JP Maidstone Photography

Happy Birthday Little One!

2012-01-31T12:42:00.000-05:00

My youngest is 5 years old today! My how time flies! These are his 5 year portraits.

My Pup!

2012-01-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

Piper is the best dog! She's an English Mastiff and she's super sweet. She's really great with the kids, is gentle with them, yet playful. She's very protective though, when people come around. From a distance, if you are a stranger, she can come across pretty scary!

Just wanted to share a picture of our awesome dog!

A new lens for Christmas

2011-12-31T18:58:00.000-05:00

So I got a new lens for Christmas. An 85mm 1.8. I love it so far. But it does have a learning curve. It's such a narrow lens that I need to learn to really back up, I mean REALLY back up. On my test run today, I learned that because it's not a very wide angle lens that backing up still doesn't give me much room and getting the rule of 3rds is kind of difficult. But I really do love the tack sharpness of this lens, I love how well it works under low light conditions and of course, the bokeh it produces is just amazing! Here is a share from two of my boys (3rd one is gone visiting a friend)

Happy Holidays!!

2011-12-29T09:52:00.000-05:00

I'm running a little late with this one, but hopefully you and your family enjoyed a wonderful Holiday this year!!!!

Cold time of the year!

2011-11-27T13:22:00.000-05:00

I love this time of the year, for Holiday's sake! Thanksgiving, Christmas, one of my little boys birthday's, it's such a busy time of the year, but I love the cozy family time of it all. But this is also the hardest time of the year for me, photography wise! I love shooting outdoors in natural light. That's where I am most happy. But this time of the year, the leaves are gone, the colors are pretty much grey and the sun goes down so early! By the time spring gets here, I am really antsy to get outside and go shooting.

My goal for the winter, is to get outdoors and find as much color as I can and incorporate it into my pictures, so that when winter rolls around each year, I've got some inspiration!

For now, I will leave you with one of my last shoots, with my own kids (who were barely cooperative) in the beautiful Fall colors.

Fall

2011-11-02T20:23:00.000-04:00

Went to the lake to check out the beautiful Fall Colors. I was not let down or disappointed in any way! You couldn't tell where the water met the trees!

They found a turtle.

Just a beautiful day!

The two big boys sitting at the top of the hill getting ready to roll down

The little one making his way up the big hill to his brothers so he can roll too! He looks SO little on that big hill!

One that WANTS to pose for me!

I just stepped back and let them be. I love watching them. They were laughing and having a great time. So happy!

Snow in OCTOBER?!!!!!

2011-11-02T20:12:00.000-04:00

We had a snowstorm in October!!! That's not common out here. In fact, there have been times that we have still been swimming in our pool at the end of October! We got about 4 inches right where I lived, but there were several places close by that got up to 10 inches! Of course, it was really warm the next day and most of it melted. But it was a pretty intense Nor'easter that came up the coast and gave us the snow. The boys had so much fun playing in it and it was definitely a surprise. I did not believe the weather man when he said it would snow, let alone accumulate.

It was beautiful!

While it was snowing. I love how the color of the leaves still shine through!

My tree! The top half is completely smooshed!!!! I know that's not a word!

And my happy boys, who stopped their snowball fight to let me take a picture.

My little Mini Mountain, the next morning at Sun rise. So beautiful to look out my window and see this mountain every single day, even if it is little!

My little bug!

2011-10-26T20:23:00.000-04:00

My little one got a Back Yard Bug Safari Kit and he couldn't wait to get out and explore!

June 2011

2011-10-26T20:18:00.000-04:00

The first week of June, we hit the beach, in Ocean City, Maryland. It was the PERFECT weekend, weather wise.

We ate dinner at Macky's Bar and Grill and sat outside on the little beach on the bay. I had the grilled chicken salad with the lemon reduction dressing. Oh, that dressing was GOOD!

The boys had a great time with their wake boards.

Spring Pictures

2011-10-26T20:09:00.000-04:00

I always say I'm going to try to keep up with this blog and I always fall behind. And then I got an email asking for more pictures. It really does make me feel good to know that people are looking forward to something here!

So once again, i will try to keep up. For now, we had a wild spring and summer as far as weather goes. We had a tornado. We had some bad storms. I'll add some of those pictures for now and catch up from the months that i am behind and add those here over the next few days.

This one is the rotation that started the tornado in Mauginsville, Maryland. It started IN MY BACK YARD!!!

This was a crazy storm!!! Right above my house. Rotation, anyone?

Here it is, same storm, with my house to give it some perspective

This one was picked up by our local news channel, WHAG. My back yard.

Same cloud, 5 minutes later. Not a tornado, but a scud... but scary looking either way!

This is the cloud I see when I look to the east. There IS rotation in that baby! But it never touched down.

We had a pretty wild Spring and early summer. I didn't catch all the storms. But those were a few! Pretty exciting!

Spring, hurry UP!

2011-04-01T16:50:00.000-04:00

I'm so impatient for Spring to show up! We've been spoiled by some warms days, then cold days, where we even had ice and snow! I was going through some pictures and I realized, it could be much colder. The day I took this picture it was 9 degrees outside. I swear, the boys never seem to notice the cold and can play in it for hours.

So, if I complain about the cold again, slap me. It could be worse!

My littlest boy!

2011-04-01T16:44:00.000-04:00

Wanted to test out a new set up. I think it worked well! And thank you Lisa, for the idea!

Spring is coming!

2011-03-26T16:59:00.002-04:00

I've been watching the buds on my Bradford Pear tree for the last two weeks. I can't wait for them to bloom!

