CF Walk

if you know me, you know that there is a charity near and dear to me. for the last few years, i have talked about the cystic fibrosis foundation, and have participated in their great strides walk and last year even organized an event that would help raise money for this cause. for those of you not familiar with cystic fibrosis -

What Is Cystic Fibrosis?

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that:

• clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and
• obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

for more info on this disease, please visit: www.cff.com

i was asked to be the official photographer for their Great Strides Walk last month, and what a turnout! take a look:

warming up for the walk:

this is my team: Miss Maddie's Mission for a Cure

and it begins!

here's the adorable Miss Maddie herself and her cute little sister!

my daughter:

Finished!!!

After the walk, the Toe Jam Puppet Band was there to entertain the kids. If you have not seen these guys before, you should they are AWESOME! Check out their site: http://www.toejampuppetband.com/

my other daughter!

and at the end of the day, the big reveal: this is what the Great Strides Walk raised for the CF Foundation: How great is that???

what a great organization, and I am so proud to be a part of the effort to raise money for this cause. For all of you have donated and taken part, thank you!

The Remaining Sessions to Benefit CF

Last week, I met with 3 more families who couldn't make it to our Photo Event to Benefit CF. Since this cause is near and dear to me, I wanted to get in as many sessions as I could. And not to toot my own horn, the photos were gorgeous.

One of the families (photos immediately following) we have known since my oldest daughter was in Pre-school. I actually photographed them for the first time about 5 years ago. It feels like it was just yesterday. I know I say it all the time, but I truly don't know where time goes!

Look at this photo....she is such a beautiful girl, inside and out! She actually just cut 11 inches off her hair and donated it to 'locks of love'!

and here is the handsome boy that, for years, my daughter claimed she would marry someday! Too funny!

there were so many good photos, but i think this one may be my fave.

no wait, this one is.....

okay, really it's this one. I can't decide!!!

so as we were walking around, Colby spots this tree that juts out slightly over the water. Of course, he wants to climb in it. What is it with boys and trees????

We couldn't wrap without getting some pics with mom. Jen, by the way, is pretty amazing. She is currently training to run a half marathon (which is a little over 13 miles!!) to benefit a cause that is dear to her, Chrone's Disease. She told me that she raised $3400! That is awesome! Lots of luck to you Jen! And thanks for showing your support to my cause!

Now, onto my next session.....(yes, I have been a very busy girl!)

when I scheduled this session, this little darling's mom, Mary, told me that she has never had much luck with getting photos of her daughter. I really don't know why, she is such a cutie, and was hamming it up for me right away!

this black and white photo below, one of our favorites!

When I sent the pictures to Mary, I received an email from her that was very touching. I have to share:

"Kelly, I was just looking at the pics and I am crying they are so beautiful!!!! Thank you so much!!!!! :)"

No one has ever told me that my photos made them cry! Mary, I am so happy you loved them!

And lastly, one more session. Kim brought her son, whom I have been photographing since he was a newborn. Cam is so much fun...he is a ball of energy! I had to run around after him to get my shots!

Kim would try to help me my picking him up, but the moment his feet touched the ground, he was off! Take a look!

and off he goes!

I was able to still get some great shots, when I could catch up to him!

So there we have it. I may have said this before, but I am so proud I will say it again. We raised $860 for Cystic Fibrosis. What started out as a whim of an idea turned into something wonderful! The Great Strides walk is just 10 days away (May 8th). Miss Maddie's Mission for a Cure has a goal of $5000, and they are nearly reaching it. Great job to all!!! xoxoxo

The Letourneau Family Session

My good friend Sandy, who was at the center of our Photo Event last weekend, donated her $40 this week for her 'Session to benefit CF'. We knew that it was just too much to have her session Sunday, so we scheduled her a private session. (The perks of having a fabulous photographer friend, lol!) However, about an hour before we were to meet, I get a phone call from a frantic Sandy telling me the electricity was out in her whole neighborhood, and she and her two adorable girls all had wet hair. But the electricity came on in the nick of time, and all the girls looked beautiful as always!

There are so many great photos from this session it was so hard to choose for the blog...these girls are just so darn cute!

Can't even begin to say how much I love the photo of dad and daughter holding hands. Some of you may or may not know this, but Jay used to assist for me at weddings when I was starting out. He also has a great eye for photos!

truly a beautiful family.....

i wanted to see the girls being silly, so they were instructed to jump around....these photos just make me smile!

one of my faves of the girls.....

too cute for words here.....

Last but not least, a photo of all our kids when we wrapped up. I love that the girls have a blast with each other!

Thanks Letourneau family for getting all dressed up and for sitting in the grass for me. You guys were great! Here's looking forward to next year and doing it all over again and raising even more for Cystic Fibrosis!

xoxoxo