'Wordless Wednesday'

Digging up some oldies...

I was working on archiving images tonight and ran across an entire file of personal pictures that I'd never touched! When MJ was just 2 months old, we spent a weekend with Mike's parents at a lake house in Palestine. It was nice even though the neighborhood was a bit scary! One of the nights we were there a huge storm rolled in out of no where. I don't think I'll ever forget the erie feeling as the wind picked up and the clouds darkened! However, it did provide the most beautiful sunset ever and I seized the opportunity to practice my silhouette photography!!! I think I should dig through old files more often!!

-Sarah-


I love everything about these shots, except for the pesky dock lines! All they need is a little clone work, but I don't have the patience for that! I need to sweet talk Mike into doing it for me!!!








Isn't that stunning? You should have seen it in person!!! By the time I captured this, the windstorm had passed and there was a calm about the air.




Sweet MJ was just about 2 months old here. I can't believe that she is 9 months today!!!!

Micah + Nicole = Take 2!

The first time I met up with Micah and Nicole the weather was cold and W-I-N-D-Y! We decided to meet up and try it again - maybe avoid the wild-n-crazy hair look this time! Well, Miss MJ put a kink in a few things so we ended up doing the session around the medical center! It worked out great - lots of opportunity around there! I hope you guys like your second sneak peak! The rest will be done when we get home this week!!!

-Sarah-

Cute as a Button

I squeezed in one last session during my last trip to Perryton & what a note to leave on! This princess was adorable! I could have listened her her laugh and giggle all day! Thanks so much for letting me play with this sweet girl - I think I could have shot in that room all day! Hope you guys enjoy your sneak peek!!

-Sarah-

'My Life' Monday

Yikes! I can't believe it's already 11:30... Where did my day GO? I've been running around like crazy trying to get caught up on laundry and pack for myself and 2 kids for a week at Gigi & Joejoe's house! I'm starting to really feel the crunch now. With every hour that passes I think my to-do list is lengthened by at least 3 or 4 items!! Ahh, oh well... somehow it will all get done. In case you're wondering, the only reason I have time to make this post is because I'm feeding MJ :)

-Sarah-

PS. Head over to my crafty blog, and take a look at the beautiful scarf I'm giving away!!



Told you I have lots of Laundry!







Bags all ready to go... well, ready to go on the bed to be packed :)


And just because they're cute..... Madeline and Aiden.....

Sweet Baby Boy

Meet Logan. He was such a sweet heart today - a real trooper. I heard that he didn't like having his clothes off, but he tolerated all of my silliness quiet well! Once he finally went to sleep I fell in love with his squeaks and grunts. *Almost* made me want another baby! Erin, thank you for letting me into your life today, I truly enjoyed capturing this little guy for you. I hope that you enjoy your sneak peek!

-Sarah-

Nicole + Micah :: Sweet Love

I had a great time photographing these two love birds today. They are super excited about their upcoming March wedding and I am too! It's so fun to see couples who are truly in love! Enjoy your sneek peak guys - I look forward to seeing you again March!!

-Sarah-

'My Life' Mondays

Yah Yah, so it's really Wednesday, but I promise I have good reason for falling behind! Mike got sick on Friday evening and felt the need to share it with the rest of the family!! We both high-tailed it to the doctor on Monday and learned that we have bronchitis. Could have fooled me, I swear I had something that was going to kill me! Of course, Mj and Aiden weren't immune to this and they've been running fever off and on all week as well. Trust me, it hasn't been pretty around here. I think the lowest point was last night when my fever hit 103.9! Mike said I was a bit loopy - talking jibberish and doing lots of moaning. We probably should have been at the ER, but it seemed like a better idea to wait it out and be miserable at home than to wake up two sick kids and camp at the ER. I think we can only get better now... last night had to have been rock bottom!!

Anyway, here's a glimpse into My life. Now, normally this will come on Mondays..
unless we're all dying from the flu bug!

Welcome to my life!
-Sarah-



What happens when sweet little boys get sick? They get to lay in Mommy & Daddy's bed and watch movies. All. Day. Long.

'Stumble Saturday'

In an effort to become a better blogger this year, I've decided to have "themes" for a few days of the week and really make an effort to keep up with them. Well, today may be the 10th of January, but better late than never, right?

A few weeks ago, I ran across a cool site called Stumble Upon and quickly joined up. I love having the stumble button on my tool bar... it has created endless internet fun while middle-of-the-night nursing sessions! I've found so many cool sites with it so I just had to make it one of my weekly themes... Here's the deal... I'll log into blogger, begin my post then hit stumble - I'll just blog about what ever I come across!!!

Without further ado, this is what I stumbled upon today!

Panoramic View of The Eiffel Tower by Dennis Gliksman





How cool is that?? To get the full effect, watch it on full-screen mode! I let MJ play with my mouse while I had it pulled up and it made me a bit sick... talk about motion sickness!! If you want to see more, be sure to check out the Panorams.dk Main Page

Well, I do believe that the 'Stumble Saturday' is off to a good start! Be sure and stay tuned to see what the rest of the themes are!!!

-Sarah-

(Shameless plug here) If you'd like to help boost the ratings of Maddie Dean Photography, feel free to give me a review on Stumble Upon, just click the stumble icon below. While you're there, you might as well sign up for you own account and see what awesome stuff you can find on the 'net!!

Deja Vu

I finally got around to taking some pictures of Madeline in my Baptism gown. If it weren't for the lime green shag carpet or the 'Sarah' on my shoes, you could almost believe both of these pictures were MJ!!!

