Meet our newest.

J has a kitten!  When we went to look at the litter, this little guy wouldn't take his eyes of her.  I'm truly convinced cats pick their people, and he knew he was supposed to be Julia's baby.

We have had him almost three weeks now (May 27 was his adoption day), and he's the cutest.  Vet thinks he was a little bit younger than they said he was--probably 7 weeks instead of 8--but he's healthy and full of energy.

This image I took the second day.  Used one of Julia's dolly blankets draped over a cradle.

Belle and Minou are best friends.  I think Minou found comfort in having a furry body that didn't hiss at him (Mooch and Nellie are less than impressed).

Watching them play is adorable.  I have a little video I took the other day.  Belle is so gentle--and Minou's little claws must hurt on her nose!  But she loves it.  Rolls over onto her back, nudges him with her nose, puts her tail in his face so he's got something to chase, bats him gently with her paws.  She can't get enough of her little kitty friend.  She really mothers him, too, and watches out for him when the other cats get growly.

Here's a picture of him a week after we got him:

And here he is last week.  Getting big!!

It's so fun having a little one around.  He's tackling my toes as I type this.  Julia is learning what it's like to be a parent, as she's not getting much sleep, what with him up at all hours, rubbing against her face, trying to give her kisses.  I think this cat thinks he's a dog!

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After a photo shoot the other day, Julia wanted me to take her picture on the rail.  Here it is, edited with Florabella Colorplay actions.

Love my girlie!

L

LEGO!!

My son is gaga over LEGO.  It's insane.

It's all he talks about.  It's all he thinks about.  And I'm pretty sure it's all he dreams about.

His life revolves around LEGO, whether it's playing with them or looking through books and writing down quite literally pages and pages of LEGO kit numbers.

Julia sometimes says, "ADAM!!  Today is a NO LEGO DAY!!"  Sometimes it's, "MOM!!  I need an ADAM FREE DAY!"  Which really means the same thing.

Heck, sometimes I need a LEGO free day!  But it doesn't happen.

A few months ago we signed him up for the LEGO club, so every month he gets a magazine, which is kind of fun.  And a month or so ago we received a card in the mail about a LEGO Kidfest that was travelling through Pittsburgh.  So I just HAD to buy tix, because who knew when we'd get the chance again?

The anticipation was painful, but FINALLY Friday arrived.  ONE MORE SLEEP.

I had the kids put out their clothing before bed, so we'd just have to change and leave, since we had to leave early in the morning for the session.  The kids had been in bed no more than half an hour when, "MOM?  Is it time to get up yet?"

Erm.  Noooo.

5:50 on Saturday morning:

"Mom?  Mooom?  MOOOOM?  MOM!!!"  So into his room I go, to see him by the door, dressed down to his shoes.  "Mom, I slept like this last night because I don't want to be late!!"  But we weren't leaving that early, so I took off his shoes and tucked him back in for awhile.

So you can imagine how exciting actually BEING there was!

There was a huge brick pile in the middle of the hall.  They say it was one million bricks.  Adam sometimes wants to know how many a million is, and now I can tell him.  It looks like this:

It took no time for Adam to get right in the middle of it.  Some kids were laying in it, like a ball bit.

All I could think about was, "OW!  Good thing everyone is wearing shoes!!"  Stepping on THAT pile in the middle of the night would not have been fun!

There was so much to see and do.  They participated  in a tower building contest, where I won a beautiful little Christmas book because I knew the answer to a trivia question.  Watching, "How Do They Do It" with Adam paid off, because I knew where LEGO are made!  Whoot!  Here the kids are waiting to be put into a team, and then LEGO Mike measuring their tower, which came in second place.

Then to LEGO Ninjago, where the kids had fun making little spinners:

Julia had a great time at the LEGO Friends area.  She told me she wanted to stay there all day.  To say there was lots of girl power in that space was putting it mildly.  But Adam also had a great time here.  This is what I remember LEGO being--lots of architecture to make buildings.  I just read that the LEGO friends made it to the worst toys list--something to do with stereotypes.  Blah Blah.  Some girls love girly things!  And Julia is no exception.  This space was right up her alley. Master Builder Dan said that when they came out with LEGO friends, the master builders cheered, because it added so much in the way of different colours to their pallet.  So there.  LEGO Friends rock.  Dan said so.

Adam met a hero--a LEGO Master Builder!  His name was Dan, and he talked to Adam for quite awhile about building LEGO.  You could tell he was just a great big kid!

These are the kinds of things the Master Builders make.  Cool, eh?

Took a long time before I could take this shot without kids all over it.  Go away, kids.  I want a picture of Lightning.  Get outta here.  Quit spoiling my fun!  Rotten kids...  heh

Me and Indie. Daaa de da DAAA, daaa de daaa!  

Sigh.

Again.  Stinking kids in the background ruining the shot.  You'd thing they'd ban kids from this place.

I mean, really.  

LEGO?  Pft.  What kinda kid in their right mind would want to be at a place like this?  

Because really, it's for grownups, dontcha know?

You should have seen the elaborate displays adults made.  Pirates and vikings and cityscapes and aliens invasions and who knows what else.  I'd better be careful, because that's going to be Adam in a few years, and his wife won't be pleased if I don't curtail it NOW!  HA!

Anyhoo, after the session ended, we went downtown to the Kringle Market and purchased a struedel (yum) and a couple of handmade ornaments, then to the skating rink to wait in line for a free carriage ride.

