Like Mother Like Son

I was just scanning through some images that I shot a few weeks ago when my family and I were out & about and these two photos just made me laugh so naturally I had to share them with someone! I am naturally goofy so I hardly have any images of myself without a weird look on my face (except for my super sizzling photo shoot with bobbi+mike ). Well it looks like I must have passed along my goofy genes to my son......we practically made the same face! I love it!

p.s. I suck at self portraits so I am also surprised that I even got my whole face in this time (i.e. my blog header) Maybe there is a workshop for that!
Enjoy!

Wrinkly Faced Goodness

I have always had a thing for squishy wrinkle faced dogs! I just love everything about them....they just look so darn cute!
About a year and a half ago Drew and I were feeling the itch to add a dog to our little family and as we were browsing Petfinder.com there he was---we fell in love and the rest is history!
Murphy is half Shar-Pei and half Lab and is the sweetest most cuddly dog that I have ever met...he follows me all over the house, and sits at my feet all day while I edit. He doesn't even complain when I forget to play fetch all day.....but he does come up to me and give me a very sad look as he drops his toy at my feet. So, I just thought that I would share a couple of images that I shot of him today....isn't he adorable!

My little Mister

This past week I spent some extra time focusing on family and going through tons of old pictures....I love reliving the moments that sometimes are forgotten! Though its hard to admit, but I realized that I really don't take pictures of my kids and my friends and family nearly as much as I used to. I have boxes full of pictures of Madyson when she was a baby, but as she started growing into a toddler I started my business and somehow I stopped taking so many pictures at home.
Harrison was born about the time that I went on my family picture hiatus and though I took a bunch of pictures of him...he does not have nearly as many as his big sis. The poor guy will grow up and think that he wasn't as cool or something...and that is so far from the truth. I adore my little hurricane....he is only 2 1/2 so maybe I can get back in his good graces by blogging about him. What else would a photographer mom do? I guess it doesn't help that I mostly want to ease my own guilt...I mean will my kids really sit down and count all the pictures to see who I love the most? I doubt it....but I do want to make it my personal goal to take pictures of them everyday. Lord knows they grow up way too fast.

So here are a few of my faves of Harrison from his birthday this past year....I can't believe he'll be 3 in July already! Wow time flies!!

How to Rock it out :: Celebrate Your Love

There's nothing more important in a relationship than celebrating your love for one another. I truly believe that making a big deal about things when it comes to anniversaries is an amazing way to keep your love alive. Thankfully my husband seems to agree! This year marked our 3rd year of marriage (but 7 1/2 since our first date!) and we spent some much needed time away from work and the kids and it ROCKED!! Coming from a family where divorce happens as often as some people change their socks, I have realized that "dating" even after your married is one of the keys to staying together.

On our anniversary Drew presented me with a bottle of Ice wine...that just made my night! If you know me then you know I LOVE wine....and I have been dying to try this for over a year. We only had a small conversation about it almost 12 months ago and somehow he remembered and hunted down a bottle for us to try. Not only was it a perfect present, but I nearly cried because it meant that he really listens to me......that in itself is amazing and if you are married or in a relationship then you know exactly why.

Sometimes celebrating each other also calls for some hot new photos! Earlier this month we headed out to Indianapolis for an awesome photo shoot of ourselves. We stayed at the Omni in downtown INDY and then headed out the next day with my fave photogs bobbi+mike who made us look ah-MAZZ-ing!! I think I may do this every year!! If you haven't heard of bobbi+mike then you NEED to go and check them out NOW--then you'll see why driving 6 hours was totally worth every minute! Here are a few images from their blog : Let me warn though, we are a bit TOO SEXY!!!! hehe!

phone trouble

This past few weeks have been nuts! First I had the worst static on my line so I couldn't hear anyone..but it would come and go so I waited to call AT&T....but then I finally couldn't take it and I called and scheduled a repairman to come (which takes about 4 days to get by the way).....so he came and said my line was fixed.. yipppeee! But behold, a few hours later it was the same. I was so frustrated again.

I called again and spoke over the static and had someone scheduled to come out and they couldn't get here for another 4 days. When they came and fixed the issue I had on my phone they made it worse-- now I don't have static, but my phone is completely dead! I swear I feel like pulling my hair out!

