MY FAVORITE LITTLE GUY IS FOUR MONTHS OLD!

KIRSTEN IN THE ARENA

I rarely get the chance to blog any pictures of Kirsten. All my girls have PKS (photographer's kid syndrome), but Kirsten most of all. However, when she is on a horse, she is in a different world, and I can snap away!! Actually, these pictures are all courtesy of "MR. Timeless and Treasured" - didn't he do a great job??

Look what Dad caught!! He snapped just as she fell. Part of learning to ride well is learning to fall well. She was fine, just a little bruise to her ego.

I just sent Kirsten off on a missions trip to the mountains of Tennessee. I'm praying that her life be changed this week, that she moves outside of her typical-teenage-self-centered world, as she discovers the unspeakable joy of becoming the hands and feet of Jesus. I pray that God will gently take her apart piece by piece and put her back together again in His perfect way. I wish I could have gone with all my small group girls as they experience God in a fresh way, but it's good for them to fly alone too! They are with a great group this week, keep them all in your prayers!

MY DANCING POPPY AND OZ PICTURES

This is my beautiful Hannah dancing.

Hannah's BFF Madison was in several numbers of the show - here she is in the Emerald City scene.

A little lift with Karlie and Madison!

A few of the main characters - they were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

We are so glad Nana was able to visit and see my beautiful little ballerinas!!

LITTLE BUNNY FOO-FOO

Here's my precious little bunny!! She did a GREAT job performing on stage for the first time. Actually, she PREFERS to be in the spot light, unlike most other members of this family.

Are these not the cutest little bunny tails you ever did see?

With her buddy Brooke.

That's my girl!

Emily had a very special little part when she handed the Cowardly Lion his crown!

Ta-Da!!

DANCE RECITAL

Hannah and Emily were in a dance recital this past weekend, Oz, A Magical Journey. It was a GREAT show, kind of a combination of "The Wizard of Oz", and "Wicked". Here are just a few pictures of before we left for the dress rehearsal.

Emily getting make up put on for the very first time! Notice the little half-smile, just like her daddy.

Emily was a bunny and danced to "Little Bunny Foo-Foo".

Hannah was a red poppy in a field of red poppy flowers! Beautiful!

Pictures of the show to come soon!!

BABY BIRD - ARE YOU MY MOTHER?

Hannah had one of her dreams come true the other day. She is an avid bird lover. We are lucky to back up to a natural preservation area, so we have LOTS of wildlife in the area, with more birds than you can imagine! Hannah was out playing in the yard when she noticed a little baby bird just hopping all around the yard. She captured the poor little thing with her net and had lots of fun playing with it for a little while before she let him hop away to look for his mother. One of Emily's favorite books is by P.D. Eastman - Are You My Mother? She had lots of fun that evening going through the stoy of our little bird adventure and comparing it to her favorite story.

Hannah is SOOO happy. She has been working towards owning a pet bird by this Christmas. She has to work very hard on her homeschooling between now and then, and she just may earn herself a pet bird - now I think she may work even harder!! I have to admit, it was very fun to hold the little guy and pet it's little head!

This may be one of my ALL time favorite pictures of her. There are very few things that make Hannah as happy as being with God's little creatures. Just before I snapped this picture, she looked at me and said "Mommy, I don't ever want this moment to end!!!"

MY NEW CHIK-FIL-A THEME SONG

If you only knew how truly accurate this is of my life and my love affair with Chik-Fil-A. It's even one of the songs on my "Beatles CLOCK"!!!!

Too funny!!

BABY ALEXANDRA, NINE DAYS OLD

Doesn't she have the most precious chubby cheeks and little lips ever? I had fun with you guys yesterday - congratulations on another baby girl!!

WELCOME TO MARYLAND NANA!

We picked up Nana from the airport just a few hours ago, and the girls already have her day FULL of things to do!! So far, she has already gone on a bike ride, explored the garden, played hide-and-seek, and become completely addicted to the Wii. Stay tuned for lots more of Nana's Maryland Adventures!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO MY HUBBY!!

