Boston's Blessing

Today we went to the Scott's for Boston's blessing. He looked so cute and Nick gave one of the most beautiful blessings I have ever heard. Boston has changed so much since I last photographed him! I can't believe it was just a few weeks ago. Babies really do grow up too fast.

Look through my lens!

I finally started a separate photography blog! I have been taking tons of pictures, and I decided to get organized: devote this blog to my family and post much of my work on the photo blog. Clients I have posted shots of so far are Kasen, Parker, Ashley and Luke, and Kate. Over time, I will repost some past favorites and will continually update client shots (Daphne is coming up!). Essentially, look through my lens will become an online portfolio. Clients will have the chance to sneak a peek of a few of their shots before receiving their proof disk. I hope you enjoy it! Check it out at http://www.lookthroughmylens.blogspot.com/ I just got started, so please excuse the boring layout etc. It will get gussied up a bit once I get some time!

Don't cry for me California...

We went to California last week and had so much fun! I loved seeing all my friends and going to the beach. We went to our old ward which was also so nice. I miss everyone there and the beautiful weather! Danny had to work a lot while we were there, which was a bummer, but I guess that was the reason we went. =) We stayed with Joe and Britt, and one night with Sarah and David. We were so glad we got to spend time with Brenda, Brooke and Parker, and Rachelle and Daphne too! We were however, so sad we didn't get to see Kelly- who was living it up in Sweden. Next time buddy. I took lots of pictures of other people's kids while I was there and I loved feeling like my little business is getting started! But unfortunately, I took no pics of Max at the beach. I could kill myself. One big development: Max learned how to roll over from his back to his belly (finally!) at Rachelle's house. It was a proud moment! He is now a rolling fool. I look up and he is seriously across the room! It's out of control. You would be amazed how far this kid can travel by just rolling and scooting. We went to Sprinkles cupcakes- which as you will see, are delicious. It was a great trip! I miss it already. =(

Max's only beach shot. Sitting in his stroller. Ridiculous.

Sarah came home from a Vegas with this outfit for Luke. She showed it to me and I had to laugh! I walked over to my suitcase and pulled out the exact same shirt (you can't see it but it has this cool guitar graphic) and jeans. Gotta love it! I love this shot of our boys because Luke looks like he is giving Max some man to man advice. The best was when Luke strummed his shirt and (pretending like he was playing the guitar on it) and then walked over and did the same thing to Max! Haha! Sarah told me that before we got there, Luke kept telling her that he was going to teach baby Max how to walk! Luke and Ashley are so big and so cute now! I can't believe how much they have changed. Mmmmm. Sprinkles!
Britt loves 'em too! We had so much fun with Joe and Britt. It's hard to find friends like these! Dude. They had the wi. It is freakin fun.
Me and Rachelle. Delicious! We miss Kelly and Rachelle! Why must we be apart like this? WHY?!

sneak peek

I took some pictures of a whole lotta cute kids this week. I thought Brittany might like a little sneak preview of Kasen, a.k.a. Mr. GQ, since I am going to see Sarah later today. =) Aren't those eyes and freckles to DIE for?! Thanks Brittany and Kasen! I had a blast!

Cousins

Friday night before we left for California, my sister in law Missy and her three daughters, Lillie, Ivie, and Saige, came to spend the night at our house! It was so much fun. I love seeing the girls and I always have fun staying up late talking to Missy.

Lillie

Lil is in kindergarten now and has decided she is pretty grown up these days. She is really into her hair do's and is such a good big sister. She loves having pictures taken of her! We took these at the play ground by my house, and after I shot one or two of her and turned to take a couple of her sisters, she said, "Nooo, take some more of me!" I told her I was going to take some of everyone. She thought about that for a second and said "Okay. But take the most of me!" She is so cute and somehow must know how photogenic she is!