Luckily I have a cell phone, so if you need to reach me then please call my cell 616.299.9551 and though my voice line is dead my DSL is on for a few minutes and dead the next....so I can check my email (another great reason for having an iphone) and hopefully post this to my blog, but if you are waiting to view images online then there will be a delay. I am completely unable to upload images for online viewing until this is resolved.

I am so sorry for the inconvenience....but please feel free to send out good vibes so that this will be fixed quickly!

I am lost without my phone and internet!

Amber :: Sweet Sixteen

Amber is yet another beautiful niece of mine. She is also Brenna & Bregan's big sis and basically the leader of the pack when their mom is not looking!

In a little less than a weak she will be turning 16 and I can hardly believe what happened to that little girl that I used to bribe with twinkies making her repeat "Kerri is the best Aunt" over and over....(only later to find out that she hated twinkies and she was only trying to make me happy by playing my little game year after miserable year....how cute and sad at the same time!)

We went out a few weeks ago and walked the streets of Grand Rapids and captured some extra fun shots so I thought I would share a few....

I hope you have a spectacular birthday Ambo Wose! Your twinkies are in the mail!

(warning: Do NOT drool over my SIXTEEN year old niece! )

Brenna :: What a doll!

Brenna is my neice (she also happens to be Bregan's sis) and she came to stay with me for about 5 days recently while her mom and her other sibs were at Senior Camp with their youth group. She'll be off to Junior Camp in August so she won't have to miss out on all the fun!

Brenna was amazing to have around, she helped occupy my kids and she helped clean up my house and basically she was my little life saver. I love my family because they will help me out and all I have to do is pay them in pictures.....sounds like a win win to me! lol
She is 10 and in desperate need for some fun shots from Aunt Kerri so we headed to Spring Grove Park in Jamestown and snapped a few. Here are my faves:





Stay tuned because I have 4 weddings, an Urban Couture shoot, and a family session to blog....its been a crazy busy month!

Something strange about me

One of the strangest things about me is not that I love ketchup on my mac 'n' cheese (yum!), nor that I will forget my own name for a moment if you put me on the spot, but its something that seems to run in my family. I am 29 years old and I have 2 baby teeth. I guess it comes from my grandfather who also had the same issue, but mine is a bit stranger.

In the last year, one of my baby teeth has been feeling kind of loose. Can you imagine the thoughts of tooth-less-ness that have been haunting me night and day! In my line of work, I cannot show up to a meeting or consultation without one of my most important teeth!! As superficial as it sounds, who would want to book me to shoot their wedding?

So, I went to the dentist to figure out what my options would be. X-rays showed that I do in fact have adult teeth way up in my gums, but they are stubborn and have not done a thing...that is until now. One of my adult teeth is just now starting to descend and has actually broke through behind my loose baby tooth. The dentist showed me a close up image so that I could see for myself, and as I sat in disbelief, there it was my crazy genetic anomaly staring me in the face.

I have to say that I feel like a 12 year old. How is it that I am teething when I am almost 30 years old??!! I guess I have my genes to thank, and at least I can be happy that my adult tooth is even coming in...this actually saves me money & trouble in the long run. The only thing that still bothers me is that I will at some point (probably soon) loose my baby tooth and then I will maybe have only half of my adult tooth poking through. Needless to say I will look and feel very strange while it finishes coming in the rest of the way. Especially if I am left toothless for my 30th birthday that I hope to have in Vegas or my super fun photo shoot that I have planned with Bobbi+Mike in Indianapolis. Once all of this is over, I may still need to get braces or invisalign to fix any issues that may arise---but hey then my smile will be so much more awesome, right!!

So now you know something very weird about me, what kind of strange things do all of you have going on as you grow older? I cannot be alone, can I?

Mrs. Paula

My sister Paula is one amazing woman! I have been chatting with her about doing a photo shoot for over a year now and we finally were able to get a few shots in while I was in town recently. It was so nice to have her model for me. I have a secret goal of making sure everyone in my family has some awesome pictures of themselves instead of the normal department store special.

I could not be any more blessed than I am to have her in my family. She is one of the most helpful and caring people I know and I love her to pieces!

Isn't she so gorgeous, look at those eyes!!

Harrison the Great!

