Monthly Archives: August 2008

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still movin’ to the music in my head

August 31, 2008 – 4:49 pm

Jonny Lang ROCKED the Ryman like CRAZY last night!!!  And we were there!!!  It was an AMAZING show.  The man has INCREDIBLE musical abilities.  I love his voice, his heart, and I love to see him completely rock out on the guitar.  Not only is he great, but his band is stellar, too.  I can promise you that I will be there the next time he comes to Nashville if at all possible!  It was great to see him, and it was also a lot of fun to see our friend Jason Eskridge open for him and then sing backup for Jonny.  Jason leads worship for us at church from time to time, so it was really fun to see him live in such a great venue. Our buddy Alex was playing with him, too, and I’m so happy for those guys!

Speaking of Jason, he is headlining a benefit concert our church is hosting THIS Wednesday night from 6-9 PM at Third & Lindsley. Matt Woods and Beggars Fortune will also be playing. There is a $10 cover, and all proceeds go to a ministry in Bogota, Colombia called The Nabaima Project.  Come on out if you’re free!  And if you ever get the chance to see Jonny live, you SHOULD!  I hope you all have a great week!

By Katie | Posted in {news} | Comments (0)

the big **THREE-OH**

August 25, 2008 – 5:05 pm

Yep, that’s right.  I’m thirty.  Today.  It sounds really weird to me, but it’s true.  1978 was a good year :) .  I’ve been thinking a lot today about life and what’s most important, and I’m overcome with how incredibly blessed I feel.  I have an amazing family.  Far from perfect, but amazing nonetheless.  I have two precious boys who mean to world to me.  I love them so much it hurts sometimes.  They allow me to see and appreciate the simple things in life.  I cherish every day I have with them.  Brad is a wonderful husband.  He’s been a huge part of my life for over fourteen years now, and I am so thankful for him.  He is my partner and my best friend.  He sees and accepts the best and the worst of me, and he loves me unconditionally.  I have great parents, a fabulous sister and in-laws who have taken me in as their own.  And on top of that, I feel blessed that God has given me a love for photography.  It enables me to see the world and people in a way I didn’t before, and it causes me to stop and take things in through my eyes and my heart.  I’m grateful to be able to do what I enjoy so much.  So, today instead of feeling old [which is becoming more and more relative as time goes on :) ], I feel blessed beyond words, and I look forward to what the next thirty years have in store!  And for your viewing pleasure . . . me with my mama thirty years ago . . .

And, look at this beach babe with the yummy tummy!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!  Thanks for stopping by.

By Katie | Posted in {the dunlap family} | Comments (3)

a walk in the park

August 21, 2008 – 4:12 pm

I’ve had clients tell me before that their time with me felt more like a play date than a photo session.  I *love* hearing that because I want kids to enjoy their experience being photographed, and I want it to be easy on the parents, too.  For this session, we met at a park, and this little guy and I had a great time!  We played on the slide, played with a ball, walked around looking at squirrels and trees, pretended like we were trains going over the bridge, threw rocks and sticks, and had a blast looking at the “tunndels” (a.k.a. “tunnels”).  This 2.5-year-old doesn’t stay still very long, so we were on the move!  I had fun with him and his mom, and then we grabbed lunch together and cooled off.  He was feeling pretty serious, but I managed to tickle a few smiles out of him, too!  See how much fun we had?!

His mom got on to him for throwing this stick toward me, but we were just having fun . . . and I’ll do anything for a smile :) !

Wait . . . I think I hear a train . . . do you? . . . I wonder if it’s Thomas and his friends?

Thanks guys for a super fun time!

By Katie | Posted in {kids} | Comments (0)

i L.O.V.E. him

August 19, 2008 – 1:24 pm

I went to Riley’s open house last night at school.  I sat at his desk and looked through his reading and social studies books.  I heard his teacher talk about how they get letter grades in second grade (meaning an A, B, or C rather than an E for excellent or S for satisfactory).  I got nervous for him because he had a really hard time last year keeping up in first grade.  I heard his teacher say that it’s important to make his nightly reading assignment fun.  I talked to her about keeping us posted on how to help him be successful in school this year.  Then I walked out in the hallway and noticed the “I’m Special” art the students had made hanging on the wall.  His made me laugh and cry at the same time because I LOVE him.  No matter how well he does or doesn’t do in school.  This is how his read:

My name is Riley Dunlap.
I am 7 years old.
I have blake eyes.
I have bron hair.
My favorite color is red.
My favorite food is frinch frise and chigunogise.
I love to swim.
My favorite sport is socore.