Ivie

Ivie is honestly the funniest little girl I have ever met. Danny and I decided she is the funniest and most entertaining out of all the grandkids. For one, she pulls the most hilarious faces. She will be telling you something dead serious and she will make a face that just makes you want to hit the floor and laugh until you can't breathe. Plus, she can't say her "R" sounds, which makes the things she says that much funnier. I told her we were going to pick some blackberries and she goes "Blackbewies?! Awe they weal?" I told her yea, a little confused. "Do they bite?!" I have no idea what she thought blackberries were. Maybe black bears? I don't know. I got a kick out of it though.

Saige

Saigey is almost two and came out of her shell a little bit this trip. She is a little quiet around me usually, but she talked about baby "Mac" this week a lot. She would go into Max's room, find his shoes and bring them to me and say "Mac!" Then she would try to put them on. Or, if Max started to cry in another room, she would come find me, wrinkle up her nose and say "Mac." with this very concerned expression. I think she will DEFINITELY pull faces like Ives. It's adorable.

All the kids- Max loves his big cousins and is so happy when they come to visit.

leaving on a jet plane

Just a quick post to say sianara! Danny, Max and I left yesterday for Orange County and so far we are having a blast meeting up with our friends and living it up in the SoCal weather. We will be back home on Thursday with loads of pictures and stories to tell I'm sure.

you're so vain!

Max is so in love with himself. I put him in front of the mirror in my room a lot in the morning so I can shower and get ready while he entertains himself. Yesterday I got out of the shower and Max had rolled over so that his whole body was pressed up against the mirror. So he is laying there checking himself out... Then all the sudden he turns his face towards the mirror...
...and goes in for the kill! He totally started licking the mirror like crazy. It totally looked like he was trying to make out with himself! I thought I was going to die I was laughing so hard. He was just going after it!
He sat and licked his own face in the mirror for a few minutes until I snapped a few pictures and was able to stop laughing long enough to think about the fact that I hadn't cleaned the mirror in a while and he was probably licking the dust off it. Sick. Anyway, I have always thought Max was an adorable baby, but apparently all the compliments are going to his head. Obviously, he already knows he is a little hottie if he is kissing his reflection in the mirror at seven months. Geez. I can only imagine how he'll be as a teenager. He is so into himself already!

Your kids, my camera. What a winning combination.

(a few recent shots)

So here's what's up. I have been wanting to eventually open up my own photography biz. It's a while off though- I want to take some more classes, get some more experience, that sort of thing. In the mean time, I have been getting a lot of requests for family pictures, couple pictures, baby pictures etc. which I have been loving! Since they are starting to add up a bit, I have decided to start charging a little and offering my services to whoever is interested. My style is natural, casual, classic shots with a modern twist. Although not all shots are candid, I like for them to look that way. I use natural light and settings that are comfortable for you and your child weather that is a playground, a park, or their own bedroom or living room. Black or white back drops only if you want back drops.

Cost/ What you get for the money:

45 bucks for one kid, one hour.

Couples, 45 bucks, one hour.


Senior Pictures, 65 bucks, one and a half hours.- Senior picture season is now!!!


2-3 kids, 65 bucks, one and a half hours.

Family pictures- 75 bucks, plus some individual shots, about 1 and 1/2. Add a little for big families.

You get a CD with the best shots all photoshoped (zits removed, colors brightened, black and white, cropped, all that). I won't charge for prints. Get as many as you want, they're yours. When you take in to account how much they charge you for a stupid 5x7 at JC Penny's, this is a pretty sweet deal. On that note, these prices will not stay this way for too long, just enough to get my feet wet. Prices are also specifically for friends, ward members, etc. If you don't know me personally, I would add 15 bucks to the prices listed, just because I would probably need some extra time getting to know your kid before I get all up in their face with my camera. =)Also, if you hate all your pictures, I will either refund your sitting fee or reshoot. I really hope that doesn't happen though! It hasn't so far. =) My prices are flexible- if you need more time, less time, special situation, talk to me, we will work something out.

I am currently in Farmington and I am willing to travel within Davis and Utah County for no cost. Otherwise, you can come to me or pay my gas. On that note I WILL BE IN ORANGE COUNTY NEXT WEEK. If any California people want pictures, I will be available from Sunday to Thursday. Give me a holler.

