Happy Happy New Years Eve!!!

Hello everyone!!! It's New Year's Eve!! In just a couple of short hours we will ring in the new year...I can hardly believe it!! I have a couple of surprises up my sleeve for 2008...one which I will tell you about and the other one..you'll still just get to wait for it!!! (Hopefully I can post about it tomorrow like I planned!!!)

Surprise #1. A new blogsite for SDG Photography By Rosie Siebenthal!!! Yay!! As a result of pure inspiration from other fabulous photogs...I will start my very first Photography 365 Project Blog. My goal is to post one new image every day for 365 days to document my year in photography. My aim is to challenge myself in photography shooting for images other than just people...although images of people are welcome! I will still have my sdg blog for sneak peaks etc. The 365 blog will be strictly for creativity etc. You can find that blog here: http://sdg365byrosiesiebs.blogspot.com I will link it to this blog over on the right. Have a great day!!

Surprise #2. Coming soon!!!

Happy 1st Birthday little B!!!

Mama L and Daddy B, here is just a teeny tiny sample of today...Happy Birthday to little B!! What a great party. And YES little B is the FIRST one year old child I have ever seen eat her cake with a fork. neatly. I know it's just crazy! But she did it!! She wasn't going to get her hands all messy! Great job little B!!! Until next time everyone!! Love, ~R............;)

NEWS NEWS NEWS!!!

Hello!!! I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Christmas and are still having a wonderful holiday (as in all holidays ;) season!!! We had such a wonderful Christmas Eve at my sister's with my side and then Christmas Day with my hubby's parents and brother, Randy. Overall we had really wonderful and love-filled Christmas celebrations....and they aren't done! We always celebrate with Ryan's side on New Year's Day, so that will be very exciting as my hubby is the youngest of SEVEN!

Now on to the news!!! I am SO EXCITED to announce my FIRST entry in any kind of anything photography related.... The Heart of Illinois Wedding Showcase on January 13, 2008 at Weaver Ridge Golf Club in Peoria, IL!!!! I mean...we have crossed over people!! This ain't no "hobby" anymore!! I mean it's still fun like a hobby...it's just that I feel so much more "official". I know I have been "in business" for over two years now...but I am really starting to see myself coming into my own here in terms of style, photog preferences etc. This is really exciting for me!! If you know anyone getting married or are getting married yourself, I highly rec. this showcase!! Tickets are very reasonable and it looks like a great time!! I will be posting more information on the event and where you can buy tickets for it in the next couple of days.

ALSO.... I have another MAJOR surprise for all of you!! This coming January 1st, 2008, I will be unveiling the current project I have been pouring myself into for hours and hours, days upon days!! Stay tuned and I will be revealing what exactly this surprise is!! I am so excited about it, I can hardly wait!!! I hope you are having an AMAZING day!!! Until next time!! Love, ~R..........;)

Merry Merry Christmas 2007!!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! We pray that God blesses you with the love, joy, peace, and hope of Jesus Christ this Christmas season and throughout the year! We are so thankful for all that we have; our family, our friends, and most of all the hope and promise of eternity in Heaven with our Heavenly Father because of the work His son came to do on the cross for us. It is Christmas and again we are celebrating the miraculous birth of Our Savior...a little baby boy born with the purpose of saving us from our sins. Ever since I can remember I have celebrated it as the birthday of our Savior...but every year my perspective changes. For many years it was a holiday that I celebrated because...well most everyone I knew did and that was what I was supposed to do. Then one year the LORD brought me to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as my Savior...saving me from my sins...being LORD over my life...wow! What a difference celebrating the birth of this man I call my Savior...not just some person we are supposed to revere etc. (Thank You LORD!!) Now as a mother...it's different again. Seeing the miracle, the wonderment, the weighty and unbelievable meaning of what God went through to send His Son to earth for us...to help us see that He really does love us. Teaching this to my own children now has even more meaning, knowing that my own sinful self would never give up my own child to die for someone else, let alone someone who doesn't deserve it. I think of the Christ child...a little baby wrapped up and laying in a manger. What a task this little baby came into the world to accomplish!! We are so thankful that he did and that God, our Heavenly Father, loved us enough to send His son to suffer and die the way he did. I often contemplate how much I love my own two boys and am just baffled at how much God loves us to do that for us. We are praising God for all the blessings he has bestowed upon our family!! It has been a wonderful and adventurous year for us and we have learned an invaluable amount of life lessons as result of our journey to St. Charles/Geneva. It is with heavy and happy hearts that we prepare for our journey to Princeville. Excitement mixed with a little sadness due to leaving our cherished friends, who are more like family, at Fox Valley Bible church.

