The Real Pumpkin Patch- no posing involved!

Every year as the weather gets cooler I start thinking about visiting the pumpkin patch.  In the past I have had coordinated outfits, brushed hair, waited until the sun is in the perfect spot and headed to the pumpkin patch with extremely high hopes of having the perfect photoshoot.  Well, for the past 4 years it has ended with disaster, tears, other people in every shot, and one stressed out mama.  

So, this year there was absolutely no pressure.  We went to have fun.  They wore their regular clothes and I brought my camera along to document our time! Oh, and it was around noon, the sun was so bright (and not ideal) so we wore our sunglasses.   

Brody was posed by my dad.  So funny to me!!!!

I really love this picture of Brody.  This is sooooo him!

Can you see them as teenagers?

We had fun in the corn maze....until nature called.... so we had to speed up finding the exit.

My dad and Bryson talking on their pumpkin phones.....Classic!

So glad my mom was here to snap this picture of my family!

I love these three little guys!  

So, from now on....we are just going to have fun.  And I am going to be there to document the shenanigans along the way.  :)

Project 52-28

 

Life around the Dorris household is slowing down....Finally.  We are making some adjustments, and making more time for each other.  It has made for a much happier Mama and so much more fun in our home.

 

 

 

As the school year came to an end this spring everything just seemed too busy.  I was feeling overwhelmed, I couldn't get caught up, I wasn't sleeping....it was not great for anyone.  My photography business was doing awesome.  I had a record breaking months in May and June but when I was right in the middle of it I began to realize that I was neglecting the three most important things in my life....my boys.  I was taking them places, playing with them but I wasn't my 100% best and I wasn't always "present." I always had other things on my mind.  I was also not taking care of myself!  I began to realize that though it was a blessing to be busy I need to be more protective of my schedule.  I need to be more protective of my time.  I need to be more protective of my family.  So, I have slowed down a ton.  I only took a few sessions in July, only a few in August and I am booking very limited slots for the fall. It has been so hard turning people away but.... My kiddos are growing up too fast and I don't want to miss it. 

 

So, for anyone who is wanting a session for the fall, contact me ASAP to get on my calendar.  I am only taking a limited number of newborns this fall and an even smaller number of family sessions for the fall.  I want to enjoy the holiday season with my boys and I want photography to continue to be a passion and something I love. 

 

I will keep you posted for fall dates and two mini sessions that I will be announcing this next month. 

 

Till next week....

 

Project 52-26

Anyone who knows Brody know that he LOVES his "friends."  He always has them with him.  He has SOOOO many but he truly loves them all.  He told me the other day that they weren't just his "friends" they were his family.  Cute right!  For his 3rd Birthday we thought it might be appropriate to take his picture with a

few of his favorites. 

 

Love you Brody and I love how much you love your "Friends."

Project 52-24

 

We have truly enjoyed this summer break all being together.  We are enjoying playing, movie days and most of all just being with each other.  We sure are going to miss big brother Brayden when he goes to Kindergarten in the fall. 

 

Love you boys and love your snuggles!

Project 52-23

I am so behind on my project 52 blog so I am going to post a very basic description for each of my posts.  Hoping to get back on track.  See my last post "priorities" for a longer update on us. 

 

 

I love when I see my boys playing together.  Especially when it is imaginative play where both are contributing and both are having fun.  I wish I could say it was always that way. 

 

 

 

 

Love you boys!

Our Father's Day gift to Daddy

 

The boys and I decided to have a superhero themed Father's Day. My boy's daddy is so amazing he is like a superhero and also having three boys it was a fun thing for them to plan.  We started the day with a superhero breakfast where everyone dressed in masks and capes and then we presented Daddy with the gift we had worked hard on.  Enjoy!  A gift from my three little superheroes to their Daddy....the one they look up to most!

Behind the Scenes - My Mothers Day Photo

 

Do you remember this picture?????

 

Everyone is making a pleasant face, looking somewhat at the camera......

 

Want to see what it took to get this ONE picture?????......

 

Over 200 images later....

 

 

 

This is what it looks like during a normal session. 

 

This is real life people.

 

 

 

The baby was running around everywhere....

 

Everyone is climbing everywhere....

Using every distraction method I knew....

 

 Even trying some encouraging words....

 

Now Brayden is FINALLY looking at the camera but the baby

is now trying to kill Brody.....