Today I decided to try to snap a few pictures of little Mr. Harrison, but once he saw the camera he quickly turned into an angry monster! I had to work super fast in order to get a few cute shots in between the angry ones. Boy, it is rough working around a toddler's unpredictable moods! Oh well, now I have proof of how wonderfully crazy he is!

Happy Birthday Ms. Madyson!

Today marks my daughter's 5th birthday! I cannot believe it! Really, where does the time go?
I pray that the next 5 years does not speed by so fast, but sadly I know that the exact opposite will happen.....but for now she is my crazy-fun-little-girl that I adore!

Madyson is not your typical 5 year old, she's super outgoing and loves to perform for crowds of people (imagine what grocery shopping with her is like?!!), of course she also loves to play dress up and adores Hannah Montana. So naturally we had so much fun taking the girls to Libby Lu to have Hannah Montana make-overs. I am not even sure the Hannah Montana thing started since we don't have cable and she only watches PBS, but trust me she absorbed it somewhere. Those Disney people are serious about marketing!
Well Madyson thinks that she is going to be a rock star too---and you know what she just might do it!

Here's the birthday girl Live in Concert! I love you Sweety!

Digital Negatives! Now What?

So if you're like me you love taking pictures, and you have zillions of images on your hard drive or on one of the many cds cluttering the office. So what is the next step? How do you turn those digital files into something that you can display proudly in your home?

Load them onto your computer
In case you haven't already--load those pretty things onto your computer--what good are the files if they are not being used!

Back up your Files
Most importantly you need to make copies of your images and store them in a safety deposit box or give them to a relative to hang on to. "Ooooohhh Mommmmm???!!!! In fact if you have the time them why not burn a few copies! Its never a good idea to have only one copy of your priceless memories on hand. There are far too many hard drives that crash, tornadoes, house fires, you name it that leave people with no way to get those pictures back.....so better safe than sorry. (hate to be a Debbie Downer!)

Pick out your Faves
The easiest way to do this is to create a new folder on your desktop and drag your favorite images into that folder. I am a MAC girl--so please forgive me if you cannot just drag your images to a folder on PC---but then if you can't, I have ask why not?? I suppose then you can export the files into the new folder that you created. If you need help with this step ask any 12 year old, and they will roll their eyes at you a few times and then most likely take pity and do it for you. he he!

Go to MPIX.com
Finding a good professional lab is very important if you want quality pictures that last a lifetime! I have nothing against Sam's, Costco, Walmart, or even the Drugstore chains, but they are just not committed to pro-level quality that you will get with a real professional lab.
Mpix.com is a division of Millers Professional Imaging, an awesome lab that tons of pros use. Designed to cater to consumers, they have a wide array of product from your standard prints to canvases and photobooks.
FYI: A lot of their products make really amazing gifts!

Order Fun Stuff
Sign up to become a customer--upload your photos--pick your products and then in about 2 days they'll be at your door. How easy is that!


Their are many other pro labs that also offer the same kind of services to consumers, but by far Mpix has the best selection and the best price....but feel free to do you research and let me know if you come up with more to add to my referral list!

Happy One Year Blogaversary!

I hope you all had a marvelous Valentine's day--and I hope that tons of you lucky ladies were presented with the rock of your dreams!! I hear that engagements are pretty common on Feb. 14th! What a romantic day to have a proposal!

Well yesterday was not only special for me because it was a day to celebrate love, but it was also the day that marked my very first Blogaversary! How exciting! I did not post sooner because who wants to try to overshadow Valentine's day. I am sure that had you known about this other "holiday" you all would have dropped your plans and stalked my blog all day long!! he! he!

I cannot believe that for an entire year I have been writing my craziness on this blog and you all have been actually reading it! This year I am committed to blogging a whole lot more so be prepared for tons more images and even a more spiffy design in the near future.

To help commemorate my very special place in blog history, I have decided to give a free Fine-Art Session (Rock the Dress, Boudoir, The AfterGlow) for all brides who book in the next 2 weeks! Just let me know that you saw it on my blog.

Also, don't forget I am giving away FREE Destination Wedding Coverage. So contact me soon if you want to take advantage of this fabulous offer! You can email me at kerri@taylorgreyphotography.com or call me directly at 616.669.7207 for more details.

Well I now officially give you permission to celebrate by leaving me some blog-love in the comment box. I love comments! I am going to watch a movie with my hubby---peace out bloggers!

