Checking my e-mail has never been so much fun! The last few weeks I’ve been taking entries for the Hudson Valley Cutest Kid contest and the entries have been so much fun to see! I’m really glad that I’m leaving the decision up to all of you because I don’t think I could choose! So many cute kids and I loved the notes from the parents too! =)

Voting ends September 8th at 11:59 PM EST and you can only vote once so make it count! The winner will receive a complimentary 2 hour photo session with me worth $250 - and just in time for holiday portrait season! Best of luck to all of the participants - I’m excited to see the results! Let the voting begin (and don’t forget to recruit your friends and family to vote too)!

Parker Renee:

Sydney:

Gavin:

Aiden:

Gracie:

Patrick:

Ilana Paige:

Mackenzie:

Hayden:

Maggie:

Halie:

Erin MacKenzie:

Devin:

Tyler:

Adriana:

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Someone forgot to tell my body that I’m 30, not 90! I’m taking a few days off while my body adjusts to some new medications that are basically knocking me on my butt 24/7 and I’m recovering from a couple of small but very painful injuries at the same time. Rest assured, I’m still here but sitting at my desk is pure agony right now and it’s all I can do to just keep my eyes open. I hope to be back at my desk by the weekend.

Every Mom thinks their kids are the cutest (my daughter is certainly the cutest!) but who is REALLY the cutest in the Hudson Valley? Submit a photo* of your child(ren) to me at info@autumn-photography.com with the subject line of “HV Cute Kids” (don’t forget to include the child’s first name, age, your name and contact info!) and we’ll hold a poll right here on the blog! The winner will receive a FREE 2 hour portrait session worth $250!

Entries will be accepted now through September 1st, 2010 and voting will be right here on the blog September 2nd - 8th. The winner will be announced September 9th and will receive a 2 hour portrait session (you choose - portraits of your child or the whole family!) just in time for holiday portraits!

You must be the parent or legal guardian of the child you are entering and *photos must NOT be copyrighted* (snapshots are perfectly acceptable!)

Here’s my cutie:

We just returned home from a great vacation in Ludlow, VT and while we certainly didn’t escape the heat it was a nice little getaway. Of course, now that I’m home in my heavenly central air, my to-do list has given me that vaguely familiar gut punch and I remember now why I rarely take time off! I split my first day back between running errands and putting a dent in the inbox but I still have a lot more to catch up on. If you’re expecting a response from me I apologize for the delay but I’ll be getting to you very soon!

So, Vermont… Vermont is lovely just about any time of the year but I have learned my lesson and will not be returning during a record breaking heat wave. We stayed at my in-laws’ ski cabin which is small, has no air conditioning and only a few small windows that don’t open all the way. The real kicker was having only one fan. I wanted to bring another one up as I anticipated my internal organs cooking under that roof but with 3 adults, a child, a 50+ pound dog and a kayak there was just no room in or on top of the car! Ugh. Never again. We spent a lot of time at Echo Lake swimming, kayaking and barbecuing and then went up the hill to a private pond owned by friends of the family before heading back to broil in the cabin. It was so scorching hot outside that my Floridian butt actually went into the lake. The last time I attempted that (at the same lake on a not so hot day) I ran in at full speed, dove under the water, jumped straight up into the air screaming a blood curdling scream and made an exit so fast that I think I may have walked on water. Of course, when I looked up every single beach goer at this quiet, peaceful lake was staring at me with their eyes bugged out, probably wondering what drugs I was on or what my mental disability was. I simply raised my hand and said “Sorry - Floridian!” and I swear it seemed like every one of them shook their heads and laughed at my idiocy. I honestly wonder how often that happens. Even with the disgusting heat this week and inability to get a good night’s sleep, we had a great time. We even got my Dad out in the kayak! Getting him in and out presented a small challenge considering his prosthetic legs can’t get wet, but we love a challenge! Sean brought the kayak to the end of the dock and my Dad sat down, took his legs off and scooted in. He had a great time and loved having another new experience.

Some snaps from the last week:

Jaedyn’s birthday cake that I spent 3 days making (and my first attempt at fondant)

My nephew Nolan cuddling with Jaedyn on the Fourth of July

Jaedyn singing to Nolan

Love that smile!