And here is the translated by mommy version:

My name is Riley Dunlap.
I am 7 years old.
I have black eyes.
I have brown hair.
My favorite color is red.
My favorite food is french fries and chicken nuggets.
I love to swim.
My favorite sport is soccer.

I think the “frinch frise and chigunogise” got me the most!  And seeing it all written in his little handwriting, too.  You can rest assured that this piece of artwork will be added to the storage box under my bed and kept for many, many years!

And, while I’m here, Cole said something else kind of funny this morning at breakfast.  He and Riley were talking about the Star Wars movies we own (I know, hard to imagine that they were talking about Star Wars . . . ha! ha!).  Riley said, “Do Grandmother and Grandaddy even know we have those movies?” to which Cole replied, “Perhaps they gave them to us.”  PERHAPS!!!  So funny!

I spent the morning with the little guy I posted about yesterday (and his mom, of course).  We played at the park and then went to the Frothy Monkey for lunch.  We had a lot of fun, and I’ll post some more about that later this week.  Have a good one!

By Katie | Posted in {the dunlap family} | Comments (0)

little man

August 18, 2008 – 2:30 pm

This little guy just thought he was going to be bash[ful].

Then he came to his senses and decided to be play[ful]!

He loves to run and wasn’t too much up for sitting still, so we decided to play peek-a-boo with the tree :) .

Isn’t he just the cutest?!  Made me remember when my guys were this age . . . {sniff, sniff :) }.

By Katie | Posted in {kids} | Comments (0)

** attention memphis clients **

August 12, 2008 – 11:24 pm

I’ve had several Memphis clients contact me recently regarding the possibility of me doing sessions there sometime this fall.  After a look at my calendar, the answer is YES!  Brad has actually been invited to speak at a retreat there the weekend of October 17, so the boys and I are heading over with him for a little trip down memory lane :) .  I will be holding outdoor “mini-sessions” the morning of Saturday, October 18.  They will last approximately 30 minutes, and the sitting fee will be $50.  These aren’t quite as custom as my typical sessions, but they’re great if you’ve had a session recently and are looking for a quick and easy update.  They’re also ideal for Christmas card photos.  Speaking of Christmas cards, I’ll be sharing the designs for those here on the blog within the next couple of weeks, so . . . stay tuned!  If you’re interested in a Memphis session, please shoot me an email for more details and to check availability.

By Katie | Posted in {news} | Comments (0)

school days

August 11, 2008 – 7:55 pm

This is what we think about school starting back! . . .

Just kidding!  We had a great first day!  We even celebrated with Dippin’ Dots afterward!

Riley has officially begun 2nd grade, and Cole is finally a Kindergartener!  We started the morning with pancakes and headed to the school at 7:15.  Cole’s teacher found out that I’m a photographer and asked if I could come and photograph each child coming through her door with his/her parents.  I’m kind of glad I had a reason to get in my “element” because it kept me from getting emotional :) .  She is great and had these cute little Kleenex packs for the mamas with this poem attached . . . .

Don’t be fooled, though . . . I saw at least one dad wiping his eyes!  Somehow I managed not to cry [even after reading that - I'm not sure how!].

Oh, a couple of interesting twists to our morning, just so you know we’re human . . . ha! :

1) Last night it hit me that I needed to wash their backpacks.  We bought them these cute little LL Bean backpacks a few years ago, and they have held up very well.  They played with them in the backyard all summer, though, so I put them in for a quick wash.  I hung them to dry out on the porch overnight, but this morning they were a tiny bit damp still.  So, I put them in the dryer for a few minutes, and when I pulled them out . . . brown crayon everywhere.  On the backpacks, streaked all in the dryer, on the clothes that I threw the backpacks in with.  I checked all the pockets and compartments last night before washing them, but apparently I missed the crayon.  So they went to school with dirty looking backpacks.  Not really a big deal in the scheme of things, though, right?!?!

