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First Lost Tooth Atlatna Child Photographer

“You will lose set number one, And when you do, it’s not much fun.  –Dr. Seuss

First Lost Tooth

Our Little Miss lost her first tooth last week.  It was a milestone for her…and me too.  The dentist told us in December the bottom ones were loose and would be coming out soon.  I was truly shocked. You would think I would know this was coming with my third child?  I just want her to stay little forever. I told our dentist that I wanted to cry but would save it for when the first top tooth came out.

Real life pictures here for you from me.  She had a wet head, Christmas nightgown and ready for bed – I grabbed my camera with the 100mm lens that I use for little bitty newborn pieces and parts to capture that tooth before the tooth fairy took it away.  Unfortunately, for the fun moments after taking the tooth picture I only had that lens but I made do and love them just the same.  Take pictures of your memorable family moments however you can, with whatever camera you have (and whatever bad light you have!).  The memory and emotion of it is what makes it so special.

You may not know this (my kids do) that the Tooth Fairy is only guaranteed to come the same night you lose a tooth if you lose that tooth before 3PM.  There are cut-offs and she has to plan.  That is just the way it is.  Luckily she came that night and left what my boys have always received, a Gold Dollar Coin.  The next morning my sweet little girl cried and cried when she found it.  I felt terrible (not sure what she was expecting).  She told her teachers at school that all she got was a penny.  She just lost her second tooth and believe me the Tooth Fairy was quick to leave a real dollar bill to avoid any more tears.

First Lost Tooth Atlatna Child Photographer

This was said during the laughs and tickles above:

Kate: You’re my favorite!

Dad: Thank you!

Kate: I was talking to Mommy!

Haha – I had to document that.  My children are all about fun-Daddy (with good reason) so it was particularly funny (to me).

I posted these pictures not just to share my incredibly sweet (and sometimes sassy) little girl but also because it reminded me how I am just like the other Moms that have panicked when those teeth are about to come out.  I have had many sessions with 5 year olds to catch them while they still have that cute little smile.  You just don’t ever want to forget it.  Honestly, a lot of times at 5 or 6 the smiles are a bit different even if the teeth haven’t fallen out yet.  Mouths are bigger and the teeth start spacing out.  I think year 4 is a great age to photograph a child.  They have come out of toddlerhood but haven’t quite become a big kid yet.  You can get an awesome portrait of them and they are still adorable.  A great age all around!  — Kate is 5 and a half in these pictures and her top teeth/smile look about the same.  As you can see the bottom permanent teeth are on their way and pushing the little ones out of the way. The baby teeth definitely needed to come out weeks ago. (sniff)

First Lost Tooth Atlatna Child Photographer

“But then you’ll grow set number two!

32 teeth, and all brand-new.
16 downstairs, and 16 more
upstairs on the upper floor.

And when you get your second set,
THAT’S ALL THE TEETH YOU’LL EVER GET!”

–Dr. Seuss

Our Family Pediatric Dentist and Orthodontist

posted in: Childhood,Musings

Spring Color Trend Atlanta Photography

Today was gorgeous in Atlanta and gave us a big taste of Spring.  So, before tomorrow when we flip around the temperature from 64 to 46, I have some colorful inspiration on what to look forward to this Spring. Waking into almost any clothing store you will be able to find colorful jeans with bright pops of color.  Go bright and bold this Spring.  Look for not quite neon colors but ones that are bright and clear.  Emerald is the color for 2013 (that makes me happy)!  I’m also very happy to see some color scenarios using grays and yellows. (visit my Gray and… Pinterest HERE)

Designer, Rachel Roy, created a Spring line of clothing with “a new balance pairing aquarelle pastels with vibrant pops of color — the contrast of Amethyst with Soft Shell, Bloom with Hibiscus, and Flax Linen with Candy Pink creates the emotion of unbalanced beauty.” Her favorite must-have item is a jacket in Limeade which I hope I am lucky enough to come across.

Try throwing an economical pair of colorful jeans into your existing wardrobe.  My favorite places to shop for them would be Gap, Old Navy and The Loft. It is fun to stay on-trend without breaking the bank.  If you aren’t bold enough for the pants there are plenty of bright and colorful jackets that will go with your existing jeans.

Spring Color Trend Atlanta Photography

It is the perfect time for Senior Portraits. I love for my High School students to have timeless outfits that will never grow old for their Senior Pictures.  I also encourage doing something really fun and representative of their last year of high school.  My sessions include lots of variety and is a really fun experience. I expect to see many ice-blue jeans and other colorful outfits soon and can’t wait!

Happy Spring to you – even if just for today!  ‘Punxsutawney Phil’ (The Groundhog) did not see his shadow this year so we are definitely going to have an early Spring! (right?)

What to Wear Wednesday: 2013 Color Trend Report | Check out www.pantone.com/spring2013 for more information and ideas.

Spring Color Trend

posted in: What to Wear

The word Advent is from the Latin “Adventus,” which means coming.

Preparing for the coming of Christ…

Day 2: We are on our way with our Advent Calendar!  Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas but like most people in America, we follow it in our home starting the first Calendar day of December leading up to Christmas.

You can search Advent Calendars online and find many different options.  It is especially fun with little children to open up a surprise every day until Christmas.  We were given the above Wooden Advent Calendar and every day we can open it up and unwrap a magnetic piece that fits onto our nativity scene.  It was a bigger negotiation for our kids when they were younger on who opens the box and who places it on the board each day.  I recommend also getting some of the cheaper paper ones you can find at stores like World Market so they can have one of their own.  My kids have never opened candy or small presents in their calendar but I know some people do.