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Thank you to all my cherished clients for making 2007 such a wonderful year! (And to my wonderful, loving, patient, supportive, encouraging, and believing in me hubby, Ryan). Thank you to all ~ I would not even be close to where I am regarding photography without any of you!! I am surely blessed for knowing each one of you and having had the opportunity to serve you in the way of photography. Each one of you and your children posses a unique beauty and are so wonderfully made! I sure had a great time capturing the beauty of your life through my lens and am so excited for what 2008 and beyond will bring!

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MANY wishes for a blessed Christmas and 2008 filled with love, joy, peace, and hope!!! Love, ~R.........(and all the boys!) :)

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"For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Let it snow!!!

When J's mommy "A" mentioned that she would like some outside images of J for his first birthday (playing in the snow)...I thought to myself...SURE!! if there's snow!! Well, as you can see, we got snow, an plenty of it! Happy 1st Birthday again little J!! (Okay I realize he's not actually 'playing' in the snow here..but he did touch it once or twice, I'll post one of those later :)

Happy day everyone!!! Oh and, I think I'll post our "Christmas card blog entry" tomorrow in case any of you would like to see (we're not doing hard copy cards this year ~ next though!)

Love, ~R...........:)

SOLI DEO GLORIA!!

....if you're not sure what the title means...read over on the right...or I could just tell you too I guess ;) To God Only be the Glory!!! Above you see two beautiful people...and I am going to share with you ONE AMAZING story...it's incredible...because God is incredible!! I have waited a little bit to post about this wedding because I wanted to have just the right words to share with you about this incredible day/couple. Long story short (because you would be reading for hours the way I tell stories!!)....Ken is a wonderful, genuine, and very very kind and godly man. Bernice is perhaps one of the sweetest, most-tenderhearted, and beautiful women I know. They are both obviously "older" :0) Well, Ken was married years ago to a beautiful woman...together they had a full and wonderful life...and 8 children...all who are now married with children of their own. :) His wife went home to be with the Lord a couple of years ago and just recently Ken came into contact with Bernice again. Get this: years back when Ken was feeling led to marry, Loretta and Bernice were the two women he had an interest in at that time. After much prayer and consideration he felt more led to propose to Loretta. As you can see where this story is going....

Bernice never did marry and apparently had thought she probably never would. At 66 years old (she's not shy of her age!! :) You go Bernice!!) she received a marriage proposal (through the Apostalic Christian Church) from Ken. She prayed for direction and guidance and felt that this was the path God would have her take!!! So she accepted Ken's proposal and was a beautiful, blushing, and very giddy bride at the young age of 66!

I get teary everytime I really sit down and think of this story and am so honored that they chose me to document their wonderful celebration of marriage and love. It was absolutley amazing. Now I have hard evidence for any young woman feeling unsure or perhaps that they will NEVER marry or have the right man find them etc... Bernice waited patiently on the Lord and she is surely blessed for this!! At 66 she married the man of her dreams and at 68 God provided yet another "helpmate" for Ken...even after such sad times in his life in losing his first wife.

What a testimony to strengthen my faith in the plan that God has for each of our lives. It seems to me (and I could be wrong here!) that God had Ken choose Loretta first b/c he knew she only had so much time here on earth...and later, he would have Bernice waiting for him..I am in utter amazement, awe, and am so thankful for Ken and Bernice! In obedience to the Lord they have both been blessed again and again in Him.

One of the best parts of the whole day (okay there were lots!) was how Ken's children just loved on him, hugging him and kissing...all teary obviously sharing some very special moments with their dad. Bernice was so gracious and beautiful, standing by their sides and receiving hug and much love herself. It was mentioned that Ken and Bernice would be starting a new chapter in their lives together. But, during the ceremony Pastor Jim commented on that even though they would be beginning a new chapter...the pages of the old chapters would not be torn out...rather they would be preserved and cherished in memory. He had them repeat their vows and after Bernice's marriage vows, asked her (after saying this wasn't something he usually asked in a marriage ceremony) if she would love and cherish Ken's children to reiterate this thought and to publically make known her love for them...and she said..."I will and I do".....Yes, I was crying...a lot. It is so apparent that they both love each other and that their family as whole just loves and cares for each other. I don't think there was a dry eye in the place..at least on the women's side ;) It's a good thing I didn't have to photograph the actual ceremony it would have been a mess from me crying. It really was all just so beautiful. These two lovely people have a love for eachother that only God could have sparked...and it shows. Their eyes sparkle, their gentleness with each other..it all just sparkles. SOLI DEO GLORIA!