Super Moon

2011-03-26T16:38:00.000-04:00

I waited for the Super Moon, but it didn't seem so super from where I stood. I've seen the moon appear much larger before. But I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I had to wait for the moon to rise above the mountains so I could see it. I wish I had gone east to view it from flat ground. BUT here it is, it was still beautiful!

Williamsport Waterfall

2011-03-11T15:36:00.002-05:00

I never knew there was a waterfall in Williamsport, Maryland. This is a creek that usually runs dry and today, when I drove past, I couldn't believe my eyes! It is so pretty!

Inner Harbor, Baltimore

2011-03-11T15:31:00.000-05:00

I've been informed by a few of you that I have really let my blog slip the last few months. I'm sorry! But I'm thankful that people still look here. It's been a very busy season and I haven't been loading things here as I go along, as I should.

My sister in law treated the boys (and us) to the Aquarium in Baltimore for the boys birthday's. We had such a fun day! I love going to that place. The whole Inner Harbor is so much fun. I can't wait for better weather so we can walk around outside.

I love Jelly Fish

The kids LOVED the Dolphin Show!

The Inner Harbor Skyline from Federal Hill

I haven't bailed!

2011-02-21T18:46:00.000-05:00

I just want you all to know that I have not abandoned this blog! I'm still very busy and just haven't had the chance to keep up! Spring is coming though and I'm hoping once it gets here to dedicate much more time to my blog. I am planning on opening my website soon too.

Just keep checking back and thank you so much for your continued support!

More of my boys

2010-11-08T09:03:00.001-05:00

Can't help but show them off! I'm a proud momma!!!! We went to a wedding this past weekend and I got some photo cooperation! YAY BOYS! YAY MOM!!!!!

Though, they did ask me how much I was going to pay them for letting me take their picture!

More Fall

2010-11-08T08:54:00.000-05:00

I had some spare time and decided to try to get some portrait worthy shots of my boys. That's a very hard task to do! It's amazing just how hard it is to get them all to look at you at the same time. Or for no one to be talking, or swinging feet, touching each other, the list goes on! But I am happy with what I got! The boys had a good time here!

Luray Caverns, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia

2010-10-27T14:14:00.000-04:00

Took the boys and some out of town friends of ours to see Luray Caverns in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. If you live close and you've never been, you really need to go! This town is beautiful, friendly and inviting. The caverns are beautiful and well worth the trip! I really wish I had brought my tripod with me. It didn't work well to use flash inside and of course, too dark to not use a flash. So I made do with ledges and placed my camera on the ledges to get a long exposure. Probably not the best idea! I'm going back soon, with a tripod next time!

Reflection pool in the caverns. I couldn't get the whole thing in due to the short ledge I had to rest my camera on to get the shot.

The View from the Caverns - so beautiful!

Fall Drive through Skyline Drive, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia

2010-10-27T13:57:00.000-04:00

I know I've said it before, but I have to say it again, I love Fall! And October is one of my favorite months. I love the cool nights and warm days, the colors, the smells, everything!

My boys and I decided to take a Sunday drive to Skyline Drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. You can't believe the sheer beauty of driving on this mountain top road. There are 75 scenic view pull off's on the drive. I believe that the northern half of the drive, from Front Royal Virginia up to Big Meadow, is the most beautiful part of the drive. But that's just my opinion. I'm sure there are lots of people who like the other half better.

Forest Fire on the mountain in George Washington Forest

Old Rag - I actually hiked to the top where that crop of rocks are, when I was a little girl!

And a picture of my boys!

The Lake

2010-10-19T16:43:00.000-04:00

I love Fall! I love this lake! October is such a beautiful month. Warm during the days and cold at night. I love the smell of leaves burning and the feel of the wind blowing. One day, I want to just head down to this dock with a book in my hand, sit in the sun and read, quietly for a few hours!

MORE!

2010-10-16T13:06:00.000-04:00

Part Two!

Here are some more of these sweet little babies!

The Twins!! Just a sneak peek!

2010-10-15T21:21:00.000-04:00

I've been waiting to get my hands on these two sweet little babies! They are a set of Boy / Girls twins. I really enjoyed holding them today. They are three weeks old! It's so neat to see their personalities, even at such a young age. And when you put the two of them together, they just settled right down and snuggled up! It's amazing to just be able to see how calm they are when they are put right next to each other. They were both so easy to take pictures of. Neither of them gave me any trouble at all! Even though I was told that the baby boy might give me a hard time, he was perfect right up to the very end. I have a feeling you'll see a lot more of them over time!

This is just a sneek peek! More to come later!

It's Fall! Time for some apple picking!

2010-09-28T09:35:00.000-04:00

I took my youngest out, down the road, to pick an apple! He got one and I got some pictures! Win win for both of us!

I love Fall. I love the months of September and October. I love the colors, the warm days and cool nights, the smell of fall in the air, the burning leaves, the rain...

Maternity (twins!) with Amy and Clint

2010-09-18T14:34:00.000-04:00

I've been waiting for this one! I know Amy has been too! They are expecting a "Boy + Girl" set of twins! They have a 6 year old daughter and no doubt she is excited too! So, be prepared to be jealous of how perfect Amy looks at 35 week WITH TWINS!!!! I had so much fun with both of you. Can't wait for the babies to get here!

Beautiful Family Photo Session

2010-09-17T19:08:00.000-04:00

I had the chance to do newborn pictures yesterday with this family. The baby is adorable and the big sister is a doll! I loved that the parents wanted to be in the pictures too. It was fun to sit with them and take pictures!