Happy Fathers Day Richard. You are an amazing daddy to our sweet girls! I'm so thankful we have you!

Daddy with Kirsten

Daddy with Hannah

Daddy with Emily.

A BEACH WEDDING

I bent my "no wedding" rules for this one exception - a beach wedding - how could I say no? All natural light. Plus, this is one of my favorite families to photograph, they crack me up. It was a beautiful small family wedding in Bethany Beach, Delaware. The sky was changing the entire time we were out there, which made for some interesting images. On a technical note, I am a "manual" camera girl - I always want the camera in manual so that I am in complete control (yep, I'm a control freak) of everything the camera is doing. Well, with the sun coming and going and the lighting changing so much, I second-guessed myself slightly. Of course, not wanting to miss a shot at such an important event, I flipped my camera over to "aperture priority". It's still pretty much in manual, the only thing is the camera chooses it's own shutter speed to match the aperture I select. I just found my NEW BEST FRIEND!! I always kinda felt like it would be cheating a little to use anything other than manual, but I'm so pleased with how all the images came out. I'm going through over 500 images, but here are some of my favorites.

THE BUTTERFLY

A man found a cocoon for a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly.

He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. Something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the small opening of the cocoon are God` s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.

If God allowed us to go through all of our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Not only that, we could never fly.

PRINCE CHARMING?

We may never know, no one was quite brave enough....but almost..... Don't you love how their hair curls around their face in the humidity?

HOMESCHOOL GRADUATION

I was very honored to be asked to be the photographer for our local CHEN (Christian Homeschool Education Network) graduation ceremony. This is such a great group of kids! I had a great time picking the minds of all these amazing moms who have gone before me on the venture we are about to set out on! We are blessed to be in an area with amazing amounts of resources and fellow homeschool families. Being at this ceremony and hearing the speeches given by the students, the parents, (and even a Senator), was just exactly what I needed to witness to confirm our decision to be a homeschool family. (Thanks Lord!) Homeschooling is a noble calling, but one that will reap great rewards, both academically and relationally. The experiences that are available for modern homeschoolers are mind-boggling!! I am so humbled to be called to this great task and I am more determined than ever to make these homeschooled years (however long they last) to be the absolute best they can be! Here are a few pictures for you guys - you will receive your packages in the mail in a few weeks. To view the pictures, you can enter the password "graduation" under the client section of my site HERE.

Kelly was ready for lots of tears!

Can you believe this is all one family?

Congratulations guys!! YOU DID IT!

MY FAVORITE LITTLE MAN

My favorite little guy is already three months old!!

IT'S OFFICIAL - SUMMER HAS ARRIVED

ANOTHER YEAR OVER

Last night was our last bible study meeting with my 8th grade girls. In just a few more days they will officially be HIGH SCHOOLERS!! It's so hard to believe. Only six of my nine girls were able to make it last night, so we enjoyed some time just hanging out and taking some fun pictures. We finished our third year together, we made it through middle school girls! YOU DID IT!! I am so proud of everything you are becoming. Keep looking to Christ for everything. For in Him is your everything! I love you all!

PS) The rest of your pictures are on Facebook - you can get them there.

MY MOM AND MY GIRLS

My mom has been visiting for the past week from Florida. We decided today that we needed to have some pictures of her with her grand-daughters! Thanks for coming up to visit Mom - we had a great time! Come back soon!

MY MADDY

Miss Madi - your pictures are finally ready!! Enter the code Madison (now what else would it be?).... Love you girl.

WISTERIA IN THE RAIN

This endless Maryland spring rain didn't keep us from a photo session this evening!! The wisteria at this beautiful location only blooms for a few days a year, and we have been waiting and waiting for it!! I had a great time with you guys tonight - here are a few pictures for you!

MY BEAUTIFUL GIRL

She just gets prettier every day, doesn't she? (And grows at least an inch a day as well).

NOT THE BEST IDEA

Teenagers.... Their minds absolutely fascinate me...