And we waited and waited.  For almost an hour and a half.

And finally got on our ride.  Which took 10 minutes.

Whee!!

(I thought the reflection of the skaters looked cool.)

Sorry for the loooong post.

It was a looooong day!

And now we get to go back to stepping on LEGO at home.  :)

L

Faces: Bonus

When I started this project, the first faces were from the fire department.  Julia said, "Mommy, you need to do the police, too."  I thought it would be fun to come full circle, since the police department and the fire department are in the same building.

Chief Havas wasn't toooooo thrilled about getting his photo taken, and I caught him at a bad time, but he obliged for a very, very quick image.

Thanks!!

And with this image, my 30 faces in 30 days project is complete.  Whew!  

What I learned:

• People are generally friendly and accommodating.
• Going up to complete strangers is HARD, but the interesting people you meet are worth it.
• Doing a project like this is a good way to get over shyness with strangers.  Oh yes it is!
• It would be better to do this in the summer time when there are plenty of events going on where people gather.  There aren't a lot of places here for that once summer is over, which I found challenging (and why I got to the last day behind).
• When an opportunity presents itself, don't hesitate.  Take it!  I don't know how many times I saw someone that had a unique look or something, but by the time I hemmed and hawed about it, the moment had passed and the opportunity lost.
• Bring your camera everywhere.  Today I saw a guy walking his dog.  A handsome, older gentleman smoking a pipe.  You don't see that very much these days!  But I was rushing to the school to bring something in, and left my camera at home.  Interesting face and photo op gone buh-bye.
• Rain stinks.

And with that, I bid the Community Portrait Project adieu.  I hope everyone enjoyed this journey as much--or more!!--than I did.  If you're thinking about doing something like this, dive in!  It's hard, I won't deny, but you will see definite improvement in your confidence and people skills, so it's well worth the shaky knees and butterfly stomach!

:)

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**If you'd like a complimentary low-res copy of your image(s) for your Facebook profile, please like www.facebook.com/allegriaimagesbylynn, look for the 30faces album, and tag yourself.  Please do not crop out the watermark.  

 To order prints, please contact me at allegriaimages@gmail.com

All images copyright Allegria Images by Lynn Rutz.  Any downloading, copying, or printing without my express permission is prohibited.**

Faces 30: Meet Hailey

Hailey learned a lesson today.  Unless you WANT your photo taken, never EVER make eye contact with let alone greet someone walking past you with a camera!

She was great, though, and when I turned back and asked for her photo, she agreed.  Whoot!

She's studying premed here, and then she's off to chiropractic school in Ohio (edit:  oops.  Davenport, Iowa!). Her dad's a chiropractor as well, which is pretty cool.

I've never been to a chiropractor before, although I probably should...my shoulders are stiff just sitting here.

Anyway.  Here's Hailey.

Thanks for letting me take your photo--and for agreeing to get down onto the grass!

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**If you'd like a complimentary low-res copy of your image(s) for your Facebook profile, please like www.facebook.com/allegriaimagesbylynn, look for the 30faces album, and tag yourself.  Please do not crop out the watermark.  

 To order prints, please contact me at allegriaimages@gmail.com

All images copyright Allegria Images by Lynn Rutz.  Any downloading, copying, or printing without my express permission is prohibited.**

Faces 28 and 29: Sam and Emily

Sam and Emily were sitting under a tree, hangin' out, so I approached them, and they were so nice and friendly!  Sam is studying Political Science, while Emily is doing a double major in Criminology and Psychology.

Here's Sam and his awesome Jamaica shirt:

I think Emily is gorgeous, and I didn't know which picture to post, so she's getting a bonus one:

I took a quick shot of them together but...it didn't turn out so well.  :(  For some reason, these aren't as crystal clear as they appear in Lightroom, so I think Blogger is having resolution issues.  BUT trust me--her eyes are gorgeous!  

Thanks for allowing me to take your photos, you two, and good luck with your studies!

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**If you'd like a complimentary low-res copy of your image(s) for your Facebook profile, please like www.facebook.com/allegriaimagesbylynn, look for the 30faces album, and tag yourself.  Please do not crop out the watermark.  

 To order prints, please contact me at allegriaimages@gmail.com

All images copyright Allegria Images by Lynn Rutz.  Any downloading, copying, or printing without my express permission is prohibited.**

Faces 27: Jon

Four people behind and the last day.  Wanted to take some photos of the military, but nobody was at the recruiting offices.  So off I went to the university.  It's a nice day, so I thought there would probably be people around.  Jon and a friend of his were having lunch outside, so I approached them, and Jon agreed to a picture.

Thanks Jon!!

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**If you'd like a complimentary low-res copy of your image(s) for your Facebook profile, please like www.facebook.com/allegriaimagesbylynn, look for the 30faces album, and tag yourself.  Please do not crop out the watermark.  

 To order prints, please contact me at allegriaimages@gmail.com

All images copyright Allegria Images by Lynn Rutz.  Any downloading, copying, or printing without my express permission is prohibited.**

Sustenance

Although I couldn't take a photo at O'Shea's (my favorite chocolate place), I DID score these fabulous sea salt caramels.

Yummo.

Just enough sustenance to go off on a marathon of photographing faces, since to meet my goal I need 4 more by the end of the day!

Cover me--I'm going in!