Here's a preview for you!

More to come...

Thank you for sharing your family with me!

Peek - a - boo!

2010-09-09T16:40:00.000-04:00

Beautiful Baby Girl!

2010-08-12T21:53:00.000-04:00

Little Miss A is such a cute little peanut! She was busy looking all around and would really perk up when she heard her momma's voice. She was also very busy and trying to wiggle away! She is 9 days old!

Here's a sneak peek for you Stephanie!

Baby Boy "C"

2010-08-09T20:25:00.000-04:00

I had a lot of fun with this little baby. He really reminded me a lot of Evan as a newborn. He easily let me pose him, held his head up for pictures and I almost got one of those dreamy newborn smiles. Beautiful baby!

The Old Farm Driveway

2010-08-07T11:42:00.000-04:00

This old farm driveway is on the West end of our property. It's one of the old Maidstone Manor's in this area. the people who live here really take great care of the old mansion, silo's, property. I love this driveway. It's so pretty, romantic, fun to walk on, lots of old trees that my kids climb on. And the sunsets from here are beautiful! I love this place!

Engagement! Sarah and Jay

2010-08-07T11:32:00.000-04:00

My friend Sarah is getting married in a few weeks! Can't wait for the wedding!

10 Day Old Baby Boy

2010-08-07T11:28:00.001-04:00

This baby was as patient as could be! I spent two hours with him as well and he was super wiggly! He kept wanting to bury down into the blankets! I had a great time with him!

2 day old baby girl!

2010-08-07T11:25:00.002-04:00

She is such a beautiful little baby girl! She was pretty easy going for as much moving around and posing that I was doing to her. She put up with me for nearly two hours (I got my baby fix!) and only at the very end did she scream at me! But it was so much fun. Such an easy going newborn!

Engagement! Glenn and April

2010-08-07T11:22:00.001-04:00

Congratulations on the engagement of some really close friends of ours! Glenn and my husband Tom have been close friends for most of their lives. Tom is the Best Man in their upcoming wedding. I'm really looking forward to this wedding!

One of my favortie little models!

2010-08-07T11:16:00.001-04:00

This is one of my favorite little girls ever! She's my dearest BFF's daughter and she holds a special place in my heart. Not to mention she can rock the model poses!!! More of her to come, but for now, a punky one!

Water fun at our house!

2010-08-07T11:13:00.001-04:00

I bought an Olympus Digital Camera that is waterproof and shock proof. Actually it was a Christmas gift for my husband, so he could keep it with him while working and take pictures of cool stuff... but we kind of use it more than he does. In fact, I'm not sure he has ever used it... but we sure have fun with it!

Sundown, moon up!

2010-08-07T11:06:00.000-04:00

Just two pictures taken from my back deck. They aren't anything spectacular photography wise, but they are the view I get to see a lot. I LOVE living in West Virginia!

I will keep going!

2010-07-23T09:39:00.000-04:00

I really miss my blog. So I've decided to continue it, I will be heavily watermarking my pictures from here on out.

I will be working on it all week. So come back later and check out the new posts I will have up soon! Including an adorable newborn, just two days old!

Stolen Photos -

2010-06-16T10:12:00.000-04:00

I have not updated this site in a long time because someone is downloading my photo's (STEALING THEM) and using them for their own personal gain.

I am working on a new site and when I have it all together, I will post the new address here.

Thanks to all of you that have been following my photography journey. It's been fun to have someone to share my hobby with.

Sincerely,
Jennifer

Just my kids...

2010-04-14T18:49:00.000-04:00

And a small stream...

Evan crossing the stream, very happily!

Austin Fishing up in Mount Storm and loving it!

Beautiful 8 Day Old Baby!

2010-04-14T18:38:00.000-04:00

I loved holding this baby! He was so squirmy! He moved like crazy, rolled over all by himself at least a half a dozen times while I was trying to photograph him. He would not hold still. Not even for a minute! Well, except for the last picture. His mom said he was a busy little guy while she was pregnant with him! He made my day! I really did not want to give him back!

9 Week Old Baby

2010-04-14T18:33:00.000-04:00

She's such a cutie! Loved her facial expressions!!!!

Cherry Blossom Festival

2010-04-13T20:55:00.000-04:00

I tend to get the same shots every year. I meant to go for a different angle this year, but then I lost my Blackberry, spent too much time backtracking and looking for it (and worrying about it for no reason) that I ended up getting the same shots I seem to get year after year. But this IS, without a doubt the best view ever of the Tidal Basin duing the Cherry Blossom Festival! Next year, I promise, new angles. New pictures!

I have a memory, from 5th Grade, in Mrs. Ballard's class, at Beltsville Seventh Day Adventist School. She put up a big piece of paper along the back wall of the classroom. We painted the cherry blossoms & the Jefferson Memorial on that paper. It turned out soooo pretty. And I remember that that I got to take it home when it was finished. It hung on my bedroom wall for a really long time and has since been my inspiration for the Cherry Blossom's in Washington D.C.

Twins!

2010-04-13T20:33:00.000-04:00

I had the chance to photograph twins! They really didn't want any part of it though. But they sure were cute!

I found Daisy Mae!!!!