The chubbiest feet I ever did see (and FAST too!)

Jaedyn and her sparklers - she’s concentrating so hard!

Her attempt at making a heart for the camera… and a few distractions along the way!

Of course I had to include some fireworks. We didn’t get the best spot this year as far as photos go but we enjoyed our view anyway!

And my Dad kayaking legless in VT… way to go Dad!!!

Hello haze. Can’t you just SEE the heat?!

I’m looking for outgoing Class of 2011 high school seniors in Orange, Dutchess, Rockland and Ulster counties to be my models, my representatives to spread the word about awesome Hudson Valley senior photos and where to get them! You get 2 free senior sessions (two seasons - you pick) and the chance to earn free products just by referring your friends! For each friend you refer that books a paid senior photo session with me, you receive a $25 credit toward any product you want! With each of your sessions you will also receive 50 “rep cards” with your favorite image from that session on one side and a discount for your friends on the other.

Sessions are fun and relaxed - no boring studio here! No creepy old guy telling you to blow a kiss at the camera or gently place your hand under your chin and tilt your head to the left. These are not your typical senior portraits - these are all about YOU! We’ll go to a few different spots and explore - bring a bunch of outfits so we can get a good mix of looks and attitudes.

Not just anyone gets to be a senior rep - you must be outgoing and like having your photo taken. I will only accept a very limited number of seniors from each school so if this sounds like you, contact me today before the spots at your school are full! Just send me an e-mail at info@autumn-photography.com or a facebook message - send me your name, age, high school, city, contact info, a recent photo of you and why you think you’d make a good senior rep! If I think you might make a good senior rep I’ll contact you with a few additional questions and give you more details. =)

John is an amazing young man who loves horticulture, karate and art. He is a 2010 graduate of Newburgh’s NFA (Newburgh Free Academy) and despite the tough climate of this school has managed to stay out of trouble and do something inspirational! John, along with other teens (including his twin sisters) started an Urban Farmers League in Newburgh - check them out at the links below and show your support! An excerpt from their blog:

“Urban Farmers League is a youth led organization designed to combat environmental and social injustice, by creating a platform for the youth to have equal participation in the future of our community. With the creation of urban farms we not only provide a space for youth to express but we are also able to provide the community with high quality of life, mitigate environmental degradation and provide a space for organic food to flourish.

Goals:

1. Create a community of youth leaders

2. Reduce ,Reuse ,Recycle

3. Beautify our community

4.Provide organically grown nutritious food to low income families and individuals

5. Provide a venue for youth culture to thrive”
How awesome is that?!

John was nominated for my project (”Newburgh: Focus on the Positive”) to recognize and reward Juniors and Seniors at NFA that aren’t falling into gang life or getting into trouble and are doing something positive. It was a difficult decision to make, but John was chosen as May’s winner and received a complimentary Senior Photo Session with me, along with 40 wallet sized photos (that he gets to choose!) and some images for use on facebook and myspace. I am accepting nominations through the end of November and will be choosing one teen per month from now through the end of November. Please nominate an awesome teen at NFA (class of 2010 or 2011) that is staying out of trouble and doing something positive so that they can be recognized and rewarded for their efforts! So much emphasis is placed upon those who are getting into trouble and the “good kids” aren’t getting the recognition they deserve. I think it’s extremely important to focus on the positive and tell these young adults that we’re proud of them! If you know an awesome teen at Newburgh Free Academy please nominate them and spread the word! You can nominate by sending me an e-mail at info@autumn-photography.com - just tell me their name (first and last), their graduation year and why you think they should be rewarded (ANYONE can nominate - you can even nominate yourself!)! I’ll need some way to contact them if they’re chosen too so please don’t forget to leave me some form of contact information so I can get in touch with them!