 

I give up.......

 

 

Fun Times.....

 

Project 52 - Week 22

Our Brayden has decided that he wants to go to Disney World.  After we let him know that it will cost quite a bit of money he decided that he wanted to help.  Last weekend we were having a garage sale and selling all of our baby stuff (tear).  Brayden wanted to sell some cookies and lemonade to help with our Disney World fund.  He probably gave away more cookies and lemonade then he actually sold and he didn't understand why someone wouldn't want to drink lemonade at 7am.  It was so cute to watch him interacting with people. Sweet little Brody sat next to him all day and just snacked on cookies and drank lemonade.....Quality control!

 

A few hours of work and our little man made $12.25.  He was so excited.  We have a ways to go before our trip but it is so sweet that he wanted to help.

 

 

Boys....you make me so proud!

till next week.....

Project 52 - Week 20

The entry for this week really does not need much explanation.  My boys LOVE to wrestle.  It is a nightly occurrence in our house and Daddy is usually right in the middle of them.  It is a hard thing to teach boys that you can wrestle and play but it is not ok to be too rough and hurt each other.  It is a skill we are continuously working on....

 

Baby Brother is now getting where he wants to get in on the action but usually he ends up being at the bottom of the dog pile....don't worry...Mama is a step away and saves him.

 

 

I love these moments.  I love that they love to play together.  I love listening to their sweet laughter.

Till next week.....
 

Project 52 - Week 19

Now that I am a Mama of these three precious boys I LOVE Mother's day.  I know there are lots of people that don't think it is a real holiday but come on....Mama's work so hard.  We deserve a day.  I love the little things that my boys make for me, I love the hugs and kisses and my little guys telling me how much they love me.  Best day ever. 

 

This year all I wanted was a picture with all of my boys and I wanted to be in the picture.  Since I am usually behind the camera I often get left out of lots of memories and I often regret that.  So, this mother's day I wanted to be front and center and I wanted the three best things I ever did in the picture with me.  My sweet husband let me boss him around, change the settings, micromanage....I can't help it.  But, he did an amazing job.  I love the results.....

 

I have the privilege of being the mom to these three little angels and I will love them no matter what. I hope they grow up to be happy and I will be there for them no matter what. 

 

Stay tuned for another blog post that has all of the outtakes from this session.....there were a lot!!!!!

 

Love you boys.....

 

Till Next Week.....

Project 52- Week 18

 

This weekend I had the pleasure of going along with my boys to celebrate my beautiful Grandmothers 90th birthday.  It is a day that I wasn't sure would come because she has been in declining health.  It was a lovely party with tons of friends and family and a room full of people who have somehow been affected and loved by my Nanny. 

 

Nanny has been such a huge part of my life since I was a baby.  Some of my favorite memories were our Tuesday/Thursday lunches when I was in college.  We would drink Diet Coke, eat a yummy lunch (cooked by Nan) and watch The young and the restless and General Hospital.  We would just spend a few hours together, talking, laughing and making some great memories. 

 

Now that I live in North Richland Hills, I don't see Nanny near enough.  I am so thankful that my boys have had a chance to get to know her and they love her as much as I do. 

 

Nanny has had a wonderful 90 years of life.  3 children, countless grandchildren, a sister who lives in the nursing home with her and helps take care of her.  She is one blessed lady. 

 

 

Nanny, the boys and I love you dearly.  I thank you for the impact you have made on my life and I am a better Mother because of you. 

 

Boys, this lady is a special treasure.  You are so lucky that she is your Great Grandmother.

Till next week.....

Project 52- Week 17

My little Brody is such a loving little guy.  He loves to snuggle, he loves to hug and he really loves his mama.  He is also sometimes a little dramatic and he needs a little more love and attention.  So, days when he is in a smiling mood are days that I treasure.  This picture is one that makes me so happy.  When he smiles, he smiles with is whole face.....

 

This day Brody was helping me test the light for a photo shoot I was doing in the studio.  He was in such a great mood and I can't believe I captured the best smile.

 

 

 

 

I want my boys to know that their smiles not only brighten my day, they brighten the days of others. I know you will have bad days when you won't feel like smiling but try anyways.  Your smile is contagious. 

 

Love you boys....

 

Till next week....