2010-04-13T20:26:00.000-04:00

It's been a year coming! I've been looking for an old dumped truck in the middle of a field for the better part of a year. Scavenger hunt, if you will. All I knew was that she was on the outskirts of Frederick, Maryland somewhere. That she was located near an old post office, near an old general store and near the Old Amelung Glass Factory. My photography partner in crime, Jamie and I, set out one Monday morning to try to talk to the locals and find her. And through a series which seemed like were leading no where, we found her (many thanks to Jamie for being blunt, forward and not shy to knock on someone's door to ask questions!) We found her! I really can't even begin to tell you what a legend Daisy Mae is in the photography world. But I will tell you that I learned a little bit of history that day, from the grandson of the owner of Daisy Mae. She had been driven up to MD (around the Fingerboard Road Parts, Can't give my location away) from Kentucky. Dumped behind the old post office. And she's been a Photography model ever since. To those who could be lucky enough to find her. More than anything, I think I've been looking so hard, just because I couldn't find her. Or because she was hard to find. But worth it!

Here she is!

My baby now loves to model for me!

2010-03-05T13:52:00.000-05:00

My little boy actually ASKED me to take pictures of him in the studio! How could I say no?

Evan, with his Uncle Ryan.

Just Me...

2010-02-21T14:08:00.000-05:00

I was being silly and someone shot me with their cell phone camera. So I decided to play with it. Wish it was sharper, but I guess that's a cell phone for ya! But it's me...

BLUE SKIES!!!!! Still a white ground...

2010-02-18T19:08:00.001-05:00

I'm sure you must be so bored seeing all of the snow pictures. But it's pretty much all there is to do around here right now, in the form of landscapes! My kids were still out of school this past week and we really needed to just get out of the house and drive around. It was a beautiful day! So we headed out to see what we could find.

Today, February 18th, is the first day back to school for the kids since February 4th! I'm sure you can imagine MY excitement!

Ice Road Truckers anyone???

This is the road that takes you to my neighborhood.

Harlan Springs

My favorite resident of Harlan Springs.

Cool tree on the pond

Pond where my favorite duck lives...

Guess what? Another cool tree!

The scene at the end of the snowstorm!

2010-02-07T16:14:00.001-05:00

Are you tired of snow pictures? I think I'm still in awe since we rarely get storms like this and we've been hit twice with a storm this year. In December, we had 2 feet of snow. Unheard of at that time of the year for this area and that amount. We've been hit with storm after storm all winter. And now we've been given 3 feet of snow! And we have a storm coming on Tuesday that the weather forcasters are saying has the potential to add about 8 inches more to our already 3ft! If it's going to be cold, it may as well snow. But once snow season is over, please give us a really perfect Spring and Summer!!!!

My car buried under 3ft of snow!

This is the view out my back door. I love this little mountain. It's beautiful all times of the year.

This is our Pup, Piper. I sent her outside to go to the bathroom, but she doesn't like to go outside by herself in the snow. So I opened our morning room window from the top and told her to GO Potty! She came over, jumped up and gave me the saddest face ever! Now, mind you, she loves to play in the snow when the boys are with her and she acts like a maniac and drives her head under the snow like a snow plow, stopping only to look up and see where she is!

My honey actually posing for me! It's a miracle!

Blizzard #2...

2010-02-05T17:51:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more pictures from the storm. I won't be taking anymore tonight (I think?) because it's dark now. Just took these at 5:30pm. It's so pretty, so quiet out there.

February 5, 2010 Blizzard!

2010-02-05T16:45:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful winter storm! Took these earlier when it started.

And what does one do when there is nowhere to go????

Trees. For Angela.

2010-02-04T12:56:00.000-05:00

Because she likes trees too!

January 2010 Potomac River Flood - Williamsport, Maryland

2010-02-03T16:26:00.000-05:00

This is the Potomac River at Williamsport, Maryland. The Cushwa Basin. It's just a few miles from our house and we love to come here often. It's so pretty! The river crested at 20 ft above flood stage!

These two trees sitting in the water are VERY big and VERY tall. They sit on a peninsula. If you look at the bottom of the picture, you will see the wood posts. The water comes up to those posts. On a normal day, that is a very steep slope at about a 20ft. drop! The water was near to the top!

There are 3 aquaducts to this bridge. They are completely covered over. They rarely flood all the way up!

This is a parking lot on the other side of the park, River Bottom Park. It extends out a long way, then there's additional parking in a dirt lot beyond that, as well as a boat ramp that is not visable either. The handicapped signs are about 8 ft tall.

Harpers Ferry

2010-02-03T16:08:00.003-05:00

Went to Harpers Ferry a few weeks ago and had a great time. My boys love trains, especially my 3 year old. And Harpers Ferry also has a train bridge and train tunnel, which just made it even better for them! Maybe one day they will appreciate HF for much more than trains. It's a beautiful place to visit and spend the day.

Winter Sunset

2010-02-03T15:44:00.000-05:00

I've always loved this tree. It sits in a field at the end of my street. It's so beautiful at all times of the year. And on my way home, I had my camera & tripod with me (wouldn't you know?!) and stopped to take a picture.

The Blue Hour

2010-02-03T15:40:00.000-05:00

The sky was so pretty with the fierce colors of the sun setting and the beautiful blue sky above. I had to take a picture.

Studio Portraits

2010-01-14T10:42:00.004-05:00

I have finally set up my studio completely, once and for all. I've got a lighting system, flashes, softboxes, backdrops, you name it. It's been a work in production for a while. So I've been learning to use my lights. It's taken me a while and I'm still learning. Lighting is so much different from the natural light that I love to use. But it's winter, it's cold outside and I still want to take pictures, hence the studio! I'd love to have some newborns to work with (Hint!) so if anyone wants to let me practice on their newborn, let me know!

But so far, here is what I have done. It's been fun practicing and learning. I still have a ways to go, but it's given me a lot of satisfaction.