-Sarah-

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Michael and I braved the mall crowds on Friday and took the kids to talk to Santa. We were soo excited when we got there because the line wasn't bad at all - maybe 10 people in front of us. We had just gotten comfortable when word came back that Santa had to go tend to his reindeer and would be gone for approximately one hour! YIKES! Mike took advantage of it though and finished up some last-minute gifts while I hung out in line with the kiddos. When it was almost our turn Aiden was going nuts - he was so anxious to get to Santa; he could hardly hold still. My heart was thrilled - I may actually get a picture of both my kids with Santa. Well, good thing I wasn't holding my breath!!! When our turn came, Aiden's excitement quickly turned into fear and he let out a blood-curling scream. He held on to Mike like his life was in grave danger! There went my ideal picture of both my babies with Santa :( At least Madeline had a chat with him! My mom has a really neat custom frame that has about 12 years worth of Santa pictures with all the kids and I have visions of my own picture someday. Guess Aiden will be missing a year!! *Sigh* oh well, he can't be afraid of him forever, can he?

-Sarah-

4 Blissful Years

That's how long I've been married to my best friend, Michael!! We didn't do a whole lot to celebrate - just a quiet evening at home 1/2 kidless. Aiden was able to go to an hourly day care and play for a bit, but the infant room was booked. Miss Madeline stayed home with us. She ate green beans while Mike and I had shrimp/chicken pasta then she watched Hancock with us! Talk about an exciting evening :) I look forward to the rest of our lives!!

-Sarah-


If you know me well, you know that I have a strong hatred of any form of seafood, so for this stuff to even be in my home is huge. Not only was it in my kitchen, but I touched it - I shelled it and cooked it all on my own. Now that is love folks!!




The yummy dessert that Mike picked up when I made him go buy the shrimp :) Hey! I at least did the cooking



My anniversary present! Yes, it was really a faucet. Did you know that the modern 4th anniversary gift is an appliance? Though it's not super romantic, it is something that we desperately needed!!! Yeah for my hubby!!



Just because.... A wedding picture. December 16, 2004
(Photo by Peak Photography)

Breat Cancer Awareness Month - Think Pink!

Breast cancer has become so common that I don't think there are many people in this world who haven't been affected in some degree by this terrible disease. I've had both friends and family members fight the fight against breast cancer. I have participated in numerous Cancer Relays. Now I am doing something else for this horrible disease! For over a year now I have been an affiliated photographer with Think Pink Photography.

What is Think Pink? Founded in October 2007 by Ohio Photographer, Tennille King, Think Pink Photography strives to help breast cancer survivors and their families celebrate life with charitable photography sessions. Individuals may choose to document their fight against the disease before or during treatment, or prefer to capture their victory with a session after treatment is completed. Photographers world-wide are now available to donate time and talent to celebrate life and support the cause. There is no cost or obligation to the breast cancer patient.

Think Pink Photography is a non-profit organization. Any profits Think Pink Photography receives through donations or various fund raising efforts are donated to the Eric R. Beverly Family Foundation - a foundation dedicated to promoting education, increasing awareness, and providing support and assistance to families that have been touched by breast cancer.


If you or someone you do is fighting this battle, please contact me. It would be a honor to be your Think Pink Photographer. Clients participating in a Think Pink Session will receive a complimentary photo session, as well as 10-15 finished 4x6 prints from the session. They will also receive a discount off of any additional portraits they wish to purchase, although there is absolutely no purchase required at any time.

My Sweet Babies

I haven't shared pictures of my two together in a while so thought I'd do that today. I can't believe Miss Madeline will be 4 months old Saturday! Simply doesn't seem possible that she is so close to 1/2 a year old!! Wow! Getting pictures of her is easy, getting pictures of Aiden is a bit more difficult, but getting pictures of the two together is almost impossible!!!! I was excited when I got something close to good. I really have to remember to take off my photographer hat and put on my mommy goggles when I take pictures of the kids... Not every shot has to be a portrait... I just need to focus more on capturing the moment that taking a pulitzer prize photograph!!

-Sarah-

Down. Set. Hut Hut.

My little brother had his 1st tackle football game this past weekend. That in and of itself was a big deal... but the even bigger deal was playing the game on Ranger Field! Our high school as a brand new, multi million dollar turf field and each peewee team gets to play one game on it. (Championship games will also be on Ranger Field!) I was excited to be home for this and take some pictures for my mom. Now, I'm not a sports photographer. It's harder than it looks, especially when you don't have a super great understanding of the game!! I think sports pictures are best left to my friend Homer of Cayer's Sports Photography. (I want to be him someday when I grow up!) But at any rate, here are some that I did get. Jackson is #12 and he plays center. #15 is his best friend and our neighbor, Logan.

Way to go guys!!

P.s. yes, the did win... In OVERTIME! Don't know the score but know they won by 2!!

-Sarah-

Take a hike Ike!!

Living so close to the gulf has some nice advantages (Family portraits on the beach anyone?) But it also comes with a price - From June 1 to November 30 is Hurricane season and this month is considered to be the "peak". Dolly, Eduard, and Gustav have all made it through the Gulf and we managed to doge-the-bullet with those three. Now Hurricane Ike is barelling down on us and we're not going to be so lucky this time. My husband and I have been trying to make difficult decisions over the past 24 hrs. It's incredibly hard to decide to pack up and leave. I think that if we didn't have 2very young children we'd stay and ride it out. But with 2 babies I think we're better off leaving! This is really the 1st major hurricane that has come our way since we purchased our home so we didn't have plywood for the windows. We do now and in just a few hours Michael will begin to get it up. We'll pack what we think we couldn't live without and hit the road for San Marcos to ride this out with my brother. I just pray evacuating doesn't go as bad as it did with Hurricane Rita - that was a NIGHTMARE. So, guess this is bye for now. Looking forward to posting an "all clear" in a few days from my untouched home!!!


-Sarah-