WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

And the winner of the Complimentary 4 week long Designer Signers American sign language class is...........A MARY HEART!!! Congratulations to you!! As soon as Caleb woke up from his nap I had him pick a name out of my pink John Deere hat and let me tell you he was soooo excited!! So Ms. MH, please contact Rebecca and let her know that you won - I believe the next class starts on June 7th. If you can't make that class, there will be another one starting 6 or 7 weeks after that one. And thank you Rebecca for being such a fun part of my bloggie contests!!! And THANK YOU to all the ladies who participated in the contest and added a comment!! :)Now...we need a Mommy Business to showcase for June, July, August, etc. Please e-mail me at sdgphotography@hotmail.com if you would like to have your mommy business showcased right here on the 'ol blog :) Peoria area Mommys and well...if you have a business that you could do over the phone or via Internet and you live in the central Il - ish area, please enter also ;) My goal is really to celebrate Mommy's who have their own businesses.

Yippeee!! And now, without further ado, the image for the day - Little Miss I....enjoy T ;)

Hope everyone had a great day today and has a great weekend! Remember, if it rains - go play in it!!! (As long as it's not thundering and lightening that is!! We got dressed up in rainboots and raincoats today and played in the rain, the boys had a blast!!!) :) Love, ~R......;)

DESIGNER SIGNERS CONTEST!!!

Welcome to our very first Mommy Business Showcase!! Once a month I will be showcasing a mom in the Greater Peoria Area that has her own business and giving away a prize provided by her. Yippee!!! Okay, so here we go!!
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Today we are showcasing Designer Signers, an American sign language mommy and baby class owned and operated by Peoria's very own, Rebecca Snook!! Rebecca is passionate about sign language and the benefits that it provides little ones in their early stages of communication with mommy, daddy, other family members, and friends etc. I am equally as passionate about sign language for babies and young ones as I used sign language with both of my boys! As a bilingual educator I know the benefits of multi-lingualism and sign language is a language!! What better than to get our little ones' brains energized, working, making connections, and growing!?!? When I met Rebecca we had such a blast talking about our backgrounds in education, sign language for babies, and the many benefits for babies and parents alike.
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In Rebecca's brochure it says:
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"Through the use of American Sign Lanuage your child will be able to communicate with you before they can even speak or have mastered the English language.
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Studies show that sign language can reduce stress and frustration, lessen behavior problems, enhance vocabulary, increase literacy skills, and may even raise IQ."
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I am so excited about what Rebecca is offering!! I have reaped the benefits firsthand of teaching sign language to my own boys and they are very animated and wonderful speakers today. Benjamin is 21 months old and is speaking in 3 (or more )word (baby) sentences. Caleb also is a very eloquent speaker (like...talks A LOT!) and used sign language until he was able to speak. In fact, he was signing two and three word sentences until he was able to communicate effectively through speech. I also had a wondeful experience with a client. Little K was shy and didn't quite know what to think of me when she first came for her photo shoot. I saw that her mom used sign language with her so I started signing with her also...her face lit up as she ate her cheerios and she promptly came over and plopped herself into my lap. We were buddies the rest of the photo session and she ended up having a great time! Just knowing that she could communicate with me and that I understood her was so valuable in helping her feel comfortable in my studio and around my camera. (Yipee!!)
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It's funny because many people don't know about sign language for babies...or at least it was pretty new when my first was a baby. There were books and a few resources, but not a class like Rebecca is offering (that I knew about at least.) Some people thought I was nuts for teaching him to sign thinking he would never speak correctly etc. HA! The most gratifying moment for me was when my son, Caleb who was about 10 months at the time (after about 6 months of daily signing and simultaneously saying to him "more", "all done", "hungry", "please", "thank you" during our regular routine), was on the swing outside for the first time. He lasted about 3 minutes and with my hubby standing right there, instead of screaming and whining because he was done, he simply signed "all done" ( first time unpromted) with a smile on his face! My hubby looked at me with a huge grin of disbelief and then amazement!! He expressed how awesome it was that our little guy didn't have to whine and fuss (he doesn't like whining and fussing) to get what he needed. (SIGH OF RELIEF!) Same thing with Benjamin. When he wanted some more food - no tears..he would simply sign "more" and get the point across. Signing "more" eventually turned to "mo" for more, and now it's "I wah dom mo too!" (I want some more too!) at 21 months.
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If you haven't started sign language with your baby yet, I strongly recommend even just the basics so that your child knows that he/she can communicate in a relaxed and fun way with you without all the tears and fuss (and that high pitched scream for goodness sakes!)....also the relief on their face when they see that you understand them is priceless!!
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Okay, so now the BONUS!!! Leave a comment here on the blog with your name, the name of your little one (6-24 months) and one fun thing you're going to do this summer and I'll have Caleb randomly pick a winner on Friday May 30th. What will you win?? Well, ONE COMPLIMENTARY DESIGNER SIGNERS 4 WEEK (1 hour per week) CLASS WITH REBECCA of course! This is a $50 value!! (One entry per child please.)
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And now...I had to dig deep into the family digital archives for these but I found them!! Please enjoy some snaps I got of Caleb using sign language to communicate. I have tons more but thought I'd stop here. He used it so often I didn't even have to prompt him to sign for the pictures, just catch it on camera :) Some of the signs are "his version" of the sign but we knew what he meant - and effective communication was the key so it worked! :)