2) Shoes.  I knew they both had Vans from last year that still looked good, so I just assumed they would wear those through the fall and we’d get them some new shoes this winter.  We stocked up on the uniform shorts and shirts, and I thought we were all set to go.  When Brad put Riley’s shoes on this morning, they were kind of tight . . . oops . . . I guess those feet grew this summer while they were running around barefoot or wearing Crocs and flip flops!  He was okay wearing them today, but we had to make a trip to Shoe Carnival after pickup to get him new tennis shoes.  I went ahead and got Cole a new pair, too, since they have the buy-one-get-one-half-off thing.  Now they’re set!

One last picture.  I tried to get one of them together, and this was the best I got.  I think it might have even been slightly painful for Cole.  What do you think ;) ?!

By Katie | Posted in {the dunlap family} | Comments (3)

cole-eo {that’s what we call him}

August 8, 2008 – 9:19 am

Cole, our five-year-old, just LOVES to be photographed . . . can’t you tell?!  I usually get faces like this when I get my camera out around him . . .

He doesn’t run or stick his tongue out.  He just looks straight at the camera and makes some kind of pathetic face as if to say, “Sure, you can take my picture – but don’t think I’m going to give you exactly what you want!”

Every once in a while he’ll actually smile for me [even if it looks slightly forced :) ] . . .

Cole is really something.  He’s fun to be around [usually], and he’s got quite an imagination and vocabulary.  A couple of months ago we gave the boys a sucker during the last 30 minutes of our drive down to the beach (to help make that last leg of the trip without any of us going insane!).  Out of nowhere, Cole says, “Riley, be sure to put your trash in it’s designated station.”  DESIGNATED STATION . . . really?!?!?! Where does he get this stuff?!  Yesterday he was on the kitchen floor playing with Piper [our kitty] and said, “Mom, he [the cat] precisely had his hands and feet on my head.”  PRECISELY?!?!??! He keeps us laughing, that’s for sure!

I went to the school last night for a kindergarten parents meeting and got to officially meet his teacher (Mrs. Locke).  I knew of her already from volunteering at the school last year.  I’m so glad he got her, and I think he’s going to love being in school.  Riley’s teacher (Mrs. Hoppe – pronounced “Hoppy”) also called yesterday to say he’d be in her class, and while I don’t really know her, I think she might be a good fit for him.  She asked to speak to him, and he didn’t know what to think about that!  He grinned and got really quiet and shy :) .  I’m sure I’ll post first day of school photos for the grandparents on Monday, so stay tuned!  I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

By Katie | Posted in {the dunlap family} | Comments (1)

blue eyes

August 7, 2008 – 11:57 pm

When I look at these images, the first thing I notice are this cutie’s beautiful blue eyes!  This wasn’t an “official” session, and I snapped these in a matter of a few minutes . . . but I thought they were cute and wanted to share.  This little girl and her family are from Australia, and her big brother and Riley became really good friends when they were in the same class at school last year.  {I secretly wish I could trade my southern accent for theirs!}  When I asked her if I could take some pictures, she lit up and quickly agreed.  After a few snaps, she asked if she could “pose” :) .  It’s so refreshing to be around little girls every now and then!




By Katie | Posted in {kids} | Comments (0)

swimming

August 4, 2008 – 2:42 pm

These are mainly for the grandparents . . . so they can see that their grandboys can finally swim!

It’s all about getting the goggles just right . . .

This  . . .

. . . led to this . . .

I can’t believe that the boys will be in school this time next week!!!  While I’m kind of ready to get back on some sort of schedule [I'm 100% sure I'll eat those words later :) ], I’m going to miss them when they’re at school all day!  I feel like I’m prepared for Cole to go to Kindergarten, but I know I’ll probably drive away from the school with tears in my eyes on Monday!  It’s just hard because it marks the end of a big stage of my life – staying home with my babies.  I’m excited for him, though, because I know he’ll LOVE it.  More about all that later, I’m sure! I hope you all have a good week!

By Katie | Posted in {the dunlap family} | Comments (1)