Wren Hope

Wren Hope Stoddard :)

She's here! As seems to be the story with me, the c-section was difficult and things went differently than I planned. Wren spent the first several days in the NICU having a hard time breathing and keeping her oxygen levels up.  It crushed me not to have her with me in our room, and I spent as much time in the NICU with her as possible.  After a few days and lots of tests, she began keeping her oxygen up on her own and we were able to take her home.

This baby has been a true delight and gift from heaven.

My heart has been so full, I don't even have the words yet to express my feelings.  I'm just so grateful she is ours.

I am healing, and taking time to memorize her perfect face.  She is my Hope. <3

jordan.emily {married}

It was such a beautiful (HOT) day for their October wedding... but it was perfect.

These two are so perfect for each other.

October weddings <3

court.megan {engaged}

I love when people want to shoot at Tibble Fork Reservoir, it's one of my favorite places.  It rained on us, but we still managed to have a blast and get some great pictures. :)  My last shoot before maternity leave!

Christiansen {family}

jordan.emily {formals}

Armstrong {family}

Weston {family}

jordan.missy {formals}

32 weeks

We can officially say she's coming next month... but that's a little misleading because we still have 8 weeks to go. :) She should come at the end of October and the kids are so excited they can't stand it. Us too! 32 weeks down.

Hayden {Birth}

One of the most beautiful babies I've ever seen. Loved being part of this birth.

claire {kindergrten}

It was *finally* Claire's turn to start Kindergarten today! She's been driving us both crazy all week waiting for her turn.

 We were both totally thrilled, and she jumped on that bus happily and never looked back. :)

Claire and I had picked out a cute dress for her first day... that is, until she saw this shirt in the exercise section at Old Navy and she nearly died. "Mom!! It has thumb holes and a pocket for my hands in the front and it's SO comfortable!!!" ... Nothing else would do after that.  In the car on the way home I said, "I thought you wanted to wear the dress?" and she said "What can I say Mom? I'm just so much like you." :) Yes, I'd pick exercise clothes over almost anything else, she's got me pegged.  :)

She also insisted on wearing one of my "special necklaces" to school so she could think of me all day. She chose the little camera necklace and I didn't have the heart to tell her no. She is so funny.

Her little freckles and dark eye leashes kill me... Graham and I only wish Kindergarten lasted a little longer.. ;)

jordan.emily {enaged}

2nd grade

This little tender heart started second grade yesterday! I may be in the minority, but I'm so happy to have her back in school and can't wait until her sister joins her next week. :) Addie got her front tooth pulled at the dentist, and her little gap tooth smile kills me. Love her. :)

nate.cassie {married}

Love these two so much and am so happy for them! Wish I could have been with them in Idaho, but so happy I could be there for their special  day. 

nate.cassie {formals}

One of my favorite shoots of all time. :)

night sky {tips}

I am just beginning to understanding photographing the night sky... there's so much to figure out! But I've figured out a few things so far.

1. Focus manually (on any star you can see in the sky-- zoom wayyyy in and focus on a bright star manually.. then zoom back out to take the picture)

2. Tripod is a must! You can't possibly hold still enough to get a clear photo without one.

3. Try and shoot when there is no or little moon... the moon is super bright and makes it harder to get the stars.

4. Open up your Aperture (f-stop) as low as you can to let in the most light.  My settings for the picture below were: ISO 3600 F stop 2.8 Shutter speed: 30 seconds   Crank up your ISO, open your f-stop, and give yourself a long lengthy shutter speed.. bingo! :)

{washington}

I recently flew to Portland and met up with my college roommate and fellow adventure lover, photographer, and friend. We backpacked and road tripped along the Washington Coast, just the two of us! (much to my mother's horror, lol) It was a beautiful dream come true, and an unforgettable trip. We saw the Hall of Mosses in the Hoh Rainforest, backpacked and camped at Second Beach, saw Sol Duc Falls, hiked in and camped at Shi Shi beach, drove to the Cape of Flattery-- the northern tip of Washington where you could look out to BC Canada... it was incredible (we even saw a whale!). We drove along the top of Washington along the coast back down to Panther Creek Falls, and back into Oregon for night sky shots at Mt. Hood. We had so much fun. We slept on the sandy beach two nights, and in our car the other night... and yet, it was perfect. We took pictures to our hearts content and breathed the fresh air. The cool, moist air is so refreshing for me. I love it there.

Here are some of my favorite highlights :)

[envira-gallery id="3795"]

lizzie.ryan {married}

jordan.missy {engaged}

walker {family}

The light this night was incredible. <3