E-mail me or leave me a comment!

jesslkettle@yahoo.com

If you want to leave a comment but don't have a blog ID, you can leave an anonymous comment and just sign your name and leave contact info.

P.S. If I have already arranged a free session with you, obviously it is still free!

P.P.S. I am working on opening a photography blog, but in the mean time, If you want to see my work, you'll have to scroll through my old posts! Sorry!

P.P.P.S. If I am totally off base here, let me know. I can take it. In fact, I really need honest feed back concerning the whole matter! I'm feeling a little self conscious about the new venture.

A day of rest. Literally.

Here we are all snuggling! When we moved to Farmington and found out we had 1:00 church, we were not too thrilled. It turns out I love it! Every Sunday we get Max, bring him in bed with us, and just snuggle for a while before we make breakfast. I absolutely love this special time we have as a family, especially since Danny has been working so much lately. This Sunday was especially nice since we have been so busy this week.! I love that Sunday is a day of rest and a day for us to be with our families. I used to think it was a pain that I wasn't allowed to do anything on Sunday, and now I appreciate it so much. This Sunday we also got our temple recommends renewed, which is such a great feeling. Danny and I are making a goal to attend the temple more often now that we are more settled in. I am so thankful that we have that opportunity! Yay for Sundays.

Max is 7 months old!

Seven months- wahoo! Here are some updates on my little man this month.

Max is rolling from tummy to back both directions, NOT from back to belly quite yet. He grabs his toes and rolls from side to side, but not all the way over. Still working on sitting up. Just today I noticed that he is trying to pull the rest of his body up when he pushes his chest up. Maybe we will have a crawler sooner than we thought!

Max favorite activities: grabbing his toes, rolling, jumping in his jumper, putting everything possible in his mouth, and "the swim." He does this hilarious thing while he is on his tummy- he pushes up, and then lifts his arms and legs off the ground, arches his back, and kicks his legs like crazy. It looks like he is trying to swim! We just watch him and laugh and say "kick-kick-kick Max!" We love it! He does in non stop. It also kinda reminds me of Mission Impossible when Tom Cruise is dangling from a cable inches from the floor and he can't touch it. This is another thing that I have GOT to figure out how to post a video of.

Max's favorite things to play with are his bee, his red monkey, and lots of non toys, namely water bottles and watches. I don't know why. I think he likes water bottles because they crinkle and make noise when he holds them, but I don't know about the watches.

I don't know how much he weighs right now, but the kid is a beefer. I don't know how a tiny preemie turned into my "chub-chub" (I know, the nick name's going to haunt him), but it has happened all the same. He is still nursing, but we have recently introduced some baby food too. He seems to like it! So far he has had carrots, sweet potatoes, apple sauce, apricots, prunes, peas and peaches. He pretty much likes them all but the peas (duh).

Us Lately

Wow. I hate when I get behind on my blogging, and this is why. I end up with tons of pictures and things to write about and I stay up all night working on it. We have been so busy lately I just haven't had any time to blog until now! Sorry for the lengthy post

PARK CITY

After Brittany and Joe went home, we had a few days to catch up on daily life before we went to Park City for a Kettle Family reunion. We love hanging out with all of Danny's sisters an their families, and we love spending time with all the little Kettle cousins! It is so fun to see them all grow up and change. They are all so cute and funny in their own ways. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of the kids during the long weekend.

There were a bunch of really funny shots of the kids spinning like crazy on the tire swing. Their expressions were priceless! I wanted to post more, but decided to spare everyone. =)

This is our little Cody after he was running down the hill and wiped out. Side note: I taught him how to say "wipe out" this summer, only it sounds like "wip. ot." So funny. Codster was already in a foul mood because Missy put him in time out after he pushed JJ off the TOP of the slide! It was not good. He decided to sit in time out for probably 15 minutes before he was ready to say sorry! What a little stinker. =)
Max discovered that he loves watermelon. He just buried his face in that thing and sucked on it like mad. He got furious and squealed when he couldn't get a good suction on it. I have it on video and it is sooo funny. I wish I could figure out how to post videos on the blog! BTW, I hate using my small camera. After using the digital slr, it feels like I have zero control with that thing.