And a huge special thanks to my husband. He's a huge supporter of my hobby. He encourages me in so many ways. He makes me think I can do what I always think I can't do. Thank you for fostering my hobby and supporting me and it. Love you so much...

Piper, our sweet (BIG) puppy! Seriously can not believe I got her to pose. I swear, she is an ADHD English Mastiff. Though I'm sure it's just her age, she is not quite 2 yet and just comes with the territory.

My brother Ryan and his friend.
My baby Evan!

Evan again!

Evan is so totally willing to pose for me!

Austin, my oldest.

Riley, my middle son, wasn't into taking pictures. However, I will get one of him soon, maybe today and post it. I feel bad he's getting left out of this photo post!

Studio Pictures

2010-01-14T10:32:00.003-05:00

My mom bought these 3 Willow Tree figurines for me for Christmas. I love them. I can't tell you the feeling or emotion that this brings out in me. It almost makes me cry. But it's a good cry, a good emotion, an overwhelming sense of love. These 3 figures represent my 3 boys. My mom told me that she had the sales person go through each of the boxes to find figures that looked most like my boys. Boy did she really get it right! The one on the left is Austin. Middle is the baby Evan and the right is Riley. I love my boys so much and I am so lucky to be their mom!

Snow Day at Whitetail Ski Resort!

2010-01-14T10:21:00.004-05:00

This is Whitetail Ski Resort and is very close to my house. They've had a great season so far, as it's been really cold this winter. On top of already getting a lot of snow, they have been constantly blowing snow and have a great base! All trails are 100% open! I love Whitetail. For a Mid-Atlantic ski resort, it's wonderful!!!

2009-12-24T17:16:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! From our home and family to you and yours.

2009-12-20T12:24:00.002-05:00

About two weeks ago from today, we had our first snow. The kids had a blast!

I love living where we live. It's so beautiful here!

Fall is here!

2009-11-06T16:47:00.004-05:00

I'm sorry it's been a while since I've updated my blog. I really need to try to keep up here!

I took my boys out for a few pictures two weeks ago. The fall leaves were at their peak and just beautiful! No one really cooperated with the portraits I wanted to take, but I still got some of my boys and the pretty leaves! Maybe one day they will smile for me instead of making faces!

Having a blast rolling down the big hill together. They are so much fun to watch!

Happy 16th Birthday!

2009-09-04T18:51:00.001-04:00

I'm late getting this up, but my little brother celebrated his 16th birthday a few weeks ago! My how he has grown!

Fun Session!

2009-08-25T18:51:00.009-04:00

I had another fun session with Sarah and her daughter! They make taking pictures SOOOOO easy! I haven't done a shoot inside in a very long time, so we got a few "studio" pictures for Sarah. I love how this first one turned out! And as always, Little Miss K is a dream to take pictures of! I love you girls!!!

Danielle's Senior Portraits I Senior Portrait Photographer, Berkeley County, West Virginia

2009-08-19T17:37:00.012-04:00

Danielle's Senior Portraits -

Just a few for a sneek peek!

And a special Thank You to Susie (And Lizzie the lassie dog too!) for inviting us to your farm to take pictures at. It's a very beautiful place! We had a great time walking around. Thank you for sharing it with us!

My Little Dishwasher

2009-08-17T19:13:00.006-04:00

Clean dishes and a clean little boy, all at the same time!

Train Yard

2009-07-20T19:56:00.004-04:00

My youngest son loves trains. Obsessed is a more accurate term! So when my husband took our two older boys out to Monster Jam, I took my littlest boy on a date to the train yard. He was in heaven for two hours!

Antietam Battlefield and Great Falls, Virginia

2009-07-20T19:29:00.009-04:00

My friend Kelly came to visit for a "photo" trip. So each day we took some quick trips to some scenic places. This particular day, we went to Antietam Battlefield and then down to both the Maryland and Virginia side of Great Falls on the Potomac. We had such a great time! The falls are so pretty! We even got treated to several kayaks going over the falls.

Great Falls, Virginia

Lock house on the C&O canal on the Maryland side of the Potomac River.

Church Building at the cemetery at Antietam Battlefield

Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland

2009-07-20T18:26:00.011-04:00

A friend of mine came into town and I wanted to show her around. She landed at BWI and the Inner Harbor is so close that we walked around there and had dinner. Here are a few pictures.

Cool Submarine in the harbor

View of the Harbor from the Aquarium

Hard Rock Cafe (where we ate dinner, our waitress was rotten!) and Aquarium

View of the Harbor from the trade center deck.

Baltimore World Trade Center

Waterfall at the National Aquarium

Reeds outside of the National Aquarium

Ship behind Hard Rock at the Inner Harbor

Severn River & Naval Academy

2009-06-29T19:33:00.006-04:00

I spent a few hours wandering around the Annapolis Area one evening last week. It was so nice. I enjoyed sitting on the dock at Winchester Beach and watched the sun go down.

I went back behind the Naval Academy Golf Course to this little cove & marina on the Severn River. Not sure I was supposed to be there, but it was so beautiful and peaceful there.

Looking at the Naval Academy from the shore of the Severn River

Winchester Beach on the Severn River

The 6th Street Dock in downtown Annapolis. I sat there for an hour just chilling out! And if you know me, then you know I love to talk and will talk to anyone. I had a great time talking with the people that lived on that street!

Chincoteague Island June 2009

2009-06-16T18:47:00.010-04:00

My kids and I met up with my mom, brother and some friends at Chincoteague Island this past weekend. We had so much fun! Here's just a bunch of pictures from our weekend.

