Long time no post....

Sorry that I haven't posted anything on this blog for a very long time!!!! I've been doing most of my personal updates on Facebook and on my photography blog instead as I am finding it very difficult to keep up all 3!

Please visit my photography blog at http://racheljphotography.wordpress.com/ to view recent photos of Linnea that were taken this morning.

Quick update:
She's got 3 molars popping through, she started really walking on July 9. She spent the month of May traveling and was a trooper. The long international flights were tough though. She's about 25 lbs and 30 inches tall and a happy girl. She's recently discovered whining and that's been a bit hard to handle at times. She likes pretty much all foods including a lot of foods with flavour. Good thing since Jeff is a great cook and cooks with chili and garlic a lot. :)

We're headed to the mountains in the morning for 4 nights and very much looking forward to a break that we all need from life around here. I think I simply need time away from my work. I am keeping very busy and it's getting much harder now that Linnea only naps once a day and needs attention almost constantly.

Thanks for checking in! I'll try to post more regularly if I can, otherwise check the photography blog. THANKS everyone!! Much love!

11 months old, Easter, Swinging...

Well it's been a long time since I've posted so I thought I better upload these recent photos. Linnea enjoyed Easter in a cute pink dress and is now pulling herself up to standing and walking along the couch by herself. She loves to get into anything she shouldn't. She went in the swing for the first time yesterday and loves it!! Today I took photos of her and our neighbor Leland (3 months younger than Linnea) with mom, Brandy. We hang out all the time and go for walks almost daily together. It was a fun time!

Working...

Well I have a really busy month ahead...Competition images are due in 2 weeks as well as a fine art portfolio competition I'd really like to enter if I can get the images done in time. I have 5 or so maternity sessions, a 3 year old session and an engagement session all in the next 2 weeks so on my work blog you'll have to check out all the new images I'll be posting after the sessions. Linnea has her one year check up with the doctor on April 21 so I'll finally find out how much she weighs and how long she is. I'm terrible about taking her in to the clinic to get her weighed and measured like most moms. I simply don't have the time and she's a growing and healthy girl so I think everything is good! :) Well, it's pizza night at our house tonight with friends from Transcend Coffee so I better run as they'll be here any minute now.

I also wanted to say this year is going to be an extra fun year for me as I have a few ladies whom I'll be mentoring. Paula M is has her own studio and will be shooting every wedding and as many sessions with me as possible to learn everything she can from me...Chelsey S is a first year NAIT student who will also be coming to weddings and sessions to learn and observe as well as shoot...Amelia W will be observing, learning workflow and shooting skills as well. It's going to be crazy and of course my part time assistant Aaron Au will be shooting almost every wedding as my 2nd photographer and he'll be a lead photographer on a wedding as well. Yay Aaron!! I have more weddings booked this year than I had thought or really wanted to book but it'll be great and a TON of work!! Hopefully I can get it all done in a reasonable amount of time. My next wedding is Jeff's cousin Perry's in Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark. I can HARDLY wait!!! It will be extra special for me to capture their wedding day, engagement session and much more. Woohoo!!

Until later!

The Little Boxer

Linnea turned 11 months old yesterday. Jeff and I took her down to the gym before karate class and I photographed her in the boxing ring and around the gym. This is my favourite shot of her and I think it looks like she's about to punch out a beauty of a jab! She really enjoys "punching" the bag and chewing on the ropes in the ring. She's babbling a lot more and making new sounds all the time. She loves to clap, mimic us, crawl up my leg and loves to be cuddled. Her eighth tooth is just about through and she actually enjoys peas and liver which she's been eating this week. She continues to enjoy the bath and walks and isn't scared of Buddy, our dog, anymore. She'll wave hello and good bye to everyone who comes and goes and will sometimes wave at you even if you're not going anywhere.

Linnea is just about 11 months old

Wowsers - I can't believe our little baby is almost one!! I know everyone says time flies by when you have a baby and that it goes by too fast and it's so true! We are enjoying every stage and watching her learn new things all the time is a ton of fun. Here are some more shots that I took yesterday of Linnea in the bath and on her play mat. I got a new camera and macro lens and was having fun playing around taking photos. Enjoy! If you want to see Linnea's orchid shots, they're on my work blog: http://racheljphotography.wordpress.com/

Bath Time

Well, after 10 1/2 months Linnea finally had a bath without any tears. We started off with a shower and then transferred to a bath. It worked really well. In the end I was able to even get out of the tub, grab some toys and play with her. She LOVED it!!! She splashed the water with her hands and with her toys for the first time and enjoyed moving around although she did find it slippery. Here is the evidence:

Linnea 10 Months Old

Here are a few photos I took of Linnea last week. She turned 10 months old on Saturday...She is developing and growing at a fast rate these days.

Instead of the usual crawling, she scoots around the house on her bum and loves to climb up anything she can and reach for anything she shouldn't touch. It's been a lot of fun watching her discover things all the time. She has pulled herself up in her crib to standing from a seated position and loves to clap her hands. She eats more and more these days and is growing up quickly. She now has 6 teeth and she's turning into a little girl too fast! She continues to nap twice a day and loves routine although we like to change it up for her now and then.

Trip to Canmore

Jeff, Linnea and I had a fantastic 3 days in Canmore this past weekend. We enjoyed watching several movies and going for walks around the town. These are my favorite photos from the trip.

Jeff's Bread

My husband Jeff loves to bake artisan bread. Tonight he baked three loaves of whole wheat multi-grain bread and it turned out beautifully. Here is a photo of the bread that I just took for him. Now once the bread cools I’ll get to enjoy a piece before I go to bed tonight. Yum!! I’m so lucky to be married to such an amazing cook and baker! He constantly amazes me with what he creates in the kitchen.

Here's a couple shots of Jeff's bread.




The last few days have been really difficult as Linnea is sick with a very bad cold and she's teething. She's not eating solids well, not sleeping as long and cries and whines throughout the day. It's been exhausting. I hope she starts to feel better soon and that Jeff and I don't catch this awful cold.

Mom and daughter

Jeff grabbed the camera and shot this photo of Linnea and I this evening. I just love it despite the fact that I have really bad hair and I have one of her hair clips in my hair. :)

Brand New Website

I'm so excited!!! I spent a lot of time this month putting my new website together and started a new blog as well. Please check it out and let me know what you think. Update your bookmarks and email address book as well. These are the changes:

WEBSITE: http://racheljphotography.com/
BLOG: http://racheljphotography.wordpress.com/

New E-mail: info@racheljphotography.com

Thanks for your love and support!

9 Months Old

This week has been very busy. I've booked a wedding, I've been working non-stop on my new website and I have clients coming in and out...plus Linnea turned 9 months old and is teething badly (getting her eye teeth). Tomorrow I am photographing for the Edmonton Symphony Society fundraiser which is a BC wine tasting. Should be fun!

Here are 4 shots of Linnea taken today wearing "big girl" pants with a real button and zipper. :)

A Quick Naked Baby Session

So I had fun this morning - I had 4 minutes or so of shooting time as I was getting ready to do a headshots session...I plunked Linnea on the floor and went to town. Here are some of the photos. Comments that I've made about the photos are on my facebook page...