The blog has moved!

After spending a few hours moving things and setting things up, the Blog has now moved! This one will still exist, but if you want to see new stuff, you'll have to visit The Latest from Lovebugs at its new address.

Happy 4th of July!

Here we are in the hot, muggy part of the summer - what better time to have a holiday that is celebrated outdoors?

We did the all-American dinner of hamburgers and hotdogs, with watermelon on the side. No apple pie for dessert, but we did have white angel food cake with red strawberries and blue blueberries - how much more patriotic can you get?

The fireworks may or may not be on the agenda tonight. A storm is brewing up outside, and it's not really a good idea to stand around in the middle of it. The kids may just have to make do with the fireworks on TV.

Happy birthday Niyema!!

Niyema just had her first birthday and we celebrated today with a little cake. She dug right into the gooey, sweet frosting and got it all over herself. Now she's all sugared up and ready to keep her mom busy the rest of the day.

She is growing so fast and is so close to walking. She's standing up with just a little bit of help and you can tell she wants to take that next step, but hasn't been able to do it yet. Any day now, though.

Happy birthday, Niyema!

A video that should make you smile!

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

This is a video shot around the world - it's a happy video, filled with joy and life. It's a video I plan to share with my French classes during the first week of school. You just can't watch it without getting a smile on your face, even though it's such a simple idea.

This is what I want to share with people, whether it is through photography or through my job as a high school teacher. I want my students to see that no matter where you go, there are people who will share your hopes and dreams. No matter what part of the world you are in, people really do tend to want the same things out of life - they want to be loved, they want to enjoy the beauty of the world and life, they want to see their children grow up and raise their own children. Beauty is everywhere, you just have to open your eyes to see it sometimes.

Bubbles!

Summertime is bubble time! Little kids love bubbles, especially little girls. Marie and Grace had fun last night just blowing bubbles all over the patio. Some of the bubbles were pretty impressive.



Grace hasn't quite gotten the hang of blowing bubbles yet. She huffed and she puffed, but the bubbles just wouldn't come out.

Some more stuff from France

I'm pretty much done going through the 696 photos I took while in France. My room is being renovated this summer, with a fresh paint job and lower ceilings. I'm hoping to have some of the shots framed and displayed, and I took plenty of boring shots of things like bakeries and fruit markets with that in mind. But I also got lots of shots of students having a great time while in France - Miguel is standing in front of the Mona Lisa (la Jaconde is the real name of the painting!) and you can see that she's really not all that big. We also visited the Pompidou center and had some fun goofing around with a shopping cart on our last evening in France.

A smile waiting to come out!

This is Reese, and she's 10 months old. I love the way she is about to smile here - you can see it in her eyes, but it hasn't yet reached her mouth. She was playing a very important baby game - clap! - and that was enough to make her happy. What a great thing it is to be easily pleased!

Class of 2009 - BFF sale through July 26.

Class of 2009, this is your time to shine!

Summer vacation is here and school just got out, but it will be over before you know it! It's time to start thinking about your senior portraits, and Lovebugs Photography has a special deal that will make it even more exciting - a BFF sale!

From June 20-July 26, 2008, book your senior portrait session - studio, on-location, or combination - and a friend can join in for free! We'll even take some shots of the two of you together, so bring a coordinating outfit or two. You can be the best friend ever and let your friend have the free session, or you can split the cost so you both get a great deal.
Sessions must take place at the same time in order to receive this special offer. Call 623-556-1227 or e-mail Heather@lovebugsphotography.com to book your session today.

Back from France!

After a short flight to Frankfurt and a really looooonnnngggg flight from Frankfurt to Los Angeles, I'm finally back in the states! I'll be in LA until tomorrow, then it's back to Phoenix and back to work. As far as I can tell, my very patient husband has been able to hold down the fort, taking messages and processing orders while I was out of wifi range.

We visited Normandy and the D-Day beaches, as well as the Caen Peace Memorial. It's really a beautiful museum, with exhibits well worth seeing. Right now they have a special exhibit on 9/11 - it's called "where were you on 9/11/2001" and has interviews with people from around the world, as well as objects that were recovered from Ground Zero.