Slippery When Wet

I was inspired the other day when I visited my friend JenD's blog post showing her son in his cute little spiderman undies, so while I was giving Harrison a bath I snapped this shot! I was very careful to conceal any baby nudity-- as cute as it is I don't want him becoming too embarrassed when he stumbles upon this at the age of 16. When you're a mommy and a photographer you just can't resist! I love my little chubby boy---I cannot believe he's getting so big so fast!

Enjoy!

Florida

Well my trip is over and I know everyone is curious on how exciting it was, but truthfully it was not really a vacation. I went to visit my Grandma Dorothy who is at the feisty age of 84 and while I was there she was not doing well at all. My father, his wife, and my little sister moved there to be with her a few years ago so she is not alone, but I still always feel awful that I am so far away. My grandmother and I have been so close for the last 15 years and seeing her struggling with her health really made me come to grips with things that I don't really like to think about.
Thankfully, she seems to be doing a bit better, but I hate that I had to leave and I am not sure when I'll be back again. Please keep her in your prayers!

We were able to sneak away a few times with the kids and visit some fun places, but I have no pictures to share :(

I still have not purchased a point and shoot camera and even though I lugged my pro equipment onto the plane, I just never used it. I think my mind was focused on other things and I needed a break from being behind the camera.....so instead observing life and getting the best shot, I chose to participate. Nothing wrong with that, but it does not make for an awesome blog post.
(mental note:: BUY A POINT AND SHOOT CAMERA!!)

On another note traveling with kids is not really my favorite past-time. Particularly traveling with a child who is under the age of 2 is nuts. So from this experience here are some rules you should follow when traveling with the wee ones (I'm sorry if its too small to read):

LOVE IT :: New Years Eve!

I cannot believe that yet another year has flown by! Yikes--how DID that happen! There's always so much that I mean to do and yet I never find the time. For some reason though, I get the impression that 2008 is totally going to rock my sox! My business is booming and I cannot see what life has in store for me in the next 12 months.

Since I am a huge list maker and very goal-oriented I thought I would share some things I want to do in 2008:

1. Have a huge 30th birthday party in Vegas ( October 26th--you are invited if you can make it there!)
2. Book a destination wedding in one or more of the following places** :: Hawaii, The Dominican Republic, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Bali, Puerto Rico or South Africa
   
3. Accept only 20 weddings ( I only have about 5 more spots left!)
4. Launch some awesome new additions! Sorry these are a secret for now!
5. Add a few employees to lighten my load (NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS)
6. Have a Date Night with Drew once a month
7. Hold an open house for my clients to say thank-you!
8. Make time to shoot for myself
9. Hit the Gym like I mean it this time!
10. GIVE BACK!
11. Attend a 2 workshops to expand my creativity
12. Meet some more awesome local photographers and have lunch!
    

I hope you all have a wonderful and SAFE New Year! Thanks to everyone who has made this last one so wonderful!

Can YOU keep a secret??

I am working on a secret photography project...all I can tell you now is that its of course photography related and I need some "models". I hardly get the chance to shoot for myself and since I am slowing down with photo shoots for the season (although I still have 1 wedding and 2 E-sessions this month) I am creating some projects to do for myself. Its very important to improve as an artist and to stay creative so why not run with some of these ideas swirling around in my head.

* I need a few stylish & photogenic ladies between the ages of 18-26ish
* You must be fun and love to be fussed with (make-up, hair, and wardrobe)

I will need you right after the holidays (early to mid January but the date is not set yet)
You will get your images on disc and are free to use them on myspace, facebook, your blog and even make prints (this is a major value!) Come on, haven't we all wanted to model?? This is your chance!

If you or anyone you know would like to volunteer, then email me your contact info and maybe even a picture or a link to your myspace or facebook to kerri@taylorgreyphotography.com
Who knows--You may be chosen!

Thanks!! I can't wait to show you what I have in store!

Holiday Leftovers

Wow! Today I somehow realized that this month I have done nothing but snack and eat "good sized" portions of some very yummy (but drenched in empty calories) food. How I came to this epiphany?? I put on my jeans that until now have been getting pretty roomy----and they were very tight!!! The dreaded muffin top is pretty evident now! Ugh! I thought first "Did they shrink??!", but after realizing that since I have had these jeans for 2 years they did not suddenly shrink. So then it washed over me--the absolutely saddening feeling of packing on some extra pounds without even noticing. Seriously, how do they sneak up on you like that??

