Heaven welcomes another little angel

Sometimes children are only here for a short time, and yet they still have an impact on the lives of those around them. Ethan was born just a couple of weeks ago, and yesterday he was returned to Heaven. He was truly a beautiful little boy, the most perfect nose and toes and hands, and it is sad that he wasn't able to stay a while longer. He spent his short life in the NICU, where he was able to touch the lives of his parents, the nurses and the doctors, as well as my own life.

Please keep Ethan's family in your thoughts and prayers. I am honored that they allowed me to share in Ethan's short time here on earth, and I hope the images of him will give them comfort and peace in the coming weeks.

Jack visits the park

Jack is Madison's cousin (see Madison's fairy photo bel0w). I've known Jack for two years now, and I've seen him grow up a bit since the first time I took his photo. He's full of energy and all sorts of little-boy craziness. He's certainly a handful!

Jack chased the rabbits and the roosters, but never quite caught any of them. I'm not sure what he'd do if he did manage to catch one, but it's probably best that he didn't.

Welcome baby Preston

This little guy is Preston. He's less than a month old and is so alert! He has beautiful eyes, doesn't he? He was a very cooperative subject, so easy to work with.

Congratulations to Preston and his family. Enjoy your new little boy.

A fairy and a rose

I don't do a lot of fantasy stuff, but this photo just begged to have a little fairy dust thrown in!

We did this shoot at Saguaro Ranch in Glendale. It's a beautiful location for picnics and photos. I was happy to see that the animals have returned! I was there in February and there were only chickens - now there are not only chickens, roosters and chicks - but peacocks and lots of bunnies!

Of course the weather is getting warmer, and pretty soon the park will be a bit unpleasant for photos, unless you go around 7 in the morning. And who wants to do that?

Welcome baby Maya!

Baby Maya is Addy's brand new little sister (see the previous post for more on Addy). Maya is just beautiful, and the perfect little subject for me to photograph! She was so cooperative at our session, and she's still newborn scrunchy, so she fit inside my little basket.

Congratulations to Maya's family, and welcome to the world, little princess!

Support the JDRF

This is Adalyne. She is one of the approximately 176,500 children with diabetes in the United States. She has type 1 diabetes, which means she must take insulin to survive. She wears a pump to deliver the insulin, and needs to carefully monitor her blood sugar.

I've worked with Addy twice now, and she's been a real trouper both times, dealing with low blood sugar. I was amazed at how well she dealt with the fingerpricks for blood samples, I'm sure my own kids would have been screaming their heads off after the first one.

Here's what Addy's mom has to say about living with diabetes:

"Thank you so very much for putting the word out about JDRF and Addy. It's little stuff like your blog that will help find a cure one day. Low blood sugars are the pits and you've witnessed 2 of them...everytime it happens, my heart races, my palms get sweaty and I wonder if this is the one that will cause a seizure - is this the one I need to call 911 for - is this the one that will leave her little brain permanently affected??? When it's over and I have my Addy back, my soul cries inside - and on the outside sometimes too - because she's so little and it makes me sad that life with type 1 diabetes is our reality. "

This Saturday (May 12) is family zoo day for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Organization. The zoo will be hosting a scavenger hunt for diabetic children and their famililes. They are in need of volunteers to host the event, so if you have the day free, don't hesitate to contact them! They also host a walk in the fall, and can always use donations. If you have a little extra money in your pocket that could use a good cause, please check out their website and help Addy and many other children by funding research and support.

A visit to the Surprise police department

My son's Cub Scout pack took a tour of the Surprise police station last night, and they certainly had a great time. Our tour guide showed us everything there was to see, from the communications room to the booking room and all points in between.

The favorite part of the tour was the cop car, of course. The boys got a chance to sit in the front seat and talk over the speaker. "Hi mom!" was a favorite. The siren and lights also were a thrill for them to see.

Thank you so much to the Surprise PD - we appreciate all you do to keep us safe, as well as entertained!