Mansfield Character Breakfast

This morning I took the kids to a character breakfast where the proceeds benefited the Chernobyl Children Project, USA. Prior to today, I had no idea such an organization existed. The purpose of the organization is to provide help for children affected by the Chernobyl disaster. What I didn't realize is that the nuclear disaster that occurred in 1986 is still having a profound effect on people who live there. You can read more about what they do on their web site, but one of the main things they do is to coordinate trips for children from the region to a Boston-area host family. They get to stay with the family for a month and receive proper medical attention for the time they are here.

I realized that it truly is amazing how little I know about what is going on in the world. It makes me sad to think of the innocent children that were (and are continuing to be) affected by the radiation.

Here are some images I made while we were there:

Doing Dishes

Something I've seemed to have forgotten to do in this craziness of life, is to capture more images of the kids just being kids. I've spent time in the past trying to get the perfect posed image of my children for Christmas, or Easter, or just because. What I seem to forget to do is take the camera out while they are doing what they do best - playing, having fun, etc. In my opinion, a posed picture is nice, but rarely captures the true essence of the child. And since the purpose of taking pictures is to forever capture your children in time - why not do so while they are doing all the things that they love?

When I look back at pictures of my children in a year, two years, or even ten years from now, will I remember that RJ's favorite toy is his Lego Star Wars? Will I remember all the times Maddy sat down to color on whatever she felt like coloring that day? I hope so, but my guess is that I won't. And having great images of them doing their favorite things will help. So, I'm making a pact to myself to take the camera out more during daily life and get them doing things that they usually do.

Tonight I did that, in a rare moment where my children (of their own accord, mind you) decided to wash the night's dishes for me. Aren't they sweet? Being 3 and 6, though, they didn't really clean anything, but they sure got water everywhere!

New 50mm Lens

I just got a new 50mm lens and I've been dying to test it out! I love it. It's small, compact, clear, and super fast - way faster than anything I've ever owned. I'm hooked! I took it with me to the playground and got a few really cute images of the kids. Take a look!




I LOVE how you can see each strand of Maddy's crazy hair. I think this image describes her to a tee!




Isn't he the handsomest little man you've ever seen?!

More Karate Kids

The kids have graduated to their next belts in karate again. The karate program they are in promotes them every couple of months to keep them interested. They go to Personal Best Karate in Foxboro. I highly recommend them. Miss Stacey, their instructor, is the kindest, most patient woman I've ever met. Here they are posing with her after receiving their new belts:





Here are a few images from the demonstration they do prior to receiving the belts. I am such a proud momma - I have the GREATEST kids ever!

Connecticut Wedding

I'm way behind in blogging...I know, I know! We've been a very busy family. In the last half of January, I went to my cousin-in-law's wedding in CT. Her brother is a great photographer, too, so he and his wife did the shooting for her. I of course, brought my camera and got a few great images from the end of the pew (weird place for me to be, for once!). She looked so beautiful and her son is just a cutie!

Here's the slideshow: http://jeniferlynphotography.com/Pages/Kathlene
I set the show to a great, upbeat song, so some of the images go by rather fast to the music. BUT, at the end, you can view the gallery and look at each image one by one. You can see them all in the show, but this one is my ABSOLUTE favorite!