I found this great BBQ place, perfect for portraits! And none of my kids would pose. They are pretty sick of my camera. Even my brother didn't want to pose, but I made him. He wasn't very cooperative, but I still got a picture! Thanks Ryan!

Gloomy morning, but still beautiful. The sun came out soon after...

My baby kissed a baby pony!

Doing tricks on the beach in Ocean City while we watched the air show on Saturday.

Sweet Riley

Buried in the sand!

Austin catching a wave

A wave catching Austin!

He's good at it!

Going out for another round with the waves.

I thought this picture was so funny of them running opposite of each other, almost identical, in the same spot!

What is that in the upper left corner of the picture? I have 5 pictures of the same an that black thing is only in one of them! SHARK? Dolphin?

This is the accident that had I-81 closed the morning we left for our trip. We had to wait an hour for the roads by my house (even alternate routes were closed) to leave on our trip. A Tanker with 8500 gallons of fuel wrecked and exploded at 2:30am. This was taken at 9am. No one was hurt!

This is kind of in the wrong order, but for some reason, blogger is not letting me change the order of the pictures tonight. And I'm not reloading (because Blogger is having an issue with loading tonight too!) but these are Lillie's that surrounded the pool at our hotel. They are so pretty!

Littlest Boy.

2009-06-02T19:49:00.004-04:00

This is my little boy Evan. He's 2 1/2. This is the old farm driveway next to my house. I love that our property joins right to it. It's so beautiful here!

Just a day in our lives...

2009-06-02T19:40:00.005-04:00

We just wandered around yesterday and had a good day together. I love wandering around with my boys! Just a few more days until school is out! I can't wait! We've got lots planned!

The Steel Bucket

2009-06-02T19:38:00.004-04:00

The big boys went to the neighbors to play, so I let Evan play in the bucket! He's so fun and easily entertained! And cute!

Baby Birds - Day 3

2009-05-27T18:43:00.004-04:00

Yep - I'm taking pictures of the babies every day. I want to be able to look back and see how fast they've changed since they've hatched. They are just 3 days old and they've really changed a lot. Though maybe you won't notice in the pictures just yet.

I'm going to admit that I touched the Cow Baby. I moved him so the other baby would come up too! I was worried that it was true that the mother bird won't come back to the nest if you touch it, the eggs or her babies. Well, in this case, the mom did come back. She sat and watched me from about 10 feet away. She didn't get upset either. And as soon as I got off of my stool (I have to stand on a stool to get a good shot!) she came right back to the nest. I stood there and watched her for a bit. She's not scared of me. I'm just glad she came back. I'd have felt really horrible if she didn't come back because I touched the baby!

Anyway. Here they are, on Day 3. I whistle at them and they open their tiny mouths!

The baby birds have hatched!

2009-05-25T18:29:00.005-04:00

The baby birds that we've been watching in the tree by our front door have finally hatched! Just today, I was mentioning to my mom who is visiting, that I was wondering when or how long it took for bird eggs to hatch! I was going to look it up on the Internet and instead of having to look it up, when we looked in the tree, there they were! They are really, cute. The bigger one is the Cow Bird baby, whose mom just laid him in the nest and left the Sparrow to raise him! The little one is the sparrow baby and I feel sorry for it. It's so tiny and the cow baby keeps laying on him. I don't want him to get smothered!!!!

Anyway, keep an eye on the blog. I'll post baby updates until they leave the nest!

Beach Pictures

2009-05-24T11:11:00.004-04:00

My oldest, Handsome Austin!

These are some more pictures from Mother's Day at the beach. I'm just now getting the chance to load them.

This is my brother Ryan. He's almost 16.

My Sweet Charming Riley!

Oh my goodness - they are all 3 almost sort of in the same place!!! It's nearly impossible to get a picture of all 3 together (because Evan runs all over the place and can't sit still)

Saugatuck, Michigan

2009-05-24T11:06:00.001-04:00

On my way to Kelly's wedding, my friend Karen took me to this cool little town on Lake Michigan. What a pretty little place. The trees and flowers were just starting to bloom. Loved this tree and the Water Mill.

Kitchen's Orchard

2009-05-24T10:35:00.004-04:00

Kitchen's Orchard is right down the road from me. We love their apples! And it was such a great surprise to drive by last Thursday and see that they were awarding Carla Kitchen (owner of Kitchen Orchard Farm) with the 2008 West Virginia Conservation Farm of the Year award! Kitchen's Orchard is the first female owned & operated farm to win the WV Conservation of the year award!

If you live near me, she is definitely the place to buy your apples, fruits and veggies from! I'll get her schedule and post it here later. She's usually open around July through October or so.

Congratulations Carla!!!! Robert Boarman is the orchard manager and orchards operation manager and Raymond LeMaster Sr is the assistant manager. We are proud of you and lucky to live next to your beautiful farm!

Here's the article:

Farm Pride - journal-news.net News, sports, jobs, community information for Martinsburg - The Journal

Kelly & Steve's Wedding

2009-05-16T15:09:00.008-04:00

My friend Karen and I went to our friend Kelly's wedding a few weeks ago. We had such a great time. The wedding was really beautiful. Between Karen and I, I'm pretty certain we took about 3000 pictures between rehearsal dinner, the wedding and reception. That doesn't mean that they ALL turned out and of course, there are some I'd get in trouble for posting!

Jewelry that the bride wore

The bride's daughter, checking herself out in the mirror while everyone was getting ready! She is simply adorable!

This is the first time the groom gets to see his bride!

It's very clear that Miss N approves.

