Monday, October 26, 2009

Nathan

This little out-of-town sweetie took a little bit to warm up to having his picture taken, but once he did it was magical. Look at this sweet face!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Ava, Brody and Brooks

Little Miss Ava was just a newborn baby the last time I saw her...and now she is a big sister to two adorable brothers!

Kesler

Love lil' Miss Blue Eyes, we spent most of our session playing hide and seek. She found me. A lot.


Beck and Ella

More of my favorite people:

Yummmy....

aaaaaaand we're done.What's up, baby??

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Jett and Jalen

Love these cuties and couldn't wait to see them again:


Meredith and Haley

Getting way behind on sneak peeks here! Some of my favorite peeps in the world:




Thursday, October 15, 2009

Opening-Last Chance

Hi everyone,

All mini-session spots are full except for the very first one at 9am--please call or email ASAP if you are interested or would like more details. Opening will be booked on a first come, first serve basis!

Details again are here: Mini Sessions Round 2

Receive 25 complimentary holiday cards either from an upcoming/current session OR a previous session if you refer the person who books that spot!!

D

Monday, October 12, 2009

One More Round!


These have been so popular, we're going to go for ONE MORE ROUND!

Mini Sessions THIS SATURDAY, October 17th 9am-12n
Dallas Arboretum
$150 Sitting Fee
30 minute sessions, 10-15 images to choose from

Refer a friend and as our thank you, receive 25 complimentary 5x7 holiday cards!

Call 972-596-5500 for bookings and questions, or email deanna@devine-memories.com

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Repost-Bittersweet October

Wrote this post two years ago and thought it would be an appropriate way to commemorate today again, on the 12th anniversary of my daughter's birth and death.

October 9th, 2007.

I am definetly not a writer, so please bear with me on this one :)

October is such a fun month for me because of all the birthdays, Halloween, the State Fair, and just seems to kick off the beginning of the holidays. But many of you know that we lost a baby named Emily (whom the Emily Project is named for and inspired by) many years ago. You might not know thought that tomorrow will be the 10 year anniversary of the day she was born.

I have blocked this day out of my schedule since January and was hoping that by now I would know what to do with myself on this day. I still don't. I thought I might do an Emily Project session but just can't muster it up.

So I thought that I would do the best I could and try to bring a little bit of awareness to my readers in hopes that it will help someone out there who might be going through what we went through. Emily was stillborn. I was almost 6 months pregnant and had just become aware of her kicking a few weeks prior, and didn't know that you should feel babies kick at least once an hour. We went to the OB after some time and discovered that she had died. It was truly the worst moment of my life that I have tucked somewhere in the back of my mind so that I cannot relive that pain over again.

After we lost her, our nurses gave us some literature about various organizations that help parents and loved ones cope with the aftermath of such a loss. I sought counseling but it was only after I joined one of these support groups that I began to turn a corner. I also was able to meet and keep in touch with other moms who had gone through my exact situation and having the same feelings I was having. When you lose a child, it almost becomes necessary to take a step back from the rest of society while you heal, as the rest of the world goes on with life and you have just had an atom bomb go off in your own life. Reaching out to others who have been through the same "bomb" is an amazing way to start the healing.

Here are the organizations that helped me through:
http://www.nationalshareoffice.com/
http://home.mend.org/

What can you do if someone you know has experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or the death of an infant?

There are things that you definetly should not say to someone who has just lost a child. The first being "There will be more children" or "You can try again". Being as young as we were we heard these a lot. Nothing or no one can ever replace the child you lost, even if it is an early miscarriage. The best thing to do is just to sit and listen, let them cry on your shoulder and let them know it's ok to cry and be sad. Remember important dates with a card or a phone call (I personally don't talk to anyone on Oct. 10th) and if the pregnancy was late enough, always call the baby by it's name. Everyone is different, but these are things that have helped me or people I have known. If you know someone who has lost a baby or child and you want to help them, visit the above websites for suggestions on what to say, how to honor the baby who died, or just to read about what your loved one is going through. This will help more than you will ever know.

If you are pregnant or know someone who is, there are ways to help prevent stillbirth. Blair Blanks is a photographer who recently lost her son James to stillbirth the morning she was set to be induced. In his honor she has done tireless research on the subject and is devoted to educating pregnant mommies about counting their kicks. Please visit her website for more information: http://www.blairblanks.com/kickcount/

Finally if you or someone you know does experience such a loss, there is a wonderful organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep that connects local photographers with families who have lost babies. Photographers volunteer their services to these families to conduct sensitive and private photo sessions, and the photos are then retouched and given to the parents on CD or DVD. When we lost Emily, the nurses were thoughtful enough to take pictures of us for her, and I am so grateful to now have those, but I would have given anything to have professional, retouched photos of her or pictures of me holding her.

Thank you for any prayers you might say for us, for those out there experiencing this loss right now, and go home and hug your babies a little tighter tonight.

Deanna

Friday, October 09, 2009

Recognize them? Look up.

If you want to see how much these two gorgeous kiddos have grown since we first met, just take a peek at the top of this blog. Such a beautiful family and I LOVE our sessions!!


Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Holiday Cards!!

Finally completed the online gallery for 2009 Holiday Cards! Enjoy and please call or email for pricing! deanna@devine-memories.com

www.devine-memories.com/CardGallery

Just a reminder, we have an upgrade option this year for personalized mailing service--give us your list and we'll do all the work!

Monday, October 05, 2009

Photography in the Home

My clients just emailed me this picture of the 30x40 canvas they ordered hanging over their fireplace, and I just had to share. It looks absolutely fantastic! Here is the original image they ordered:


And the 30x40 canvas.

I tell all my clients to go canvas when they go big...you spend more money on custom framing anyways, and if you're going to spend the money, why not spend it on more of what you love, the picture?? Canvases come with hardware on the back and are ready to go right up on the wall, so stinkin' easy.

Thanks Kim for sending this to me!

D