (6) years old as of May 7, 2008. Given the birth date you provided, your child was not at least six (6) months old as of May 7, 2008.

So she missed it by 2 weeks! I didn't turn in the pictures until after May 24th so she was 6 months old when I turned them in! Bummer! Just wish I would have received this email before I stressed about taking the five new pictures they requested. :(

5 More

2008-07-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

I've had a few people asking me about the 5 new pictures of Emery that I have to submit, so I thought I would share the ones I did end up submitting. They weren't due until July 15th, but I think Trevor might have strangled me (and Emery too if she could) if I just didn't get it done and out of the way! :)

Portrait Party - Diamond Lake, WA

2008-07-07T11:25:00.000-07:00

I had my very first Portrait Party this weekend and I feel it was very successful! Despite the cool temperature and very windy conditions, I think we got some good shots and had a great time! Thank you all so much for having me come to the lake to photograph your families - it was so much fun! Here is a little sneak peak.

Exciting

2008-07-04T11:16:00.001-07:00

I subscribe to Parents Magazine and a couple months ago I noticed they were having a "cover model" contest. I put the magazine aside, got busy, and forgot about it. Then my friend, Monica, emailed me urging me to enter. So I upload some pictures of Emery that I had recently taken. Done. Forgot about it. Then this past Wednesday night I receive a call, "May I speak to Emery's mother please?" Ok, weird! Is my daughter in trouble already?? :) It was Parents Magazine telling us that she was a semi-finalist! They narrowed it down to 20 semi-finalist (and there were over a million pictures entered!). They told me they would be emailing me that evening and I would need to answer a couple questions and submit five more pictures by July 15th. They will then narrow it down to 5 finalist who will get to fly to New York City for a photoshoot and a chance to be on the cover of the magazine! I have no idea if we have a chance or not, but I am just so thrilled she is a semi-finalist! I think she is pretty darn cute, but I am a biased mother and all! :) Even if we don't win a trip to New York we will have a chance to win an ipod nano (woo-hoo!). They will be putting all semi-finalists pictures on their website and everyone will be able to vote for their favorite. So when the voting starts for that I will let you all know! But now the pressure of actually getting five pictures to submit that I just love is turning out to be a lot harder than I thought! I just like to take pictures of her for fun and now I feel like there is pressure! Oh well...I just need to relax and let her be herself. The pictures taken for the first round were not specifically taken for a contest afterall. Anyway, I thought I would share the five pictures I submitted. I have no idea if one was the "winner" or if they take them all into consideration, but here they are. And if we hear any additional news, I will be sure to let you know!

Week 15

2008-07-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

My Kids and I

CASTING CALL: Trash the Dress Session

2008-07-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

Details: Thursday, July 17th. About 5 local and regional photographers are getting together to shoot anyone who is interested in “Trashing their Wedding Dress”.

Where: Coeur d' Alene, ID

Time: 6 - 9 PM

Who: If you are interested in putting back on that wedding dress to take some pics, please email me at jaidean@jaideanbakerphotography.com for further details. WARNING: Your dress might get a bit dirty and maybe even wet. These make for GREAT anniversary gifts! We have a limited amount of spots, so it is first come, first serve.

(Picture courtesy of Keri Doolittle of Keri Doolittle Photography)

Betsy and Chris

2008-06-30T21:38:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned below, I had the great pleasure of photographing Betsy and Chris's wedding. It was just outside of Whitefish, Montana at this gorgeous wooded area. It was a beautiful wedding and their families and friends were so much fun!

Busy

2008-06-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

That's my excuse for lack of blogging lately! Either working or playing outside with the kids now that it is nice outside it is hard to sit down and edit my own pictures. I'm still taking them...we'll see if I ever catch up on them though! We were out of town this weekend. I had the great pleasure of photographing a wedding (will hopefully post a couple pictures soon). It was outside of Kalispell so we were able to visit with Trevor's grandparents and aunt/uncle while there too. Trevor's grandpa ended up in the hospital with pneomonia and we wish him a quick an full recovery!!!
Here are a couple pictures of my happy girl (still no teeth yet as you can see). She is getting way too close to crawling. Getting up on all fours and starting to rock. I remember once Teagun started doing that it wasn't too far away. I'm not ready yet. I have a feeling she will be my curious one - into everything she can get her hands on. I better start babyproofing here soon!