SKYPE SISTERS

A new world has opened up to me... yep...the world of SKYPE. It is sooo cool to be able to see my sister and her gang while we chat via the internet. Here you can catch a glimpse of the REAL Ryan family. I actually took pictures of my computer screen while we were chatting. Just doing my job as little sister, I'm sure there will be payback for this one..... but in the mean time. Here is my big sis and her kiddos (and her hubby) in all their glorious Skype action!! Sibling rivalry at it's best. Mom threatening the kiddos and then pointing her "big sister" finger at me when she saw the camera. I'm not even quite sure what to say about the picture of Karen looking off into space and little guy making finger animals, other than "that's the Ryan's". Enter hubby to see what's going on, then stopping a moment for a family photo (minus Coley). Then the youngest Ryan man doing what he does best - acting just like his dad!! Love ya Aunt Ki-ki!!

MY LITTLE HOUSE GIRLS AND BOILED PEANUTS

Today, Hannah did a book report on "Little House in the Big Woods". She was dressed as Laura, and Emily was dressed as little sister Carrie. Aren't they the cutest little prarie girls ever? I made these costumes about six years ago originally for Kirsten and Hannah. I can't believe how time flies. Emily doesn't look thrilled in these pictures, but she was counting down the hours until she could go help Hannah "do her report" at school. And for some reason, Hannah would NOT put her bonnet on her head. She is still just as cute though!

We received a very mysterious package today, with no return address. I was so delighted to open it up and discover FOUR bags of raw peanuts.....hmmmm...... somebody knows how much I LOVE boiled peanuts, and that they are not to be found anywhere in these northern parts. Most people around here have never even HEARD of a boiled peanut. We can't even find (very easily) raw peanuts that I can boil at home. So, the girls and I were thrilled to throw those peanuts in a pot and set them on the stove to boil!! I was so excited that I didn't think to take a picture of them until after the two bags had been opened!! Now the house is full of that wonderful summer time smell of boiled peanuts!! (Sorry, Beth, but it really does smell good). And thank you to that mystery person who sent us the peanuts - you know who you are, and I have a feeling she lives in Ohio!!!

HANNAH'S BAPTISM

Today was an amazing day!! Hannah has been asking to get baptized for about two years now. She has taken a Children's Baptism class and has a complete understanding of what it means. She has been SOOO nervous about getting up in front of the congregation and speaking those all important words - "I believe, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and I accept Him, as my Lord and my Savior". She has said those words for so long, but just couldn't bring herself to make that public confession. Well, today was the DAY!! We had an unbelievable service today, what we call at our church a "Baptism Splash". Typically, it is a day each year that many people get baptized on the same day, sometimes at a local river or lake. But today, we broke all tradiational rules of baptism!! (are there really any?) Our pastor gave a great sermon on exactly what baptism is, and gave a call for ANYONE to come and be baptized today. We disregarded our formal baptistry, and they set up an entire POOL on the stage of our church. Hannah had planned on getting baptized today, but there were literally HUNDREDS of people baptized today, that did not plan on it!! People were baptized in the only set of clothes they had! It was an amazing sight to see - people lined up around the church, many new-believers, waiting their turn to be baptized. I was fortunate to be able to capture most of them with my camera, and it has been so moving to review these pictures. There are some amazing stories already surfacing today - stories of a men's bible study that meets at Panerra every Saturday morning. For over a year, this group of men have invited the "Panerra guy" (who works there) to attend church. He came last week for the first time, and again today - and even HE was baptized today! There were even couples that were baptized, together, at the same time. I have so many pictures to share - but for today I will just share my precious baby girl getting baptized by her own Daddy while our pastor looks on........

KYLIE

I had the pleasure of taking Kylie's senior graduation pictures today. She is another homeschool graduate from our area. Every senior I have done this year has been a homschooler (OKAY God, I get it, I get it!!!) She is such a sweet girl and so photogenic! Doesn't she have the most gorgeous blue eyes?? Here are a just a few sneak peeks for you Kylie..

ACSI SPEECH MEET!