Well, this is possibly one of the longest posts ever for this blog...but I needed to share. Thank you Ken and Bernice. May God bless you richly as you live the rest of your days in Him and with each other in love, hope, and faith. Love, ~R.........;)





One of my all time favorite images is above...Ken and Bernice having a moment to pray and thank God for the blessing He has so graciously bestowed on them in each other...just precious.

Congratulations and God's blessings to you Bernice and Ken!!

Congratulations Mr. T...

Here you Mr. T (hehe - I used to watch that show all the time as a kid!!)...Sorry this took a little longer than I expected!! It sure was worth it though! Look at this SENIOR!! He's super busy visiting colleges and taking exams and such...it's a good thing we caught him when we did! These are just two of your studio shots T, there are plenty more! I can't wait till Spring when we can get outdoors on-location. I guess we could have done outdoor shots, but with it being dark and all...It's alright, being flexible is GOOD!! By the way, thank you for being so kind, polite, and FUN! You, your mom, and your cute little doggies truly were so much fun to photograph! Thanks again C family!! ~Rosie.........;0)

Hello!

Hi there! I know I said I'd have your sneak peek up T but my hardrive....is......being......slow....I need to defrag and clean out! Too much stuff on my harddrive! Tomorrow is a new day though so...Thank you for understanding!! Also...I finally decided to do Christmas cards but...I cannot....design....one....my computer is being...tooo...slow....and keeps freezing up and then kicking me out of my program. I think I am not supposed to do Christmas cards this year I guess. I'll just have to post our Christmas photos that I was going to use on December 23, so check back in that day ;) Consider yourselves well wished! Have a great night everyone! ~R.........;)

Snow Baby...

Happy Birthday little J!!! You were such a sport going out in the snow with Mama and I...Great job!! Love, ~R.........:) P.S. I will load the b and w one later, blogger is being wonkey. Also, T your Senior sneak peek will be up later tonight, and I also have an extra extra special post later too... ;)

31 minutes and 27 seconds old...

I just found this as I am proofing C's brand-new baby birth etc. session. I am amazed (yet again) at how we are created...even at 31 minutes and 27 seconds old (according to the time on my camera - I went back and did some investigative math! ;) this little baby boy is completely in-love with his Mama. Well duh I guess right? I know, I know...it just hit me (again) in this image. Wow. Praise God for we are fearfully and wonderfully made! Thank you again C and J for the honor of shooting your very special miracle!!

Also, I wanted to sort of write a little bit more about the whole birth photo session experience. Some people who found out I was going to shoot a birth session were like "eww!! that's so gross!" and some where like "um..okay...to each his own I guess??"...and none really were like.."that's so cool!!!" (except for C of course!!!) until now...until seeing these images. I just had one Baby Planner Mama in-waiting ;) say that she was trying to convince her hubby to do this... and after seeing these images was like "We're doing this right?!?! We have to do this!!" ;) As a mommy myself I just love these images...Unhurried, completely precious and focused on mama, daddy, and baby images...in the moment...goopy, amazing, in-motion, quiet and still...you name it. That's why I did it and and why I'll do it again and again. I am in awe of the miracle of life...that God would entrust us with these perfect and heavenly sent little babies...I was the photog mama taking pics of MY hubby over by the warmer while laid out on my delivery table no less. (HA! Now there's a visual for ya!) (But really does this surprise any of you who really know me??) What an honor to be able to be in the room with other parents experiencing the miracle of life. I actually got to cut my little B's cord b/c R was busy with the camera taking pics (and there was no one to take pics of him cutting it!)....so I guess I should say...no I don't think it's gross, I think it's amazingly beautiful. I look at the situation much like a nurse does probably...(and we know some nurses actually do take some of the photos!!) plus I've been there before - twice to be exact ;) And yes, I did get teary eyed when little N actually made his way into the world...but I couldn't sniffle for long, I had moments of miracle, beauty, and love to capture!! Until next time! Love, ~R.......;)

One more for Christmas!!