Week 14

2008-06-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

My Kids and I

One Cool Kid!

2008-06-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

Just love him to death!

Week 13

2008-06-21T20:03:00.001-07:00

My Kids and I

Landon

2008-06-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

Today I got to meet my blog contest winner. Landon's grandma actually won, but she gave him the session for his one year portraits. He is so cute and definitely gave me a run for my money! I had forgotten how quick one year olds are! :) I had a great time hanging out with you all this morning and I hope Landon has a great 1st birthday! Here is your sneak peak!

Meet "Stiney"

2008-06-17T20:33:00.001-07:00

I had the great pleasure of photographing "Stiney" yesterday. Could she be any cuter and I'm so jealous of those curls! I photographed her last year (she is on my website in her little swimsuit) and she just continues to get more beautiful.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T13:35:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to give a little shout out to my wonderful husband this Father's Day! I couldn't ask for a better daddy for our kids and he does so much for us! In fact, today he is spending HIS day re-tiling (yes, I said RE-tiling...that's going to have to be a new post all on it's own) our kitchen.

Also, Happy Father's Day to any dad blog readers I have - I hope you enjoy your day!

Here are just a couple snapshots of the cute t-shirts I got for the kids to celebrate Father's Day. We are planning a little BBQ this evening and I am hoping to get some pictures of Trevor with the kids.

The L Family

2008-06-14T22:12:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of photographing this great family this morning. They were so much fun and their boys are just too cute! Thanks so much for inviting me to spend the morning with you - I had a lot of fun! Here is your sneak peak.

Can the look between the boys be any cuter???

Emery's 6 month stats

2008-06-12T21:21:00.000-07:00

Emery had her 6-month check-up yesterday. She weighs 16 lbs 1.5 oz (Teagun was the exact same weight at his 6 month check-up...kind of weird!) and 27.5 inches long (Teagun was 28.5 for comparison). That makes her in the 42% for weight and 92% for height.
When she got her shots and started crying, Teagun got the saddest look on his face and just burst into tears - he felt so bad for her. It was pretty cute. He is a good big brother.
Here are a couple more shots from the park taken a couple weeks ago. I was playing with some differnt processing techniques just for fun!

I still think I am more of a "color-pop" girl though!

My Handsome Man

2008-06-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I could just eat him up! He is so much fun and a day doesn't go by that he doesn't cease to amaze me (something new he has learned, funny things he says, whatever!). He is such a great big brother to Emery and just the sweetest little guy. I don't get to post pictures of him enough on here anymore (since he now chooses to run away from me instead!). I was able to capture these last week though.

Week 12

2008-06-07T15:16:00.001-07:00

My Kids and I

Siblings

2008-06-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

This is from my session on Monday (I shared a sneak peak a couple posts ago). Anyway, when I was editing I just absolutely fell in love with this shot! L absolutley adored Baby M and she definitely reciprocated that feeling. Now if I could only get a shot of my two munchkins like this! :)

First Park Pictures

2008-06-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

The first of many for Miss Emery so hopefully she enjoys it! :)

Sweet, Sweet Baby

2008-06-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

Meet Baby J. Oh goodness was he a sweet baby. I think I could have sat a cuddled with him all day. He is just beautiful (I can say beautiful instead of handsome at this age, right?)! Thanks for inviting me into your home to photograph him - it was so much fun!

Handsome L & Adorable M

2008-06-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of photographing these gorgeous kids this morning. Seriously, how cute are they? Beautiful kids, beautiful house, and great light - can't ask for anything better than that!!! It was so great to meet you! Here is a little sneak peak!

Pretty Cool

2008-06-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

More than one post in a day??? So not like me! :) Teagun is at grandma's house tonight and Emery is sleeping, so it is pretty darn quiet here tonight.

I took this picture the other day.

This is cropped around just the eye (and left in color obviously). But do you see the sky and cloud reflection (and me) in her eye? Just love her eyes!