We continued to Rouen and saw where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake, and then returned to Paris for one more evening.

In all, we had a great time. If you're interested in seeing the 600+ photos I took, I do have them online - www.lovebugsphotography.com/Photocart/index.php - enter the gallery access code France. Not that I expect anyone to look at all of them...

More from France

As you can tell from the photos, we've visited the Eiffel Tower. It was a beautiful night and we were there when the sparkling lights came on at 10 pm. We also visited Notre Dame and the palace of Versailles.

Miguel was able to realize his dream of eating escargots and he loved them. Everyone is having a great time, and we are filling every day with as much as we possibly can.

We've now left Paris and are in the Loire Valley. We saw the castle of Chambord today, and we are staying in a little village called Villandry. Our hotel is quite interesting, my room is in the attic and has a V-shaped roof! Tomorrow we are going to continue exploring the Loire Valley by visiting the castle of Chenonceau.

Posting from France

Here are some of the pictures from our first day in France. We had a very LOOOONNG first day/night/day, and finally got a good night's sleep. We're so much happier now that we've had a chance to clean up and get some rest.

The first photo is a statue of St. Michael. We got sandwiches and sat in front of this fountain yesterday for lunch. The second photo is Miguel looking very distinguished in front of the fountain. He's so excited to be here! The third photo is Isabel standing on a bridge over the Seine river. The fourth photo is a candle that I lit for my daughter Marie in the the cathedral of Notre-Dame. It's in front of a statue of Mary, so this was the perfect place to light one! The last photo is the outside of Notre-Dame cathedral.

The weather is pretty nice, much cooler than Arizona. It's been a little rainy with sprinkles coming down from time to time. As always, the food is delicious. We had a big salad with potatoes on top last night - a weird combination, but very good.

Today we're taking a bus tour of Paris, then visiting Versailles in the afternoon. Tonight it's the boat cruise on the Seine and the Eiffel Tower.

Bon Voyage!

This morning I will be leaving on a trip to France (again). It's one of the few perks of being a French teacher. I dread the long flights, but the country is absolutely beautiful. I'm taking several students with me, and their excitement is contagious!

While I'm gone, my husband is going to keep things running on the homefront. I should have Wifi at all but one of the hotels, so I'll be able to check my e-mail every other day or so. If you need to get in touch with me about an order or booking a session, e-mail will be easier than phone for the next 10 days - Heather@lovebugsphotography.com. I might not get back to you right away, but I will reply as soon as I can!

I hope to post some pictures while I'm over there, so watch the blog for those. Also, don't forget to vote in the Fresh Faces contest - there are 2 days left.

Fresh Faces - vote now!

Well, I was supposed to have the voting up and running for this a few days ago but then I got swamped with literally hundreds of photos that needed to be edited, plus the last days of school, graduation, etc...that will teach me to run something at the end of May!

But here are the photos you can vote for. You have five beautiful children to choose from, and voting will run through 12:00 AM June 4. I've extended the voting by a few days since we got a late start.

Perfection!

Isn't this little girl just perfect? I love the was she purses her lips, and she was so easy to work with. She's just under two weeks old and absolutley gorgeous.

A 9-month old heartbreaker

This little guy was quite the sweetheart, but so active! He just didn't want to sit still for very long and he didn't like to look at the camera very much, but he was so sweet. He's going to be a trouble-maker once he starts walking, so watch out mom and dad!

Kenzie is baptised

The beautiful little girl from earlier this week was baptised this afternoon, and she was so well-behaved! There were plenty of crying babies and fussy toddlers, but Kenzie was a real little angel. Almost no crying at all, and after the hard part was over, she went right to sleep.

Congratulations to Kenzie and her family. Enjoy your special day!

St. Clare's - May 2008

St. Clare's recently held their Confirmation and Communion for about 250 young people. The older ones were there on May 17, and on May 24 Bishop Thomas Olmstead was present to confirm them. To see the photos of the event, please visit:

http://www.lovebugsphotography.com/photocart/index.php

Enter the gallery access code Clare17 to see the photos from May 17.

