yay! another little baby girl. dylan is 4 weeks old and wasn’t quite sure what to think of me, but we quickly discovered that laying on her stomach was her ideal way to spend her photo session. I love when new parents have things that mean something to their family included also in their photos. the little pink dress that dylan is wearing in the last few pictures, is actually the same dress that her mother, randie wore home from the hospital as a newborn…love it! congratulations, traves and randie! here are a few favorites from the shoot. enjoy!
i love new babies and adorable baby natalie is here! i feel like family, friends and clients are having babies right and left…but natalie is one of the few little girls to be welcomed recently. it seems like everybody we know has had boys. i love how small and delicate little girls are…and all the pink. natalie was very content to sleep through most of her session, though we were able to get a few of her awake. it is always a joy to watch new parents and their interactions, pride and love as they look at their new baby…andy & becky, your lives are forever changed…enjoy!
Natalie’s cute hat was made by one of our friends, Morgan of twystedyarn…check her work out!
One year ago today…
I am always torn between how much “personal” info to share on our “Twice Shy” blog, well today, here is a chunk about our personal lives.
January 6, 2009 was the first day of a life long change…it was the day I gave up gluten. 10 years ago I was diagnosed with IBS, (no big deal, a bunch of people live with it) doctors gave me all sorts of medicines; nothing really helped. As much as I would like to say that it didn’t affect my life…it really did. It affected social situations, eating out and much more. Well, 10 years later….we actually found the culprit. It all comes down to gluten. (Which is the protein found in wheat, barley, rye and contaminated oats). It is amazing how much things change with a simple change of the diet. The first few weeks, I looked at this life long change as a negative…of everything I can’t eat (you would be surprised how many things gluten is in…it is a cheap filler), but now both Brian and I look at it is the best thing that has ever happened to our family.
The reality is that once you start reading the back of boxes…you start to realize just how much crap is in the stuff that we eat. What ever happened to real food? Why are we eating man made artificial chemicals, sweeteners and genetically modified foods? Of course once you start asking these questions, it becomes a downward spiral into realizing the chemicals, pesticides & antibiotics we use, the medicines we take to cover symptoms, the nutrients American’s don’t eat, and what we are doing to the environment etc. So one little diet change for us has been more than just a little change.
Real, Whole foods have become our friends. I have fallen in love with quinoa, arrowroot, millet, flax seed, coconut flour & oil, almonds, lemons, free range eggs & chicken and so much more…even cabbage, turnips & spaghetti squash. This last year has been a year of discovery and learning and I am so excited to see what 2010 holds.
Goals for 2010.
- Master cooking with almond and coconut flours
- Master a healthy gluten free dairy free bread (we have had 8 failed attempts)
- Eliminate refined sugars and sweeteners. (I am starting to fall in love with honey, maple sugar & stevia as sweeteners…and use evaporated cane or agave nectar as an occasional treat)
- Eliminate chemicals, GMO’s (genetically modified organisms), colorings, dyes and preservatives as much as possible
- Always take my reusable shopping bags (envirosax) into the store (look how cute they are)
- Buy as much local and organic produce as possible (we love the Carmel Farmer’s market & the Indy Winter’s farmers market)
- Give back to online communities. I have learned so much from them & not given enough back…starting with Gluten Free Indy
- Always use my SIGG…I am notorious for always having a bottle of water with me (no more plastic bottles)
- And the hardest…giving up coca cola…my one vice I am holding desperately on to (but if we are eliminating refined sweeteners, chemicals and GMO’s….this hits all those categories)
Here are a few resources that have become my friend over the last year & some that I am still reading
Books:
- Nourishing Traditions: Sally Fallon
- Real Food: Nina Plank
- Eat Fat, Lose Fat: Mary Enig
- What to Eat: Marion Nestle
- In Defense of Food: Michael Pollan
- The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook: Elana Amsterdam
- The Spunky Coconut: Kelly V. Brozyna
- Everyday Raw: Matthew Kenney
Blogs:
Happy 2010!