Project 52- Week 16

My sweet boys love to be silly.  They love to dress up, play games, play tricks and they love to make us laugh.  This day in particular they thought it would be funny to wear only their cowboy boots and their underwear.  They were dancing around singing songs and doing whatever they could to make us laugh.....and they succeeded. 

 

I mean...come on....who can resist these tiny tushies....

 

 

 

Boys, you bring so much joy and happiness to our house.  Your silliness is something we truly love about you. 

 

Till next week....

Project 52- Week 14

I love bath time.  It is a time when we are all together, playing...there is just something about it.  Since we have 3 boys it takes both of us to control the craziness of flying bubbles and the huge splashes. 

 

This day the boys were helping us outside getting our garden ready for the summer.  The amount of dirt in ears and between toes was astonishing to me.  This week is......

 

 

 

I will miss the days when I don't get to do this with my boys.  I know they have to grow and one day they will be so big they can do this themselves.  But, until then I will be happy to leave bath time with bubbles in my hair, a wet shirt and a huge smile.

 

Till next week.....

 

 

Project 52- Week 13

This picture was taken around 5 pm in the afternoon and yes, all of my boys still had on their pj's.  Why create extra laundry when it isn't necessary.  Anyways, back to this weeks picture. 

 

We love being creative in our house.  Art is one of the things I love doing most with my boys.  I am a creative person and I love being creative with them.  We were outside drawing pictures on everything with sidewalk chalk and I just happened to catch Brody drawing on his brother.  I noticed Bryson had chalk on his face earlier but Brody denied it.....then I caught him in the act.  He told me he was making him "Boo-full." 

It is also pretty funny if you look at Brayden's face.  Obviously there was some encouragement from his big brother here.  Bryson, you are such a good sport. 

Till next week!

Project 52 - Week 12

Now that the weather is getting nicer, we are spending a lot

of time outside.  Once Daddy gets home the boys and I go outside and we play.  Soccer has been one of our new fun games along with freeze tag (even though D and I are the only ones who actually understand the rules.)

 

I also got a new remote for my camera so we tried that out today.  If you notice in the picture Brayden is holding the remote.  It was his job to "take the picture."  So, he took over 800 shots in less than 5 minutes.  Little man takes his job seriously.

 

Dustin and I were talking the other day about how blessed we are to have three healthy boys who really love us and each other. 

 

We pray that their relationship just grows as they get older and they love each other (and us) more and more every day.  

 

 

 

Love you little boys.  We are proud to be your Parents!

Till next week!

Project 52 - Week 11

Week 11 and I am finally making my first appearance on the blog. 

 

My sweet babies are growing so fast. I often look at them in disbelief at how fast time is passing.  My oldest Brayden Daniel is going to Kindergarten in the fall, Brody John is talking up a storm and my baby Bryson Carter is a year old.....walking and starting to talk.  The same little boys who brought me so much joy when they were born are bringing me joy in how wonderful little people they are becoming. Life just feels right, it makes sense and we are so happy!

 

 

These little boys have stolen my heart and I am so proud to be their mama.  I thank God every day for blessing me with these three little lives.  Love you boys....

Till next week!

Project 52- Week 10

This week didn't get just one picture but instead FOUR! 

 

This week is Spring Break (yay!) and we were outside enjoying the beautiful weather.  They boys were wearing shorts, no shirts, no shoes.....gave me a little taste of the summer!  Brody is a little clumsy and he fell down while playing and was just a mess. Crying, screaming, lots of snot, a tiny scratch and no blood.  His super sweet big brother Brayden ran inside, got some medicine and a band aid and started trying to make him feel better.  (Picture 1).  Then, he tried to hug and kiss him to make him better (Picture 2) and Brody flipped out (Picture 3).  Then, Brayden tried to make him stop the only way he knew how....(Picture 4).  Love that Kid!

 

We talk about Kindness a lot in our house.  I hope my boys go through life with kind hearts and always thinking of others.

Till next week.....

Project 52- Week 9

We play ALOT in our house.....I mean ALOT!  Playing and having fun is often more important than any chore.  I know that I want to have memories like this....Brody playing with his train set in his pajamas at 3 in the afternoon.  Because that is our life and I love it!   

 

 

Time is going so fast and these little babies that I have been blessed with are growing so fast before my eyes.  I am going to soak them in while I have them and we will take time to make memories and PLAY!

Till next week!