Enter the gallery access code Clare24 to see the photos from May 24.

The newest member of the Little Lovebugs Club

A gorgeous baby and a gorgeous dress for her baptism - what a beautiful little girl!

One miiilllllliiion dollars...

This picture just cracks me up! This cute little girl is so happy and fun, and this shot just reminds me of the scene in Austin Powers when Dr. Evil is asking for one million dollars to not blow up the world.

It's one of those shots you couldn't have tried to get, it was just a happy accident. I just love the look on her face, and the pinkie is just perfect!

New slideshow!

This is a little slideshow made from my session with Jack and Conner recently. You can make your own slideshows too, it's so easy to do and eventually you'll be able to upload them to an ipod, etc.

Oh, and keep those Fresh Faces entries coming in!

Fresh Faces Contest

How does it work? If you have a child between the ages of 6 months and 12 years of age and have not had a session with Heather in the past year, you can enter. Submit a recent (non-professional) photo to Heather@lovebugsphotography.com Be sure to put FRESH FACES in the subject line. (at this time prints will not be accepted)
Entries close May 22, 2008 : midnight EST, Voting will begin on May 23 and run until May 31, 2008.
Entries are limited to 30 entrants, so enter quickly!
All entries must include the child’s name, date of birth, and a valid contact email of parent or legal guardian (grandparents, you must have permission from parents to enter your grandchild. No names will be publicly announced. Also, if someone referred you to the contest that is a current client, please include their name so I can give them the proper thank you.
Twins and multiples may be entered together.
All submitted photos must be recent (within 6 weeks of submission)
Once entries close, the photos will be posted on the news page and be voted for by the public.
What does the winner receive?
There will be two (2) winning places. Grand prize and a runner up (based on total votes)
Grand Prize winner: Receives a complimentary session for themselves and one to give to a friend.
Second Place winner: Receives a complimentary session for themselves.
By entering the contest you agree to sign a model release. The model release allows me to use the photos from your session on my website and brochures.
But wait… My kids don’t qualify!!!
That’s okay! We still need you! Just forward this information to all of your friends and if they are one of the winners you will receive a $50 print gift card to use at your next session!
We encourage you to forward this information to your friends even if you are entering the contest as well; however there are a few quite notes that you (and they) will want to be aware of before entering.
Child(ren) entered must not have been photographed by us within the past year as of the date of contest entry – events don’t count, so if I’ve photographed your child at their first communion or another event, you’re in luck!
One entry per child. (if you have more than one child you may enter them individually as separate contestants; however, the winning session will be limited to the winning child only)
Standard session policies apply including but not limited to model release signature, ordering session to be completed in person, and all sales are final.
All photos submitted may be in color or in black and white and have been taken within the past 6 weeks of submission.
Submitted photos must NOT be from a professional photographer. We take no responsibility whatsoever for copyrighted materials submitted in this contest. By submitting copyrighted photographs into this contest you are accepting all legal repercussions that may arise from the owner of the copyright. Photos previously taken by Lovebugs Photography are not eligible.
Entrants may be from anywhere; however, the winning entrant must be willing to travel to us to complete the session.
We reserve the right to disqualify or deny entry to anyone at his or her discretion. This includes any clients who are banned from booking because of copyright infringement, outstanding balances, etc.
The Fresh Faces winners must book their session within 6 weeks of being named the winner.
In order to receive complementary session and print credits, the session date must be booked and completed before July 28, 2008.
Complimentary session MUST be of child who wins. NON-TRANSFERRABLE.
The digital version of the photo you submit becomes property of us for purposes of promoting the Fresh Faces contest. By entering this contest you are allowing us to post the submitted photo of your child in a public matter on news, website or in display promoting the Fresh Faces contest.

The boys of summer

I've been taking pictures of Conner and Jack ever since Conner was a little baby - he sure has grown up! It turns out that both boys are big fans of the Diamondbacks, and for the first part of our session they were all decked out in red Diamondbacks apparel. I'm sure they're going to have a great summer watching the games, and they'll look really cute while doing so!

Best wishes for a happy marriage!

