We packed up the girls and headed to Radford, VA for Easter weekend to visit with Sarah’s family.  Unfortunately, her youngest sister Charlotte got sick so Dad-in-law was the only one to make the trip up from Richmond.  But we had a blast spending time with Dad-in-law, Sarah’s sister Rosie, our bro-in-law Jonathan and our hilarious nephew Ian.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the weekend.  I have a few more posted on Facebook, so if you’ve seen these already, forgive me.

Sarah's great shot of Kyla playing at the river

One of 3 decent pictures of me over the past 4 years. Sarah had to wrestle the camera out of my hands to get it.

Perfect form, don't you think?

I finally got Ian to slow down for 5 seconds to get this shot!

We’re packing up and heading up to Radford, VA for Easter weekend with Sarah’s family. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to post from there, but I wanted to take a minute to wish you and your family a happy, safe, and peaceful Easter weekend.

I don’t know about you, but I certainly can use some unwinding time in the midst of a very busy lifestyle. Easter seems like a good time to do just that.  I ran across this quote and I have no idea who the person is that said it, but I thought I’d share.

“Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life.”  ~S.D. Gordon

It’s plain and simple, but I like it!

I felt like I fell in love with my camera again.  It was just me, my camera, and the farm.

Having grown up in the suburbs and having lived in Los Angeles for 4 years of my adult life, I never really spent much time on the farm.  But recently, Sarah and I hooked up with a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm where you can buy into the farm and receive a box of fresh produce every week throughout the harvest months.  This farm is only about 15 minutes from us and it’s certified organic, which we love!

Anyway, I struck a deal with the owner of the farm where I would trade some photography for their website and print advertising in exchange for fresh produce!  I absolutely love bartering and wish we could get back to doing more of that in our world!  I love a good old fashioned “gentleman’s agreement!”

But as I was saying, the part I loved the most last Saturday was that I got a chance to take a liesurely approach to photographing my subject instead of the hectic pace of portrait and wedding photography.  Don’t get me wrong, I have no desire to be a product photographer.  I love shooting people!  But it was relaxing to be able to take time to set up my shots and enjoy the beautiful Spring morning.  Oh, and the girls came for a while too!  They love it there, although Kyla wants to go to a “real” farm where they have animals.  Here are a few shots of the day!

I love Easter.  Not only because of the new life it represents and the joy it brings me through my faith, but holidays are just so much more fun with kids!  Easter was always one of those rich, tradition-filled holidays when I was a kid and I love starting new traditions with our young family.  Admittedly, though, Sarah gets all the credit for coming up with the traditions, but I love them!

The girls went to an Easter party last week with some friends and came back addicted to hiding Easter eggs.  I cannot count the number of egg hunts I’ve participated in over the past 3 days!  Kyla loves the “you’re getting hotter/colder game” while she hunts.  I grabbed a few quick photos Sunday after church while we were hunting in the front yard.  Happy Easter season!  And if you’re in the Charlotte area and need a place to be on Easter Sunday, check out Next Level Church – there’s talk of an Easter Twitter experiment that you won’t want to miss!

When we moved to Charlotte two summers ago, it rained about 2 times all summer.  We were in a drought and everything was so incredibly dry.  Now it seems as though we’ll never have to worry about a drought again with as much rain as we’ve been getting!  Call me crazy, but I actually kind of like it.  Don’t get me wrong, I am so excited about the day we’re having today – 75 and sunny, but I like the sound of the rain, the smell of the rain, and the relaxed feel a little rain adds to a day.

I also love taking pictures of the girls on rainy days – both inside and out!