Anyway, Park City was a ball. We went swimming in the evenings and played outside and shopped during the day. I had an extra fun time taking Lillie to the pool one afternoon just the two of us while Missy watched Max. She is so funny! I have never seen a child inhale more pool water than Lil. She is a crack up. I can't believe she is in Kindergarten now! Every family was in charge of one meal. I of course was assigned to Sunday breakfast (breakfast is kinda my signature meal) and of course I made my ever popular crepes.

The Momma and the Poppa

Max and Nana. This picture made me laugh! This is Max's new cheesy smile that he does now. And apparently Nana is practicing her cheesy smile too. I love it!

My mom and dad flew in to town Saturday night to take Jordan back to BYU and switch dorms for fall. My dad got to stay until Wednesday and my mom stayed until this morning! I love, love, love, my parents and I always have so much fun when they come to visit. Our big project this week was picking out a paint color for my living room and kitchen. Unfortunately, I am as indecisive as I am perfectionistic. Not a good combination. My wall looks like a patchwork quilt, but I think we finally got it figured out (after about 7 samples of paint). I was torn between Restoration hardware's silver sage and Benjamin Moore turquoise mist. So i took in my gallons to Ace hardware and had them dump it all in a five gallon bucket and mix it all together. 4:1 ratio. I'm pretty sure all parties involved were ready to kill me (Mom, Dad, Danny, Ace Hardware paint guy). My mom and I also went antiquing and found some great vintage linens and I found an AMAZING antique dresser (depression era) at a yard sale for $25 buckaroos! I am sooo psyched. It is so charmingly shabby chic and the perfect size for my formal living room and has the most gorgeous hardware and I just love it. And for so cheap! I live for good deals. My mom also helped us get a handle on our flower beds and organized my kitchen cabinets. She even did our laundry. Gawl. She is seriously the best! Max totally loves her too. She is my very best friend.

PEACH DAYS

Danny and I used to live in Brigham City and we loooove peach days. This year we just had to go and take Max, and of course Nana, and Darren and Hadley! We also met up with the lovely Lindsey, on of my best pals since we were 11! She's the best. We spent 90% of the evening stuffing our faces with peach related dishes, which honestly is what the whole thing is all about in my book. Hadley won this little stuffed dog in the balloon dart game and she was so in love with it.

Celebrate America

Saturday night was the Celebrate America performance in Logan with Brenda and her family. it was this so cheesy song and dance performance to honor veterans, but the cast was actually amazing and I had a lot of respect for all the men and women in the crowd who served our country (many of them in WWII!). The story is, Brenda's whole family takes her 82-year-old grandfather to this thing every year and despite the fact that he has a hard time walking, he dances ALL NIGHT LONG. We had a blast! I got to do the two step with grandpa up on stage (yikes!) and Brenda was a dancin' fool. I saved Danny a few dances too. =)

Daa Bees.

At the Bees game!

Max and his bee toy meet THE bee.

Who is this guy?!

Not to be confused with daaaa bears. I guess one of the perks of working in real estate is that title companies hook you up with free stuff so they can get your business. Sweet! Or in our case, suite. We got to go to a SLC Bees (our minor league team) game and hang out in a suite with some title company people. There was also food. Free food, which in my book, is about as good as it gets. Danny insisted that Max get jazzed up in his Angels uniform since the Angels will ALWAYS be Max's team. We didn't even feel bad about it because the Bees are actually the farm team for the Angels (which I think just means they are affiliated- I'm not sure exactly how). Anyway, we were having a good ole time watching the ball game when all the sudden, THE bee walked in! Max thought he was a very interesting creature indeed, and fearlessly tried to eat his face. We think it's because THE bee reminded him of his own little rattley bee toy that he loves. THE bee spend extra time holding and playing on the floor with Max, and he told us that his own baby bee was born just three days after Max. How cute! It was a pretty fun night despite the heat, and we won (I'm pretty sure)! Hooray for free fun.