Christmas Tree Hunting

On Saturday we went Christmas tree hunting! After a stop at Starbucks where we met our good friends, Kelly, Lance, and Naomi, we all headed north to Arlington and arrived at the Highlead Plantation.

The train ride was one of the big draws to this particular farm. Abby LOVES trains right now -- the train Daddy takes to work, the Polar Express, the train tables at numerous toy stores -- so we thought this would be a treat.

Just before boarding, Lance and Naomi snuggle.

The mamas and kiddos riding the train down to the trees. Kelly is 39 weeks pregnant here!

And the exploration begins!

Running, running through the mini-forest.
Wally looks a bit grumpy here, but I love those lips!

A rare moment when Mama hands the camera over.

We told Abby to pick a good Christmas tree out for us. She chose this little one. I so wished we could have got it, but with all the trees the same price regardless of size, it just didn't make sense. Grandma and Grandpa Peterson said that she could pick a little tree out from their backyard next week, so she'll get her little tree.

My favorite shot of the day. Peeking through the branches.

Naomi was dressed for the drizzly cold day from hood to rainboots. I love the wary expression as she looks at the tree saw.
Lance prepares to cut their chosen one.

The whole family and their Christmas tree. Pretty soon we'll be taking photos of the baby under that tree.

A sweet moment. I remember holding my two year old at 10 months pregnant. Kelly, I hope you got some rest later that day!

Trev and Abby off to get our tree.
Hitching a ride for the tree.

Even rarer than a shot with me in it: our whole family. Thanks, Kelly! Now we have a shot to put on the bulletin board at preschool.

Wally wore his new bear suit and stayed toasty warm. Plus the mittens taste good! (Thanks, Grandma Peterson.) Oh, and this hat is the second thing I EVER knitted!

I couldn't bring my camera out and not get a shot of those blue eyes.
A final shot with the train before going to lunch.

This is such a fun age for outdoor adventures. Wally goes along for the ride in the Ergo, and Abby takes off to explore on her own. I hope that we can make this a yearly event. Yes, I'll get a picture of the tree up and decorated one of these days. And yes, I'll get some four month shots of Wally up here, too. I know I've been rather absent this month. Happy holidays!

Cooling Off

Today felt like summer. We worked on outdoor projects, watched Abby parade around in sunglasses and a diaper (and nothing else), and ate lunch on the deck. I love that summer feeling. And what could be more summer than watching your child run through the sprinkler?


Well, the sprinkler didn't entice her, but drinking from the hose did. Of course with a daddy who loves a laugh and a mama who loves pictures, drinking from the hose turned into a very wet affair. Lucky for us, our kiddo LOVES water, and after a few hugs from warm (formerly dry) mama, I think she has recovered from the shock of Daddy chasing her with the hose. Here are a few of my favorites:

I couldn't decide between the color and black & white. Which one do you like?

Abby's favorite thing at preschool is washing her hands at the sink. The other kids will go to the sensory room or the art room or play with cars, but Abigail parks herself on the sink stool and washes, washes, washes. This made it easy to lure her to the hose.

My wet kiddo. I love this shot.

This is what happened when we told Abby to look at the flower. I laugh every time I see this.

Looking up at Daddy. The feet in the background are what get me here.
Taking another drink.

"Ahhh!" Refreshing?

And here's where Daddy chases Abby around the yard with the water.

Run, Abby, run! She did. Right into my lap.

But that didn't stop her from getting another drink.
It feels so good to have some summer weather. We're going to be making the most of our time as a family of three for the next eight weeks or so. Thanks for stopping by!

Big News

Happy New Year everyone! Yes, I've been a bad blogger over the holidays, but 2009 is here and I'm ready to get back to work. And to start it all off, I've got two BIG announcements. (Well, many of you know about one or both of them, but I'm officially sharing them with the world now.)

First of all, the new One Tree Photography website is up! Yes it has been a long time coming, but we have finally launched a website that I am EXTREMELY proud of. Trevor has spent MANY evenings working on it and (I'm sure) got more than a little frustrated with my constantly changing design ideas, but all that is behind us now. Thanks to my incredibly supportive (and talented!) husband, http://www.onetreephotography.com/ has come to life!

Take some time to look around the new website and send me a quick email if you see any glitches we haven't caught yet. Chances are that you'll see someone you know!

The second big announcement is also the reason I've been somewhat absent recently. As of today, I'm twelve weeks pregnant with our second child! I'm convinced that this one is a boy, since I've been MUCH more sick this time around. I'm still waiting for that placenta to take over so I'll feel better, but I'm sure it won't be long now. So for all of you thinking you'll be wanting pictures in the second half of July, I'd suggest scheduling a session a bit earlier. The baby is due July 16th, two days after Abigail's second birthday.

So those are my two pieces of big news! I also wanted to just take a moment to thank all of my clients in 2008. Thanks to you, this dream of mine has become a reality. I can't wait to see what we make happen in 2009!

Finally, a blog wouldn't be complete without a picture, so here is one of Abby during her first snow outing. Enjoy!