Merry Christmas everyone!
baby logan is here! many of you have seen our friends kim and ryan on our blog before…(here are their expectation photos)…and we are so thrilled that baby logan has joined them! we are so excited to watch their family grow and for our boys to grow up together (they are 2 days shy of a year apart)! i am sure there will be a lot of adventures ahead! congrats on your first christmas with logan. enjoy!
i know this next photo looks mean to do to a little baby, but I promise we kept him warm…this bench was made by ryan’s great grandfather (i love the history, combined with newness!)
yay! I am so excited..our family pics are here! we love documenting families every year and really felt it was time to update our pictures. brian and I really haven’t had pictures shot since our wedding (well except Brady’s baby pics) and it was our turn to be in front of the camera. mel, one of our good friends and fellow photographer shot them for us this year…and we love them! check out their blog to see more.
okay, so i can’t believe that our little guy is 1 already. it is amazing how fast a year goes, and how much a little guy changes your life! Saturday, family and friends gathered to celebrate our son’s 1st birthday! thanks everyone for coming! it is amazing how loved you feel when everyone shows up at your house…(with a lot of people driving up from Fort Wayne/Decatur). Brian and I decided on a radio flyer theme birthday (we had our family pictures taken with a radio flyer…which you will get to see very soon!!!) and one of brian’s favorite memories as a kid was the radio flyer that he would pull around everywhere! it will also be very useful this spring when we want to pack brady up for a walk or to pull him around on our new land..(which we have a ton of work to do on!)
Making the cakes were so much fun, I haven’t decorated a cake since i was young (something my grandma used to do)…so needless to say, my piping was a little shaky. Plus, both cakes were gluten and dairy free, with does present some challenges…so i wasn’t able to decorate with a stiff traditional buttercream. it didn’t matter though, the cake was a huge success with brady and he made a huge mess…and loved it. he has been given really no white sugar his first year of life, so needless to say…we let him eat the whole thing and he was wired for hours and then crashed. a few things that i learned in the “red cake” making process: 1. it makes a huge mess…especially on a one year old…probably not the smartest idea. 2. natural food coloring is about virtually impossible to make vibrant red…I got pink at best…(if any one has any pointers on that….I would love to hear them)…so needless to say, I gave in and used regular food coloring.
eyerhere are a few favorites from the day! (i can’t take credit for all the pics…Mel, took a bunch so we could enjoy brady making a mess!)
posted in personal, photography, portrait | tags: brady's first birthday, brian and jennifer stump, dairy free cake, first birthday, gluten free cake, gluten free dairy free cake decorating, gluten free indy, radio flyer, radio flyer cake, radio flyer themed birthday
It is always interesting to me when our clients are planning their wedding from a distance…many times we don’t get to meet until the wedding. But, Thanksgiving weekend worked out perfect! we were able to meet Paul & Wendy and get in their engagement session while they were in town! and we couldn’t have asked for a prettier day..thank you weather for cooperating. Paul & Wendy are originally from Indy, but now live in Washington DC. They are an adorable couple, sweet, sincere and a lot of fun. Brian and i had a great time working with you guys and are super excited for your wedding in june. (oh, and Paul’s engagement story…beats all locations that I have heard of…yup, he proposed in Egypt!) Enjoy your sneak peek!
it’s that time of year…i am not a huge “black friday” shopper, at least not at stores…but brian on the other hand is… he loves thumbing through all the ads, finding great deals on things we really don’t need and then getting up early to attack the stores…yes, he has even waited in line most of the night for something from best buy 
. we actually don’t plan on hitting the malls this year & will be spending the day with family (but I am guessing a few online purchases will be made)
this year as a way of saying thanks for all of our absolutely amazing, wonderful, fun clients…here are some special deals for you. if you are having a hard time with gifts (parents) how about a gift certificate? they are on sale! or for everyone that i know wants a canvas…they are on sale too… (that only happens once a year)! and for our clients to be…we can’t wait to meet you…so for you…there is a special on all portrait sessions!
enjoy. have a blessed thanksgiving.
all sale items can be accessed through our black friday sale gallery. click here. (exsisting clients…sale canvases are also loaded into your regular shopping cart).
make sure you check back friday morning!…we will be having a few items on sale!
if you are having a hard time figuring out christmas presents…we can help!
by jenn
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