Congratulations Kelly and Steve!!!

Our Birds Nest

2009-05-16T15:01:00.002-04:00

We have a bird nest in the holly tree near the porch of our front door! We've been watching this nest. Momma doesn't really like the attention. But we try to be careful of leaving her alone while she's sitting on the eggs. It looks like a Sparrow. There were 3 eggs in the nest. One of them quite larger than the other two. One of my photography friends told me that the bigger speckled egg looks like a Cow Birds egg and that they lay eggs in other birds nests for the bird to hatch and take care of!

We recently noticed that one of the tiny blue eggs are missing. We are not sure what happened to it!

But I'll be keeping an eye on this next for a while to see what hatches!

The Beach

2009-05-10T20:01:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!!

I'm sorry it's been a while since I've posted! I've been super busy and I do have a lot of pictures to share. Hopefully I'll get them loaded in the next few days!

I spent the day with my husband, my 3 sweet, wonderful and crazy boys! We met up with my mom and my brother and had lunch. Then headed to Annapolis, which was so busy, we decided not to try to fight to find a parking spot. So we went to Sandy Point instead. It wasn't very crowded and we had a great time. I've got lots of pictures, but I just wanted to post my very favorite one for now. It's of my 2 year old wading in the tidal pool!

I will catch up on the blog really soon!!!

Little League

2009-04-20T09:56:00.005-04:00

My two oldest boys are on the Little League T-Ball team this year. So far, it's been a lot of fun. Here are just a few pictures from the first game.

My two boys in the middle.

I asked them to turn around and smile and this is what I got! Too funny!!!

Austin in the outfield. He's going to be my ball player for sure!

Riley crouching in the middle, getting ready for the ball!

I know this is similar to the one above. But I love it too!

Sweet Sam.

2009-04-10T20:30:00.003-04:00

This is my cousin's new baby boy. And all I can say is that I enjoyed hogging him to my fullest ability. He's a beautiful baby. I loved the noises he made. I loved that he just squished right up against me and fell asleep. He's beautiful. And perfect.

Congratulations D & A. And E&J. I can not wait to get my hands on this baby again!!!!

Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.

2009-04-06T14:20:00.005-04:00

I love the Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC and try to go during their peak bloom every year. Their peak and with our schedule, the only time I could go was Saturday late (and traffic was so bad that by the time I got to where I wanted to take pictures, the sun had just gone down) or Sunday Morning. So we went Sunday. It was really beautiful, VERY crowded! But completely worth the trip.

Here are a few pictures of the cherry blossoms and stuff from around the town...

Jefferson Memorial - view from Tidal Basin.

Washington Monument reflecting on the Tidal Basin.

Waterfall at the FDR Memorial along the Tidal Basin

I have more to post, but in a seperate blog later. Blogspot must be having some maintance issues and I can't upload more pictures right now. Be back as soon as they fix their issues!

Signs of Life

2009-04-02T18:00:00.004-04:00

Okay, the buds are coming out! Stuff is starting to bloom. I'm trying to figure out when I can fit in my trip to DC to photograph the Cherry Blossoms. Hopefully tomorrow, Saturday or Sunday. And then hoping that they are at peak and that rain or wind don't blow them down or away before I get there!

Anyway, here's just a little of what I got out in my front yard today. It's not much. But it does mean Spring is really here.

First, I found a bunny, chick and a boy on my front porch...

Then two bee's competing for the same bush...

One of my Cherry Trees...

And little blue flowers that my kids picked for me (this is my favorite color, by the way!)

Out and About on a Sunny Spring Day

2009-03-22T17:39:00.010-04:00

It was such a beautiful day today. After an incredibly LONG and very cold winter, we headed out of the house to go play. And I got some pictures of my boys along the way. I am so thankful for Spring. I love this time of year.

This little shack, shed, whatever it is or was, was between a bunch of old store front buildings. I thought it was really pretty, in an odd kind of way. So, I took a picture of it. (go figure?)

Then we came home and Piper was really happy to see us. So we all played outside for a few hours. Isn't she pretty? She just turned a year old a few weeks ago. We took her to PetSmart for some heavy duty, big dog, toys...

Looking for bugs?

I know, pretty big overload of pictures. It was a good day...

I dropped my camera!

2009-03-18T20:00:00.003-04:00

I dropped my camera a few days ago. It was truly a sad moment! Mortifying. I cried. Buckets of tears! But I took it upon myself to fix it! I think I did okay. But I still need to take it into the shop to make sure it's all calibrated correctly! I think I'll take it tomorrow. But for now, here are my test pictures of my baby to see how it's working right now. Looks good to me!

What do you think? Feel free to comment here, on Facebook or email. Where ever. I need a consensus!

New York City!

2009-03-10T16:43:00.009-04:00

I met up with my aunt and my cousin in New York City this past weekend. We got there Friday and left yesterday (Monday). We had such a good time! I had 3 boys and one Piper the Puppy in tow. I was stressed about how hard it would be with all of them, but it was actually not that bad! I'd do it again!

I wasn't able to get the creative shots that I wanted to get because of the boys. I couldn't stop long enough and look away long enough to take the type of shots I wanted to get. So, I still had fun and you'll get to see my touristy shots!

Seeing NYC through the eyes of my children was the best experience for me. Especially the Statue of Liberty! My oldest was simply amazed by her and that was what he talked about all day and the next day!

This is St Peter's Cathedral (I think?) in Times Square - it was really pretty at night.

My two older boys inside the M&M's Store in Times Square - Don't they look scared of the big guy?????