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For more info please contact Rebecca via the info below. She offers classes on Saturdays from 11-12 noon and classes run for 4 weeks. Rebecca is a certified sign2me presenter. Thank you so much for being our very first mommy business showcase Rebecca! You are doing a wonderful thing and offering a very valuable service to our communities!!
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Business name: Designer Signers

"Where Communication is a Work of Art!"
Owner: Rebecca Snook (B.S. & M.S. in Education)
Contact: 309-360-8119 or rar1229@hotmail.com
Website: You can look up Rebecca's profile at www.sign2me.com

Sneak Peek Party 1.0

Hi there!! Welcome to our very first sneak peek party. Why the silly name? Alright, it's like this. I have 42 (or something) images for this sneak peek and rather than post them all one by one (you can thank me in the comment box below :) I thought I'd put together a slideshow to music for you. Man I just love slideshows. To see what we've been up to around here the last couple of weeks just press play > :)....

P.S. It takes a moment to load - go grab a snack and come RIGHT back!!... :)




{Sigh} (of happiness and joy)....there's nothing like the feeling of getting everyone's sneak peeks up so you all can see them - wahoooo!! Hope everyone had a great weekend, see you again very soon!! ~R....:)

Sisters...

Not much to say tonight (shocker) but just thought I's share some of L and C today since mommy and daddy have now officially seen all of them. Mama R said she cried when she saw those of her oldest "L"...looking so grown up and beautiful. Thank you R!! As always, it's a pleasure to serve you and your family!!! See you very soon again!! Lots to post! Love, ~R..........:)

Mourning for the Chapman family...

As you have probably heard, youngest daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman, widely known Christian musician, was killed in a tragic accident. Her older brother did not see her while driving and hit her while she was playing in their family's driveway. She passed away later at the hospital. I am praying for their family, the huge hole in their hearts...the pain...her brother...and anyone who hears this story....

How as a parent how do you even begin to fathom and wade through the sadness of an event like this....mourning the loss of your little one...helping your older child cope not only with the loss of his little sister but the pain, guilt, and terrible feelings he must be having at being the one who was driving the car that struck her? I keep playing the scene of how it might have happened through my mind and just want to cry for her, for the brother, for the family as everyone I am sure went running and crying. Ultimately God's plan was for her to be in Heaven...but as a parent my heart aches and my mind is muddled at even beginning to try and understand how I would process this as a parent and also at the same time the parent of the child who was driving the car. I am constantly watching our boys like a mother hawk when they are out front by the driveway and often fear this very thing. I recently heard a story of a grandpa who hit and killed his own grandchild. To think that they are going through this right now amist all the happy events (the engagement, the graduation of their son etc., Maria's birthday such a short time ago) is just mind numbing.

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It is here where the peace that passes all understanding that is metioned in the Bible that can only come from God is so blaringly evident...in events like this that rock our worlds to the core. I can remember watching the Columbine news about that girl's family (the one who was shot after saying she believed in God) and wondering how they could have such peace in the whole situation - there was much sadness but also a peace and they talked about seeing her again etc. I didn't understand it - I wasn't a Christian then. Thankfully now I do. And while I have never lost a living child, I have been through some hard times (like we all have) and now am able to experience and understand that peace....allbeit not from something as tragic as what has happened to the Chapman family but in things that were big in my life at the time.

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I pray that many come to know Jesus from this story...as tragic as it is - God can and does use things like this for good. Did you see the youtube video on their blog? Man she was so cute and the relationship between her and her daddy was so precious. How comforting - although mind blowing at the same time - to know that she is in Heaven and they will see her again. If anything makes anything better, at least they have that to look foward to.

