Pumpkin Love...

So on this most fantastic day of Halloween excitement, I am excited to be at a point with my kiddos, especially Griffin, where the concept of traditions of holidays are making sense and the impatience to countdown are becoming louder and louder. I had appointments yesterday morning so the kids stayed with my mom and I told them that we would carve pumpkins when I got back. Of course, Griffin was waiting by the door and yelled with anticipation that it was time to get busy. To get our Pumpkins we went to this farm after I saw pictures that my friend Jen had posted and told Tim that we had to take the kids. When we got there I realized that I had taken a group of kids there on a field trip and knew that we would have a great deal of fun.

There was a corn box, like a sandbox but with corn...a petting zoo, a corn maze, a pumpkin patch and so much more...it was a good time. In the corn maze we let Griffin go in front of us and lead the way and he got us through it...

McKenna was getting restless and grumpy, so I love this picture cause I we put them up on a hay stack to take a picture and she just grabbed onto Griffin and Griffin loving hugged her back.

So we headed off to the pumpkin patch since McKenna was ready to leave and then it happened...McKenna wanted to take every pumpkin home with her. She desperately tried to pick up every pumpkin she saw, it was just too cute.

When Griffin doesn't smile I always asks to see his teeth, so he showed them to me...corny smile, but still cute...

Tune in later for their Halloween costumes...they are to die to for and you won't be disappointed. McKenna's is homemade, thanks completely to my most wonderful mom, but I have a few more things to get ready, so I will post as soon as I can...Happy Halloween.

Gillmore's...

So as I said in my last post I have been busy with photo session and have a back log of wonderful photos to share with you.

A few weekends ago my awesome family posed for some pictures for me..so here is a few of our time together...

Here is the whole crew.

My cousin Ashley

My cousin Kevin

Thanks guys for letting me get some great pics...

Website...and so much more

So I have been a little busy bee...working on a new website for my photography, working hard on recent photo sessions, busy with my own kiddos and getting ready for Halloween...I can't wait to show you pictures of that...


One event that I participated in was on Monday night. My great friend, Kim, asked me to come take glamour shots at a Mary Kay event. Another wonderful lady, Deann, came to do hair touch ups. It was so much fun, the room was packed with wonderful and interesting women. I did their before picture, they glammed up with fantastic Mary Kay products, got their hair touched up and then off for their after glamour shot. Kim had called to tell me a rough number of how many women would be there, knowing that there would be several, my mom came along with me to help keep me organized and sign everyone that wanted the picture package. It was just a great night and a great opportunity for Deann and I to meet new people and generate business, and the number of people to try and purchase Mary Kay item was awesome for Kim too. We are talking about possibly doing this event again at the end of November. If you are in the Phoenix area, you do not want to miss out on this, let me know if you are interested in the next event.

So on to my new photography website...I am excited to say that I have a new website. While there are changes still to be made, and several more pictures to upload, I am happy, excited and nervous to put my work out there, and hope this generates even more potential clients. Let me know what you think...http://www.saracarrollimages.com/.

Check back in often as I have so many photo session to post...

Meet Meaghan

I had the privilege of taking senior pictures for this most gorgeous young lady a couple of weeks ago.

Her mom, Deann, called me on a Friday night and said she had to have her braces put back on the following Monday and asked if we could take pictures over the weekend. So we drove up to Jerome and got some great shots.

She was such a trooper cause the weather seemed to be nice until we got out of the car and started walking through the town and the wind was just going crazy, but how could I not get great pictures with this beautiful girl.

My First Wedding...

I had the opportunity to photograph my first wedding...

One of my dearest friends, Monique, got married this past weekend and so this extended into just taking pictures, I was able to help her with ideas for decoration and then help her and her family make them. I was there to help her set up the church, get ready and drive her from place to place on Saturday...

It was such a simple wedding and went so smoothly, and I so was so excited to be given the chance to take her pictures. We were worried because it was cloudy on Saturday and started sprinkling on and off, but all went well, and I think that we got some really great shots. These are just a couple that I have gone through as I have tons of pictures to edit, but I will post more as I get them done.

Thank Monique and Rodney for letting me take pictures of your most special day...

Firsts...

This has been an exciting week for McKenna...minus the findings of her new food allergies...Not only did she use the potty for the first time tonight, which I am so excited about, she also got her first haircut. Our friend Deann cut her hair. I know that she is only 16 months, but it was in her face and she was too close to a mullet for me, so it was time. She did so good, she sat on my mom's lap and just let her cut away...

She didn't really cut that much, just trimmed it. I think that McKenna was excited when it was all done and we kept telling her that she looked so pretty, not that we don't tell her that all the time anyway, but we were making a big deal out of it...

Seriously...

We have been on the move, busy in our lives these last few weeks...playing outside for more than 15 minutes at a time...I have several photo sessions scheduled in the next few week and am so excited how busy I will be with that...and about three weeks ago we had McKenna allergy tested as I was pretty sure that she might be allergic to dairy, it took three weeks to get the blood work back, so last night was our appointment to get the results back. Let me recap for you on what Griffin is allergic to in terms of food...

Nuts
Shrimp
Soy
Eggs
Spinach
and intolerant to cow's milk...


So let me now tell you what McKenna is allergic to...

Soy
All dairy and casein
wheat and gluten
and possibly pineapple, this was borderline so the doctor said it could be a false reading and to not give her any for one month then try and see if she has a reaction


(I am glad they share at least the soy allergy)


So as I read the printout at the doctors office, my eyes filled with tears and all I could say was "How am I supposed to feed these children? Seriously, What am I supposed to do?" Life has been difficult enough eliminating these other things especially soy, as soy is in just about everything, but now to cut out dairy completely and wheat, I just feel overwhelmed. It is times like this when I am glad that I am at home and can monitor their food and have the flexibility to explore and research for new recipes and resources for our food or lack there of. I am thankful that there has been a movement in the autistic community to go in the direction of removing dairy and wheat from their diets, so a great deal of options are available to us. But being the main grocery shopper and food preparer I am not willing to make several different meals to accommodate everyone, so this will be a way of life for all of us...(not to say that I won't keep bread and peanut butter in the house to eat it when the kids are sleeping, cause I am a peanut butter addict...) but frustrating none the less. So today's task will be to go through the pantry...grr...

I know that we are not the first family to deal with this, and so many people struggle with food allergies, it is just frustrating that the list seems to continue to grow... we will just grow and adapt with the new changes as well...