The view of the city from Battery Park (I just thought the buildings were pretty)

Austin on Liberty Island looking over the harbor. I love this picture of him!

Evan looking out over the harbor.

getting a closer look at the ducks below

I kept trying so hard to get a GOOD picture of my 3 boys together. This was the closest I actually got to getting them all together in one picture. Oh well. :o)

Riley on the ferry on the way back. All tired out!

Not happily waiting for his lunch in Little Italy. We ate on the window terrace - can't tell from this picture, but it sure was pretty!

Austin really wanted an I "Heart" New York T-shirt. I finally bought him one. And he wanted to model it on the subway, of all places!

Nora Roberts / JD Robb Booksigning Event at Turn the Page Bookstore

2009-02-21T16:04:00.007-05:00

I had so much fun going to the bookstore in Boonsboro, Maryland, today, to photograph several well known authors, Nora Roberts/JD Robb, Deanna Raybourn, Donna Kauffman & Mariah Stewart. Turn the Page Bookstore is a wonderful place to browse and look around. There's a great little shop down the stairs, next door.

Thank you so much to Bruce Wilder & Janeen for giving me this opportunity! And to Nora, Deanna, Donna and Mariah for letting me take a bunch of pictures! I had fun and you all totally made my day!

Nora Roberts.

Nora with her granddaughter.

Deanna Raybourn

Donna Kauffman and Mariah Stewart.

These two ladies were so funny and we're having a great time!

Mariah Stewart was laughing because when I took the picture, she realized she had grabbed an empty book cover for the picture!

Inn Boonsboro. Nora's Roberts Place.

2009-02-19T13:29:00.013-05:00

(Amie - this is for YOU!)

I took a quick trip to Boonsboro, Maryland this morning (Just a few miles from my house) to check out the new Inn Boonsboro that is owned by Nora Roberts.

Boonsboro is such a small town but has a lot of history and charm. My grandparents lived in that area for over 2o years. So we've watched this tiny town grow and change. A lot!

Here are some articles on Nora Roberts new Bed & Breakfast. It's such a beautiful place!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29188452/

The big news here was that this place caught on fire while it was under construction and they had to start all over again.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29186897/

Her husband owns the bookstore across the street from the Inn. It's called "Turn the Page" http://www.ttpbooks.com/ and guess who stops by there regularly for lots of book signings? Yep, you guessed it! His famous wife! I noticed today, that next door to the bookstore is a gift shop for the Inn. It was closed, but I can't wait to go back in there and snoop around. Nora uses a lot of the local culture and artists, which I think is wonderful.

I also heard that Nora (JD Roth) will be signing her new book at a signing at Turn the Page this Saturday, the 21st, from 1-3pm.

So here are some pictures from out and about in Boonsboro this morning.

ETA: Here's the link to another article: http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/515820.html?nav=5006

And best of all, here's the Inn's web address (I've gotten a TON of email asking about this! and can't believe I didn't think to include it!)

http://www.innboonsboro.com/

Here's a video clip of Nora talking about the hotel (can you tell that I'm a big fan of hers? I mean, all of this free advertising! Nora - you owe me girl!)

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/roberts-romantic-inn/3470142729/?icid=VIDLRVLIF01

Gift shop: http://www.giftsinnboonsboro.com/

and no one can say it better than Nora and Bruce.... “There are no strangers here, just friends we haven’t met”

I took a drive around the block and saw this really beautiful cemetary with beautiful statues. They moved me. So I took pictures of them.

Civil War Bridge - over Antietam Creek

Valentine's Day Pictures

2009-02-15T09:12:00.002-05:00

I had these two little girls to photograph for Valentine's Day. I still can't get the older one to smile for me! She's too busy when she comes over! But she's still an adorable little girl and despite not smiling, she takes some good pictures!

A cute little "Mug Shot" for Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T09:09:00.002-05:00

I kept missing his smile! And this one turned out to look more like a wanted poster! But he's adorable anyway!

That's my boy!

2009-02-12T17:01:00.002-05:00

Like Mother, Like Son. He loves cameras!

Family

2009-02-12T16:30:00.004-05:00

I had lunch with the "girls" in my family yesterday. The kids are so adorable!

A.K.A. "Beauty Baby"

E & J

A Family friend and her kids!

2009-02-05T18:49:00.006-05:00

I had a great time visiting with a high school friend today. And had the chance to take some pictures of her kids! They did so well and the little girl was so much fun! Such a little character! And the baby was so sweet! I really enjoyed taking their pictures!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Littlest One!

2009-02-04T18:50:00.003-05:00

My baby boy recently turned 2! Here are some pictures. He was so busy eating the cake that I couldn't get a smile out of him! I wish I had used a smaller aperature. But I had forgotten to change it, unfortunately!

Happy Birthday!

2009-01-30T08:27:00.005-05:00

It was my first Born's birthday yesterday! He turned 7 years old! I can't believe how quickly time flies. Of course, I love watching him grow, but why does it have to happen so quickly?

These are the Triplet Trouble Makers. My house is wild when they get together (which is often) - the girl is Austin's best friend and neighbor. Austin was mad because I wanted to keep taking pictures and he wanted to open presents! LOVE this facial expression!

Snow Day!

2009-01-28T17:26:00.008-05:00

We've had a few snow days and they've been fun. They are pretty and my kids love to play in the snow with their friends. Here they are coming home from a long day of sledding and playing outside (Yet, they came home and left again to go down the street to another friends house!) And a view from the front yard and one from the back deck.

I love snow. But I really can't wait for warmer days. There's more to take pictures of when the light is better!