Happy 2010!!

I hope you all had a wonderful 2009! I know I sure did and I can't wait to experience what 2010 has to offer. To start off the year, I will be launching a new website & blog in the next month. And I have a little something special from the session below that I just cannot wait to share.
... All in due time...

In 2010, I want to remind you to cherish all that's around you. I know I want to keep in better contact with the ones I love, hug more, laugh more, relax more, and soak up every bit of this year that I can. I don't want to get to the end of 2010 and feel like it all went by too fast (like I do this year, and every other one.) I don't want to have any regrets and I truly plan to live every day to the fullest. Like I might not have another. That's what I want my life to represent.
So, cheers to a new year and may you be blessed in all you do!
♥ Kelly

TGIF Randomness...

I don't really have anything too specific to blog about today. I do have tons of awesome weddings & shoots to post, but finding the time is near to impossible. I have two more weddings for 2009 and then will have a little bit of a break before the 2010 season kicks in, which I am super stoked about - the break and the 2010 season. :) Right now I have 11 fabulous couples I'm working with and I can already tell 2010 is going to be another amazing year. Which brings me to the thought, if you are looking to book for 2010, please contact me soon. I am only commissioning 24 weddings and May is already booked full, and June is almost there. I am definitely counting my blessings during these economic times!!

On a more personal note, we had a great Thanksgiving. We got to see almost all of our families, and will get to see the rest of our siblings and families in December, which is pretty amazing considering we have 10 siblings all together... almost all with kids, so that doesn't happen to often in one holiday season. I'm so excited about these next few months... my birthday is next week, then Hanukkah, then Bryan and I will celebrate our 6th anniversary, New Years will be soon after, then Abi's bday in January, Bryan's in February and Elijah will turn 1 in March - only 4 months away. Life is going by way too fast and I'm just trying to do my best to soak it all in and count my blessings.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and continues to has a wonderful holiday season!! And a great weekend at that!

Here are some recent pics of my sweet kiddos... Enjoy!

Peek a boo ;)

Yep, he has an crimson wall - Boomer Sooner Baby!!
(except that we haven't had too great of a football season, but we won't get into that)

This boy... EVERYTHING goes straight to the mouth

One of my favorite sessions with her

This is my sweet little girl. She's kind of a big deal ;)

Elijah just adores Abi. When she walks in from school, he flips out with excitement.
I love to see them make each other smile.

And this is just about as good as it gets as far as getting pics of the two of them together.

Well, thanks for indulging me and my random thoughts.
♥ Kelly

Playin' Hooky

I'm not quite sure what to say... I don't really think sorry is good enough.
Somehow I've gotten overwhelmed and the blog slowly moved down the list of priorities. Not on purpose by any means because I love blogging, it's just been a bit difficult finding the right balance since adding another little one to our family. I have lists & lists of things I need to get done and I am slowly but surely lifting these weights off my shoulders. I LOVE what I do, I love all things photography, I especially enjoy anything that has to do with weddings, but I also love being a wife & mommy. This business of mine allows me to stay home with my children, and I don't want to lose focus of that huge blessing and not take advantage of it. My husband has also changed jobs and a lot is happening in our lives. All for the good though and I know and trust that God always has a plan. So please just bear with me while we transition through this time in our lives and enjoy our summer together.

I do have lots of great posts in store for the future and please don't give up on checking back here with me! Until next time...
♥ Kelly

These are my beauties! They, along with Bryan, truly make every day an adventure. My family helps me live life to the fullest. I am in love!!!

2009 Summer Mini Sessions & Then Some...

Don’t miss out on this awesome opportunity! Mini sessions are fast, fun and inexpensive.

Session Fee is $150 and includes:
20 minute session
Disc of 10-15 finished images
Print release
Online gallery

Locations: OKC on June 20th 9am – 11am & 5pm – 7pm
Altus on July 11th 9am-11am & 12th 4pm-6pm

I am also doing something else with these sessions besides giving you a creative photographic document of your family…

I want to help out the children across the country that are going without necessities year round. I'm going to build Kid's Stuff Shoe Box Gifts for Feed the Children to deliver and would love your help in filling them.

If you are interested, contact me for the details at info@kellybeanephotography.com


And because posts are always better with a picture, here are my two little cuties...

♥ Kelly

A Little Somethin' Somethin'

I have such a desire to post more often on this blog. I do always intend to, and then life just takes over. I want to make a goal for myself to post at least 2 times per week. I might up that soon, but I think I'll start there for now. So peeps, feel free to keep me accountable. Call me out, put me on the spot... whatever you have to. Or maybe you won't have to because I'll actually do it.
Let's see, game on!!