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And since we are on this topic and it is known that Steven Curtis Chapman is a Christian - one who is so on fire for Jesus Christ - who has given his life and his all to help people have a better understanding of having a relationship with God through His son, Jesus Christ through his music...I just wanted to let anyone on here reading this that if you ever ever ever have even the tiny-est question about being a Christian and what it entails...what all this Jesus and Heaven talk is all about...what the "peace" is that is talked about etc. etc. etc. please always feel completely free to email me or shoot even call me if you'd like to talk. It would be an honor to talk with you about my Savior, Jesus Christ and how he has changed my life. Love, ~R....

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http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/inmemoryofmaria/

Engagement Session!!

Can I just say "WOW"!?!?! Look at these two! {Sigh}....reminds me of the awesome and wonderful months of my own engagement..... :) I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to capture the love between two of the sweetest people I have ever met!! Thank you, thank you J and A!! It was so awesome to get to meet you, hangout, and see your love through my lens. The even better part? I get to be there on your wedding day too!! (Yippee!!) I can't wait!!

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Jennifer and Andy, thank you again - I wish you many blessings as you continue to prepare for one of the most important and special days of your life together! I'll see you very soon!!! Love, ~R...........;)

Excuse me S......

could I have my heart back please???






Ya know...if I never ever ever ever have a little girl just having had the pleasure of capturing these beyond sweet images of little S will have made up for it. {{{Sigh}}}....happy. smile. grin. giggle. girlie. frufru. pink. running through tall green grass in a pink frufru petti skirt. happy. :) If they made these in my size, I would order one. or two. or three. or.....maybe they would just look cuter on S and all my other adorable and sweet little girl clients. (whew! had you worried there huh!?! It's just...they're so soft and twirliable. yes. twirliable.) And this is just ONE ounce of the cuteness in girlie stuff I have awaiting the other two models and all of my little girl clients!!!! Have I mentioned that I have THE best job ever?!?!! Well I do!!!! Colon, right parentheses.

Thank you so much mama L...your little girl is just as precious as they come - thank you for entering her in the little beauties contest!! I hope you all can forgive me for posting so soon...I. Just. Couldn't. Wait. :) Congrats again! Oh - and mama L? There are more than 10. :) See you all again very soon!!!! Love, ~R..........;)

Word on the street is....

you are all waiting for some sneak peeks!! Well here they are!! And so adorable too! I hope all the mamas had a wonderful Mother's Day! I sure had a wonderful Mother's Day! Got the cutest card, went to church, brunch, and then stayed home the rest of the day ~ and napped. {Sigh} It was a very nice day. :) Since then I have been swimming in proofs up to my eyeballs - so please forgive the later than normal sneak peek if you would pretty please :) In my humble opinion, they were well worth the wait!!

Little A relaxing in the living room...

And now...in the bathroom of all places!! (on the counter - I mean come on, I do have tact ya know) Never know when or where you'll get some good light and a purdy colored wall ;) Kuddos to mama T for such pretty and colorful painting throughout the whole house!!! A photographer's on-location dream!!! :)
Here's beautiful little C...just as happy as can be...

Working the nose crinkle....

Beautiful L....

Here's precious and beautiful little G...remember turquois plate baby? Here she is at 6 mths!

And our little sweetheart, beautiful little A......

And whoa!?!? Who is this beautiful woman?? Why, it's Mrs. M of course, wanted some shots for her husband. Great idea M!! I think he'll love them!

Hope everyone's having a great week so far!! Be on the lookout for more sneak peeks ~ see you soon!! Love, ~R........:)

Edited to Add: If you participated in the Little Beauties contest - I am waiting for your thank you gift in the mail - so any day now! :) Mamas, if I do not have your address, can you please email yours to me so I can send that to your daughter when they come in - thank you!! ~R.....:)

Happy Mother's Day!

Remember little A? (Above) Well here she is again (below)....her first official photo shoot. Have I mentioned how blessed I feel have been able to be there for her birth...and now her whole first year in images!! I have THE best "job" ever I tell you!!

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This post is dedicated to all the mothers out there who read my blog, and those that don't (my mom especially here! she's..um...let's say technologically "challenged" Love you Mom!! ;) ...those who have born their children of their own body...and those who have born their children from their hearts through the miracle of adoption. This is for the mothers who are up night after night to feed and rock their precious little ones, the ones up at night waiting for their children to slip in by curfew, and all the moms in between. This is for the Mommies who have children here on earth and for those who have children in Heaven. This is for all of us mothers who love our children unconditionally, with a fierceness that that is beyond anything we could ever explain or begin to explain...because that's what we have been created to be and how we have been created to love...and my goodness it's wonderful isn't it? I pray that you have a blessed day tomorrow!! Here's to all the mothers out there with whom I share a common bond - Happy Mother's Day!! And for the brandnew mommies like J - Congratulations on your very first Mother's Day! Love, ~R........:)

All shot in little A's home, 7 days old, natural/ambient light.