I photographed a bridal shower this weekend for Leanne, who is getting married next month. It was simply gorgeous, with beautiful flowers and a lovely spring theme. I am sure that Leanne will make a beautiful bride on her wedding day as well, and I wish her happiness and a long and love-filled marriage.

Annie is about 8 months old now, and she has the most beautiful eyes! She also has a bit of a drool problem, as you can see - hopefully she will be getting some teeth soon and will be even cuter the next time I see her!

Communion time again!

Yes, it's that time of year again. There are over 100 kids this year getting ready to make their first communion and confirmation from St. Clare's. This year, I'll get a chance to experience it both as a photographer and a parent - Adam and Marie will be participating this year! That's Marie in her dress, standing outside the fountain at Prince of Peace.

The handsome young man isn't mine, his name is Steven and he belongs to another St. Clare's family. He was so polite and easy to work with; I look forward to seeing him again next month for "the real deal."

Niyema - almost a year old

Niyema is almost one year old - but not quite! She's so proud of her four little teeth, and maybe she'll even have more by the time she has her birthday cake. We'll have so much fun at our next session, destroying a cake and making a mess.

Happy birthday, Elizabeth!

Elizabeth just turned 3 years old, and I've been taking her picture since she was only 3 months old. What a difference between then and now! She started out a little shy, but soon got over it and we had a lot of fun dressing her up in different birthday outfits.

A sweet little flower

This sweet little girl is three weeks old. Her name is Meadow - a perfect name for such a beautiful little flower! She was a pretty good sport about being moved around and dressed and undressed, but she was happiest in mom or dad's arms.

A beautiful day at the farm...

This family was so much fun, and the location was beautiful. We met at The Farm at South Mountain for a session in the beautiful time right before sunset. Lots of trees, flowers and just a gorgeous place for a photo session! I also made a new friend who is 4 years old and full of energy - he seemed to enjoy climbing in the trees and flying like Superman, and I hope he enjoyed his after-session ice cream because he sure earned it!

Precious Payton

Welcome little Payton! What a beautiful little girl she is. She was so good, not fussy at all - and she loved playing with all of the textures on the blankets and towels. She also has the softest, most beautiful hair I've ever seen on a newborn.

Ashely - class of 2008

Ashely is graduating next month and has big plans for her future - plans involving a school whose name I won't mention, since they were MY college rivals! Congratulations, Ashely, enjoy your last few weeks of high school!

Welcome Baby Noah - sneak peek!

Baby Noah is just 3 weeks old and he's already so curious about the world around him. He was awake and alert throughout our entire session, but it was a good alert - no crying or fussing at all.

Congratulations to Noah's parents and a big welcome to Noah.

Memories of the NICU

I was at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center yesterday to do a session in the NICU. Sierra and Jackson are 30-weekers, now one month old. They are doing great and now growing and learning how to be a baby!

Visiting the NICU brought back a lot of memories of the time when my son and daughter were in the NICU. Some things have changed - the entire NICU has been redone so that instead of one big unit, there are individual patient rooms. But some things will forever be the same - the isolettes, the little signs put up by the nurses, the oxygen monitors, etc.

Lexi - class of 2008!

The weather is beautiful now and it's time to start thinking about graduation! Lexi is going to be graduating and we were lucky to have a gorgeous evening at Sun City Grand for her senior photos.

Congratulations, Lexi - graduation is a huge accomplishment and hopefully the first of many happy milestones to come in your life.

Happy Easter from Max

Max is playing with the gift the Easter Bunny brought...a cute little chick! Of course, it's not a real one - that wouldn't last long enough to take a single picture of him!

This chick is all that remains of 2 chicks, three ducks and two rabbits. Unfortunately, they are made with rabbit fur and thus very attractive to dogs. Our dog Mocha disposed of the bulk of the animals last year, I'm hoping this one chick will last a bit longer.

Mischief? Maybe!

Isn't this little girl the sweetest thing? I love the look in her eye - it's the same look my daughter gets when she's about to do something mischevious - something that will probably mean cleaning up a mess, but that you'll just have to laugh about.