I am SOOO PROUD of my Hannah-Banana!! She competed today in the Association for Christian Schools International Regional Speech Meet. She scored the HIGHEST score possible for her division!! She received a "Superior" rating. She was amazing!! She recited a passage of scriptures from Colossians, and then explained in her own words what it meant to her. She has worked very hard on preparing for today. I have shared before how she is not fond of public speaking, but she is becoming quite proficient at it! She is learning a skill I wish I had learned as a child. I am so proud of her for overcoming her fears and facing her challenge head on and overcoming her obstacles! Way to go Hannah!! We love you and are so very proud of you!

Here she is with two of her friends who also competed and received "Excellent" ribbons.

FUN ON THE STREETS!

This fun couple from Russia are getting married in August!!

ALL MY GIRLS

Last week - ALL my girls were here for bible study. It's so hard this time of year to get everyone together at the same time because of all the sports, etc going on, but everyone made it this time!! And I LOVE how they all fit on my new couch!!

BABY A

I am so honored to be allowed to capture sweet baby "A" every month of his first year! This is my favorite little guy at two months. His mommy's pregnant pictures were posted here on my blog too! I could just eat him up!

Happy baby.....

NOT happy baby.

He likes it much better in Mommy's arms. Don't you love his little hat?

All tuckered out.

A cozy rainy day at the Inner Harbor (they have the most AMAZING new townhome right on the water at the harbor).

SPRING BREAK BEACH TRIP 2009

All of you Floridians will get a giggle seeing us in our coats on the beach!!

This time of year you can find some great sea shells!

We had a great girls only trip to the beach with our good friends the Webbs!

We even found a sand dollar! We learned while we were in Jamaica that the reason it is this color is because it is either still alive, or has been alive recently. They don't turn white until they die and completely dry out.

Sweet Julia at dinner one evening.

We even met up with our friends the Vogels who have a beach house in Ocean City.

For some reason, Miss Boo thought that if you go to the beach, then you get cotton candy. I have no clue how she made this connection, but she NEVER stopped talking about finding cotton candy. It was much more difficult than one might think to find cotton candy during off-season at the beach. BUT, we finally managed to find some, and her trip to the beach was then complete!

Walking down the historic Rehobeth Beach boardwalk!

Soaking up some sun (yes, in our coats).

Whoa Maddie!! How did you get so tall?

We found a sweet little make-up boutique and had some girly fun in there!! All the girls had a little make-over. Emily chose purple eye shadow AND purple lip gloss. Now that's my diva!

And to finish off our trip, I hopped into the driver's seat after loading up the van to find this lovely little visitor on the steering wheel. (It was a recently acquired toy snake). I just about jumped out of my pants, which was followed by six giggling girls - you would have thought I had BOYS back there instead of girls!!

HAPPY EASTER 2009!

Her very first curls!!

All my sweet Easter girls with their baskets! (and yes, she is taller than me now!)

It looks all sunny and warm but it was FREEZING!!

Some Easter love from the boys.

Every year at Easter it seems I manage to capture the classic "personality pose". This year, even the dog's personalities are showing!

Happy Easter from the O'Steen Family!

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

This was Hannah's first year at the Ballet Academy at MCPA. She had done some classes when she was younger, but now she is getting a little more serious about dance. Today she participated in the Achievement Awards where she was able to perform a little bit of what she has been learning this year. This was a HUGE accomplishment for her, because her very least favorite thing in the world is to perform in the spotlight..... alone. We shed a few tears leading up to the show, but she conquered her fears and went out there and did her very best. We are SOO proud of our little brave ballerina.

Hannah's best buddy Madison.

My brave girl.

Hannah and Madison look up to the Burnham girls - they are great dancers (and wonderful friends)!

A final curtsy.

Applause for Hannah for doing so well on her written test of ballet terms.

DADDY DAUGHTER DANCE

Well, its that time of year again!! I have about ten thousand (well, maybe a BIT of an exaggeration) dance pictures to edit! What a dream night it was for all those little girls! It was a magical wonderland! Here are just a few pics from the evening. I have been a bad blogger lately, I admit it. I have been so very busy researching homeschool curriculum and ideas, along with regular life stuff. But I'm still here - and trying to NOT be on the computer!! :)