Just couldn't resist posting this cutie!!! Merry Christmas ~ 14 days to go!! Love, ~R......;)

Good morning!!

Okay, so I have 8 minutes left of morning ~ that's alright!! We had a busy weekend of photoshooting and ripping up carpet...yes you heard me right!! We are really getting our new house ready! If you have been there before and like the vintage 1970's...I am so sorry...it's ALL going!! Okay, the green fridge, stove, and kitchen sink have to stay for now...but they'll go eventually ;) Here is one year old little H from a couple of weekends ago...I am swamped and still need to upload this weekend's images...soon my friends, soon. Thank you for stopping, have a GREAT day!! It's beautiful outside!!! Love, ~R...........;)

Here's one for you Mama L....

Here's I..our little serious guy :) I mean it...when I want images of a serious little one, I just call L and I...His big blue eyes just melt my heart though!! L here's one for you today, I hope you are having a great day! Off to pack now...really, I mean it! See you all on Monday night! Love, ~R........:)

Here's one for you G and R :)

I can't say thank you enough G and R for coming over today...we are so blessed to have such friends like you...so genuine, sweet, and true. We are so thankful for our church and all the people there that we count more as family than as friends. You two are beautiful together, Praise God!! Love, ~R........:)

Another walk down memory lane..

A and E...I can't believe your little baby girl is one already...thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of her memories...she's just beautiful! Enjoy!! ~R.....:)

If you didn't notice, I skipped from 3 mths to a year b/c we have to get packed up and get to P'Ville for the wedding I am shooting this weekend. All of little 'H's' images are archived away for safe keeping right now..so these are the ones I have on my harddrive for...well...you'll see ;) I hope you all have a great weekend! If you haven't received your 2-3 images for Christmas card over e-mail, it will be coming either in the next hour, or Monday. Thanks again! ~R........:)

A year in pictures...

Happy Birthday Gavin!! It has been SUCH a pleasure watching you grow from 23 hours old until now...what a blessing you are to all who have the pleasure of knowing you. May you be blessed this 1st birthday and for many many more!! Love you little one....Love~R.....;) P.S. Congratulations to parents Amber and Seth...he's absolutely precious. Have a GREAT party!! You guys are the best!

Baby O...

How old do you think this little guy is in this image?? If you guessed 4 weeks, you're right!!! ;) He was over 10 lbs. at birth and is growing more and more everyday! Isn't he so cute?!?!? And so strong and alert! Thank you H and C for bringing your beautiful family in to see me!! I had such a great time using your awesome ideas and can't wait to post some more. Just one this time everyone until I proof your session and put some more up, I have lots to do!! Until tomorrow everyone! Love, ~R........:)

A for Adorable!

Baby A...you are so cute! Mommy - K - thank you so much for bringing your precious little sweet pea to me!! She is so full of wonder in this image!! Enjoy! More coming tonight everyone, I have a family shoot that got rescheduled for tonight...so until after that! Love, ~R.......:)

I JUST left...

the hospital where baby N and his family are resting and visiting with friends (quite comfortably I might add!! They even have a computer with Internet hook-up in their room!! Do you think they could start something like this in Peoria??!?! Sure makes it convenient to check your blog pics RIGHT AWAY if you schedule your birth session with me! :) Hi J and C ;) Well I took little N's newborn pics today and it went fabulously!! I highly rec. having me come to the hospital esp. b/c they are super sleepy etc.. He just laid there and slept the whole time!! I'll post a couple of those later tonight...like after I upload them and the boys go to bed ;) Anyway~ here are some more pics from last night right after the little guy made his entrance into the world. I can't believe how much he already changed in under 24 hours. Three words: amazing, miraculous, precious. Thank you all! Have a great day!! (Also if you are waiting for sneak peeks, they will start trickling in tomorrow :) Love, ~R.........;) Enough of my thoughts now, on to the important stuff :)

Just so you know, I just teared up as I looked at these in sequence. I know. I'm either a. a sap, b. just plain appreciative of the miracle of new life, or c. in complete awe and wonder of God's amazing power to create such perfect and beautiful little babies within a woman...down to the last detail. or all three. :)

***okay update after dinner ~ I couldn't wait! Here's just one from today C and J...tell me which you like better. I am really liking BOTH in their own way! ;) ~R