We also have (had?) the LEGO City Advent Calendar and that is fun to put a little figure together every day.  I think I was able to get it back in the box for a second year missing a couple of pieces and then I just had to let it go.  We live in a sea of Legos and there was no way I could keep them from playing with the little figures or getting them mixed up with our regular pieces.  Luckily the prices have come down so you don’t have to feel bad if it is a one year calendar.  There are a lot more fun options now too.  The Star Wars Advent Box looks fun for children older than 6 years old.  It is not too late to get one especially if you have 2 children – do it every other day so they each get to open their own.

If you haven’t done one of these before, get the less expensive one from last year – your kids won’t care.

I think I want to get one of the last two for me Kate.  She misses out on a lot because the boys wreck stuff we have been there and done that with the boys.

The nativity one will still be our primary one because it is just easier to keep your head in the right place and a great visual to talk about the true meaning of Christmas.

 MERRY CHRISTMAS!

posted in: Musings

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Evan

Evan must have been the first true gift I ever received.  He turned 11 years old yesterday.  I don’t really have words to express my shock over him being so old.  Because this is my first day of 12 Days of Blogging I included a picture of his (technically) 2nd Christmas as a one year old.  What a fun Christmas.  This time of year is always more fun when you have little children and we were happy to finally have one!

As I looked through the digital files of Evan’s first year I remembered how sparse they are.  I am scared to check my back up files because I think I may have lost many files some years ago.  Luckily I had more time back then to well-document his first year with scrapbooks. Digital was still new (2001) and I took most of his pictures with my *real* Canon Rebel.  That leads me to remind you to print some of those digital images you have on your computer every once in awhile so you (and your children) can enjoy them.  It would be a great Christmas gift for someone as well.

For a nice printed album for your family, check out Blurb books.  You can get 25% off with the code: HOLIDAYTHANKS through 12/3 and after that date try the code: LASTCALL20.  They have small square and pocket size photo albums that would make great stocking stuffers.  I am really excited about their Facebook Photo Album and Instagram Album.  Easy to make and you can’t beat the price! 

More old pictures of Evan.  My digital camera was very bad! I wasn’t sure that it would ever be able to replace film.  I quickly learned to love how much I could use it and the instant results I could see.  Happy Birthday, Evan!

posted in: Musings

ourtown photographer

Meet the September 2012 Our Town Monthly Cover family, The Thomsens of Vinings Estates.  With ALTA tennis starting today all around Atlanta, it was a great time to feature this fun tennis family on the cover.

ourtown photographer

We multi-tasked for this session.  Not only did we get a great shot for the cover of a magazine, we also marked the occasion of adding a new puppy to the family.  Rue, a little black mixed-breed, was adopted from a shelter just a few days before this picture was taken and is sure to be a long time family member.

Thirdly, we shot to have portraits of Grace with her new puppy and family.  Grace is graduating 8th grade this year and we plan on having some great images for her 8th grade feature page in the yearbook.

Photographer’s Tip: Even if your school does not feature 8th graders like hers does, you can mark that milestone of graduating middle school with a family photo session.   Think of how much he or she will change before the next time they get professionally photographed which is usually during their Senior Year of High School.

What to Wear: Grace has a wonderful unique style and she originally pulled together pieces from the new 2012 Adidas Adizero line that looked terrific.  The red and black that you see in our cover was a back up.  Because you always go with what looks best on Mom first, we decided that the yellow was too much and the black with a blue tennis court backdrop was the way to go.  The pops of red here and there add some color and most importantly it is a more classic image that they can hang in their home and enjoy for years to come.  You want to reflect your personal style in a classic way so that it stands the test of time.

 

ourtown photographer

 

At the closing table when they purchased their home in 2000 the seller leaned over and said “you don’t realize it now but the best thing about your new home is the neighborhood”.  12 years later Angie and Mark Thomsen agree that Vinings Estates, Smyrna neighborhood, has meant more to them than they could have could ever have imagined.

Raising children Grace (14) and Maxmillian (11) keeps the family constantly on the go. Participating in Smyrna Soccer, where Mark has served on the Board of Directors for 6 years, both children have developed good physical skills especially in endurance running as evidenced by Grace winning her age group at last fall’s Silver Comet Trail Half-Marathon….a path she knows well having regularly visited it since being pushed in a baby jogger by her Mom and Dad. The entire family has completed the Peachtree Road Race a combined 30 times.

Fortunately for Mark his position as a VP Business Banker with PNC Bank supporting their Cumberland/Galleria/Smyrna branches keeps him in the area most days and involved with community organizations including the Smyrna Optimist Club.

Another family passion is tennis ! Mark and Angie both captain several neighborhood teams, including Mixed and Men’s Doubles. Angie’s women’s team LOVE (Ladies Of Vinings Estates) won the ALTA City Championship last fall.

Angie is a Stay at home Mom, who likes to cook, bake, and entertain, she is Senior Sales Consultant for Thirty-One Gifts – a line of personalized tote products as a home based business. Who finds most of her time is spent driving and going to sporting events, since the entire family participates in several sports, sometimes it seems like a juggling act to get everyone where they need to be.

Both children attend Eastside Christian School and the family attends Trinity Anglican Mission church on DeFoors Hills Road in Atlanta.

Recently they acquired a black Lab/Jack Russell puppy (RUE) from Atlanta Humane Society who joins their mixed terrier (GIZMO) rescued 6 years ago.

— From Our Town Monthly | September 2012

***

posted in: Pets

Football Season officially started today for me. War Eagle!

Auburn fans often find me as their family photographer so I thought I would share an Auburn-inspired “what-to-wear”.

 

I’m probably biased but I love burnt orange and navy together.  I think the orange and browns look great in Fall too.

Here is a little blast from my past at one of the Atlanta Auburn Club events my family likes to attend.  Kate loves to shake her pom-poms every chance she gets!   (me too)

posted in: Family,Musings,What to Wear

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