I am not by any means over weight, but I am short and a little curvy in some spots so it shows fast! Plus I had my second baby about 1.5 years ago and after that I have been on a steady decline as far as weight (I gained about 60 lbs with my little man!). So now gaining makes me feel like I am losing a battle that I thought I already won....I was down to the last 5 lbs or so. So needless to say--I feel like YUCK!

As I look back over the last month or two I have not exactly been the picture of health...I sit in front of the computer for the majority of my time while I design albums and edit images, so I get little to no exercise (other than chasing Harrison all over the house and running up and down the stairs when Madyson screams for me only to realize that she is not dying--she just wants to channel changed 10 feet away from her!) nor do I have a very good diet. This MUST change! The holidays are not even over yet and I don't want to end up with more leftovers on my waist than I already have.

So blog buddies---I am blogging this to hold myself accountable. I am not sure if I can get that much time in the next month to start a new exercise plan, but I am going to at least try this list of things to help me out and get me started on the right track. Here goes:

1. No more Soda!! (I have been buying it for guests and end up drinking it too much!)
2. Drink 8 glasses of water a day (this one will be hard--I hate plain water!)
3. Cut the sugary snacks to minimum and choose fruit first
4. Walk or ride stationary bike 30 mins 3x a week
5. Sleep at least 7 hours (lack of sleep is highly correlated with weight gain so why not try it)
6. Wake up at 6:00 am for 30 minutes of yoga every other day

Ok I hope I can at least stick to some of this since I am blogging it for the world to see. Please leave me some love once in a while to keep me motivated. Oh and if you have some tips then let me know.

Ok off the watch SuperBad with the hubby....I hear it'll make me never want Madyson to date EVER!

Edit: Superbad was not in at the video store :(--so I watched Ocean's 13. Its a great movie--and it totally makes me want to go to Vegas!

Apple = LOVE

I just returned home from such an amazing experience at my local Apple Store. No--I did not buy anything new (I had to resist that urge with every part of my being). I was there to have the very informative Apple employees inspect my keyboard. This keyboard out of nowhere went crazy and started adding letter to my typing. At first I thought it was me and my stubby little fingers, but alas it was the keyboard. A whole row of letter seemed to be connected and would not let me type one without its new buddy. If I typed a "c" an "x" would show up as well and the same thing with 2&3, w&e, and s&d so you can see my issue. I had to have this fixed or it would take eons to delete the stray letters in all of my blog entries and emails and even when typing in websites.

So--I called the apple store and set up my appointment for the "Genius Bar" (if you've been there then you totally get it). I brought the keyboard, my mac serial number and my 1.5 year old son who has a very short attention span. I was expecting the normal experience with customer service when you have a problem with a product (although in the last 6 years of owning a MAC this is my first problem). You know slow and accusatory salespeople...however I encountered the complete opposite! My MAC Genius hooked up the keyboard--agreed it was flawed and gave me a new one with no hassle at all--it took only 5 minutes. I was floored--and maybe I am easily pleased, but remember everywhere I go I usually have both kids or at least one kid with me. A few errands can take me all day because of the constant car seat struggles and potty breaks etc....so saving time is a HUGE deal for me.

So I heart Apple! The have won my loyalty for life with their awesome computers and lust-worthy products such as the i-pod and i-phone...but now I know that this is a company that not only want your business--but they also want to keep you happy. Ok--I'll get off of my soapbox and get back to designing albums!

Here's a pretty picture of my sister who was here last week from Oklahoma--I hadn't seen her in 4+ years. We did a quick photoshoot in my breezway. You like??

Mrs. Yuck

Today I feel so yucky! It's that time of year I guess--scratchy throats and achy muscles are quite common. I think my body saves all the getting sick for after the wedding season. Thank Goodness!
So while feeling yucky I remembered Mr. Yuck! If you are too young you may not remember him--but he was such a lovely addition to the 80's way of life, helping kids to not ingest poison of any kind.

I found this video on Youtube to share with all of you!

After watching this I realize that in the 80's a common practice for parenting is to SCARE children. WOW! No wonder I am so crazy now! He he!