Bugsy

2008-06-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

Meet Bugsy. I have a feeling this will end up being Emery's "security Blanket". She doesn't have to carry it everywhere yet like Teagun does his "Boo Bear", but she definitely loves to snuggle with it when she sleeps and is always rolling over looking for it in her crib. I just hope it is a sturdy little thing because we only have one and I have no idea where to get another. We had 3 Boo Bears to rotate with Teagun (though he definitely now only likes one of them and can tell the difference).

And just throwing this one in because I think it is cute! :)

The Thinker

2008-05-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

This picture cracked me up when I pulled it up on my computer. She looks so deep in thought. I wonder what her 6-month old brain is pondering. "hmmmm...I wish my mom would put down her stupid camera and feed me some milk." Perhaps??? lol...

Week 10 and Week 11

2008-05-29T19:41:00.001-07:00

My Kids and I

I forgot to post last weeks. I was just trying to do something a little different. I am holding Emery and Teagun is standing next to me.

And this one I totally messed up. I just set my camera down and had Teagun come over to give me a kiss to see if we were even going to be in the frame (taken with a remote) and then I went and checked it - looked good - so changed the settings and what do you know...he wouldn't come give me another kiss! So this is it!

New Playset

2008-05-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Teagun got this playset for his birthday last month, but it said it took 12-18 hours to put together, so it got set aside until Trevor had a long weekend to work on it. The long Memorial Day weekend was perfect. I'd say it took him about 15 hours, so they were good on their estimate! Teagun LOVES it though and is outside all the time playing on it. He loves to hold Emery as he goes down the slide and she just always has this look on her face of "what the heck is going on?" She does love the swing though! Here are a few pictures.

Yes, he is in just his underwear. **sigh** Who knows why he took his pants off!

And Teagun going down the slide. In the last picture of this series, he tumbled forward and hit his head on my camera (I really wasn't even that close to the end of the slide)...he is so darn clumsy lately!

See, I told you!

2008-05-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my previous post it is sooo much easier taking pictures of someone who doesn't run from me or give me attitude. I point my camera at Teagun and this is what I get.

(hey - at least I got some eye contact here!)

Now a little dance for the camera

Ok, I'm done, Mom! Leave me alone!

Some More 6 Month Shots

2008-05-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

I know I am about due for some pictures of Teagun, but it is just so much easier to take pictures of somebody who can't run away from me or give me any attitude just yet! :)

Happy Birthday!!!

2008-05-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

Today is Emery's 6 month birthday and Trevor's 31st birthday! I will have to try later on to get some pictures of them together, but for now here is some of my baby girl.

And can't resist cute little baby toes! :)

Signature Smile

2008-05-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

This is Emery's "signature" smile. If you give her any type of little grin, this is the face you get back. Just totally melts your heart and is so funny because she will just it over and over again. Have I mentioned how much I love this little girl? So dang sweet!

Look who is sitting!!!!

2008-05-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

As I stated a few posts ago, Emery was very close to sitting and the last couple of days seems to have mastered it! Well, probably not mastered as she still tumbles backwards every now and again, but she can actually sit there for a long time now and I am comfortable not being right behind her all the time. Yay!!!!

Fun in the Sun!

2008-05-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

Did everybody enjoy the nice HOT weather we had last weekend! We sure did...only wish it would have stayed around a little longer, but I'll definitely take what we can get for now! Teagun got this new sprinkler for his birthday and has been dying to test it out, so he finally was able to. He loved it! He would only actually run through it though if Emery and I ran through it too, so we all had a good time with it.

Blue Eyes

2008-05-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

I just love Emery's eyes. They are a very pretty blue shade by themself, but if you can get the sky or some really good light to reflect in them, they just really pop.

She is SUPER close to sitting up on her own. I was actually able to get a couple pictures of her sitting up on her own yesterday before she tumbled over. I can't wait!!!

Teagun's 3 year check-up

2008-05-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

We had Teagun's 3 year check-up last week. He is doing great and growing like a weed still! He now weighs 35 lbs (he went from the 30% to the 80% in weight! Surprised the heck out of me since he still looks really skinny to me. Guess getting those tonsils out really did help his appetite!) and is 39.5 inches tall. Time to start shopping for yet another carseat since he is a half inch away from being too tall for his current one.