John chose Algonquin for his session because it’s a place he visits often and he loves horticulture. Being new to the Hudson Valley, I actually had not been there before - I loved it!

http://urbanfarmersleague.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Urban-Farmers-League/290247189855?v=wall

http://newburghcircle.com/2010/06/09/teens-find-hope-in-planting-seeds/

I have been lusting over the gorgeous fringe baby hammocks, blankets, second skin cocoons, hair accessories, maternity props and baby slings over at CUSTOM PHOTO PROPS ever since I came across them on facebook. I have searched exhaustively for a fringe hammock like this one and let me just tell you that I have not found a single person who makes them this beautifully. These make such stunning props for photographing babies - especially newborns - and I could totally see parents buying these as a room accent. They would even make awesome stuffed animal hammocks that have SO much more style than the typical ones! Ooh - and little girls and their dolls - oh the possibilities! My only problem is that I would go broke buying up every color combo offered and I’m having trouble making a decision so that doesn’t happen. Help? =) I’m most drawn to the fringe hammocks in Creamy Delight, Save Our Planet, Woodland with Sky fringe and Coming up Roses. I plan to eventually have them all (along with some cocoons, maternity wraps and hair accessories at the very least!), but for the time being I need to choose ONE out of these amazing choices and I can’t do it all by myself! Please take a look at the site and help me decide!

Don’t forget to check out her blog too - new images, give-aways and lots of fun stuff!

…wisdom teeth, that is! After a very long wait and a lot of pain, I’m finally getting my wisdom teeth pulled. I will be taking the weekend off to recover - hopefully I’ll be feeling MUCH better by Monday. Thanks for your patience!

It’s been a whirl wind couple of weeks here! Some good days and some bad days but on the bad days I try to remember that without rain there would be no rainbows. And Jaedyn LOVES rainbows. I’ve been crazy busy with teaching private photo lessons, LOTS of album designing, newborn photos, birth announcement designs, engagement photos, spreading the word about the Newburgh teen project I’m working on and of course being a mom, wife and daughter and the “rain” of dealing with my intracranial hypertension and the terrible never ending head-crushing-ache and other fabulous side effects it brings. Wow. Was that really all one sentence? Oh well. This is what happens when I write blog entries at almost 3 AM. Feel free to laugh at me… I already am.

This weekend’s wind storm brought down some large branches in our yard and onto our roof. We were without power for an excruciating 11 hours. Just as I started to move from bored and irritated that I couldn’t do any work, I thought about those who have gone through (and continue to go through) so much worse and realized that just the simple fact that I have a home and a bed to sleep in makes me a lucky person. Of course, I slept on the couch last night because my head hurt, but that’s totally beside the point. The power came back on this morning and we surveyed the branch damage outside. As I stared at my roof wondering how we were going to get the big branch down without tearing down the gutters, ripping the power lines down and damaging our property, a neighbor I had not yet met stopped and offered to bring over his extension ladder and help us out. Rainbow.

I’ve had too many “rainbow” moments in the last 2 weeks to mention but suffice it to say that I have the most amazing family, friends and clients a girl could ask for. If you want to give someone the hope of more rainbows than rain, please consider donating to The American Cancer Society - Relay for Life. One of my dearest clients, Laurie, has started a team called Strides for Hope in honor of her Dad who is currently fighting brain cancer. It would mean a lot to her family and to me if you would join the cause in whatever capacity you are able.

I hope all of the Moms had a wonderful Mother’s Day… I got to spend the day with my girl so I’d say mine was fabulous!

Finishing up editing 3 sessions and hopping between 5 different album designs at the moment… working on getting them all out soon. One of these days I’ll catch my breath and get this blog caught up with the good stuff you come here for - photos!

Nominate an NFA (Newburgh Free Academy) high school junior or senior who is staying out of trouble and doing something positive and/or inspirational and one will be chosen each month (May - Nov) for a FREE senior style session, free facebook photos and some wallets to hand out! I’ll also feature them and their story on my blog and facebook (as long as it’s okay with them and their parents!). Just leave a comment here about why they should be chosen (you can even nominate yourself!). If you feel more comfortable nominating in private, you can e-mail me at info@autumn-photography.com. Just tell me their name, age, grade and why you think they deserve this! They don’t have to have the cure for cancer or anything, but let’s face it, if they live in the city of Newburgh and go to NFA, just staying out of trouble is reason enough to tell them they’re doing a great job and encourage them to continue doing the right thing. Let’s reward the kids who really deserve it - please spread the word!

Updates to come soon so stay tuned!