His favorite phrase right now is, "Don't you know?" He starts EVERY sentence with that. Super cute the first couple times and now I am hoping it passes quickly! :) There was another thing I was thinking I needed to add to the post about him so I wouldn't forget...and I've forgotten already! Sleep Deprivation does that to you!

A couple pictures of my silly guy!

And the winners are....

2008-05-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

The winner of the free mini-session with CD of 10 images is:

And the winner of the $100 off print purchase is:

Congrats Cheryl and Tracy! Please email me at Jaidean@JaideanBakerPhotography.com so we can schedule a session! Please remember the sessions have to be completed by June 30, 2008.

I want to thank everyone so much for entering my first ever blog contest! As a Thank You, I am offering 20% off (and waived session fee) for everyone else that entered, but were not drawn. You must schedule the session by May 31st and the session must be completed by August 31st.

Thank you!!!

Portrait Party???

2008-05-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

**This post is for my local blog readers**

Have you heard of a Portrait Party? Basically, it is an event with several of your friends held at your home or nearby park where the photographer (me!) would come take professional portraits of all the kids. Each individual "session" lasts about 20 minutes. Everyone gets photographs of their children and everyone has a great time! The benefits of hosting is the host receives a great discount on print purchases - or may even get all their print purchases free. I am really interested in trying this out and am looking for a hostess with 4+ friends willing to participate. I am willing to offer a greater discount on this trial run since it is my first time doing this and want to find out if this is something I want to offer in the future. If this is something you think you might be interested in, please email me at jaidean@jaideanbakerphotography.com so we can chat about it a little more.

Some Mother's Day Random Shots

2008-05-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone enjoyed Mother's Day yesterday. We went and had a nice dinner with my mother-in-law. Here are some pictures we took.

Week 9's submission for My Kids and I

Playing around with a more aged/textured look.

Teagun and his grandma

No individual pictures with Teagun - I was lucky to get the one of the three of us. I actually had to sort of trick him and tell him we were going looking for bugs and then made a big circle in the yard so we were facing the camera! Mean mom! :)

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2008-05-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

I hope all you mother's out there have a fabulous Mother's Day!!!

Spring Portrait Giveaway

2008-05-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

**This post will be pinned at the top through next week. To see daily posts please scroll down.**

I am so excited that spring is finally here - I heard it is supposed to be in the 70's next week! Anyone excited as I am??? I can't wait to get back outside and take pictures again - it was a LONG winter! So I have decided to do a little Spring Portrait Giveaway. Here are all the details:

Two winners will be drawn by Teagun. First name drawn will win a FREE mini-session with me. What do you get? Location of your choice within the City of Spokane, 30 minute session, and 10 full-resolution, processed images on disk. A $200 value! Second name drawn will win a $100 gift certificate toward print purchase. Session also must take place within the Spokane city limits.
- You must be local (Spokane and surrounding areas) since the session has to take place in the Spokane city limits.
- Sessions must be completed by June 30th, 2008.
- Limited to four people photographed. Remember it is only a 30 minute session so there won't be time for individuals and family shots of everyone. So you may just want it to be a family session only, just the kids, or just you! Your choice!
- You can only enter ONCE! Please post a comment in this thread with your name and first letter of your last name. Only comments in this thread will be eligible for entry.
- Winnings are transferable. So feel free to have your mom, aunt, whoever enter for you. Or feel free to enter knowing you want to give the session to your sister or friend if your name is drawn. But same rules apply to whoever the winnings are transferred to!
- Deadline for entry is Thursday, May 15th, 2008 at midnight. We will draw the winners Friday morning and winners will be announced on the blog by Friday afternoon. Please check back on Friday to see if you've won!
- Winners must be willing to sign a model release allowing me to use the images from the sessions for promotional purposes, blog, website, etc.
- If winners do not complete their session by June 30th, the winnings are void. There is no cash value and no refund will be given.

Good Luck!!!