So I have 5 weddings and who knows how many portrait sessions to post, but before I get to that list I'd like to share one of my favorite images from Saturday's wedding. I shot in the little town of Lindsay, OK at the Historical Murray Lindsay Mansion. I would link it, but there is no website.
So enjoy this image for now and be expecting some fabulous posts very soon!

♥ Kelly

My son is...

Yep, that's right. He is so so adorable and blog worthy and I truly apologize for taking so long to get this up. As you can probably guess my life's been quite hectic lately, but we really are adjusting so well... it's as if he's always been here. It's an amazing feeling!

Thank you to my amazing friend Abi for the bib above that she purchased for us right after we found out we were pregnant as well as the images below she captured at the birth. I am so thankful you were willing and excited to do this for us. It means the world to me!!
Elijah was born Friday the 13th of March (yep, that's right!) at 9:52 am,
weighing in at 8 pounds 12 ounces and 21.5 inches long.

Her first look

I love this one!

Everyone left to give us some time to rest (and go eat lunch) so when the nurse came in to take his bath, I was the one there to take pictures. ;) Doesn't take me long to get back to work. lol.

My gorgeous babies

Some portraits I got at home

We wanted more of a non traditional session for our family portraits, and the wonderful Abi never ceases to fulfill my photographic desires. We headed down to the Arts Festival for pictures and I must say I am in love with them!! Thank you again girl!!

My favorite!

This was such a cool children's area

My beautiful family!

Also, thank you to my wonderful friend Laura for coming down with us and helping out so much with my crazy family. ;) Love you girl!

Well, stay tuned... I'm turning over a new leaf and have a wedding to post from this past weekend. And another one back from December later next week. Both are fabulous!

♥ Kelly

So Thankful!

Yesterday was such an eye opening day. My family was in a wreck and it's just made me so thankful that I have God in my life, his protection over my family,and his peace in my mind & heart.

The details, my in laws Margaret & Charles (who are another set of parents to me) were driving through Lawton (heading here from Altus) with my daughter when another driver had a seizure, ran over the median, and hit them head on. Abi was asleep, thank goodness, so she really didn't know the extent of what had happened or what she had gone through. She came out of it with just a bruise on her shoulder from the car seat & she says her chest is a little sore, but she has really been so good! The only thing that's affected her is how she saw her Papa with all the blood & what not,
but I think she has really handled the whole situation very well.
Family (after seeing the truck) has said that there had to have been a protective bubble around my daughter. It's amazing that the seats didn't hit her or glass didn't fly her way. The back seat looked untouched while the front was extremely terrible. She is a little miracle - they all are really.
Margaret thought she was fine at the time, but it ends up she broke her arm (a clean break which is good) from bracing herself when the wreck happened and her knee isn't too great, which was a problem for her already so that doesn't help. She is really suffering with quite some pain. Her arm couldn't be put in a cast at the ER so hopefully that will be taken care of & go well tomorrow at the doctor.
Charles on the other hand got it the worst. He is pretty banged up with bruises & cuts everywhere and has a bad gash on his head. He does has a sub dermal hematoma (a collection of blood - a bruise basically) on his head so they have him in ICU to monitor him to make sure nothing progresses with that. We're hoping that everything continues to check out okay and he is released tomorrow. I'm sure they will both continue to suffer with aches & pains for a while considering what their body has gone through. I believe the other couple ended up fine with some aches, pains & bruises as well, but nothing too serious.

I don't even know what to do but thank God everyone is alive.
From what I hear (since I didn't see) the vehicles looked pretty bad (definitely totaled) and the onlookers didn't expect anyone to come out nearly as good as they have. It's just so scary when you get that call. That feeling that overtakes your body knowing that something has happened to your family (especially your own child) - it's earth shaking. So, please be in prayer for my in laws that God will continue to heal & protect them. And please pray for Abi as well,
mainly that this is not a traumatic memory for her.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and hold your family a little bit tighter
reminding yourself of what really matters in life.

Blessings!
♥ Kelly

Five Years...

Friday December 19th my hubby and I celebrated our 5th anniversary. Five years. I really just cannot believe time has flown by that fast. So much has changed in our lives the past five years, yet I love him so much more than the day I married him (which I certainly thought was NOT possible!) He knows how to drive me crazy, BUT he also knows just how to tickle me or cheer me up when I'm down. He knows just what to say to encourage & push me when I need it. He knows how to even me out, and that is just what he does... he completes me!
He is certainly my better half!
So, Bryan, I want to publicly thank you for all that you do! For who you are as an individual, and who we are together as a team!! I am so thankful for the Father you are to our daughter, and the one you will soon be to our son. Thank you for loving me the way that you do and putting up with my craziness! You are an amazing man and I'm truly blessed that Yahweh placed you in my life! I cannot wait for many more years together and to grow old with you. I love you baby!

Since we were celebrating our anniversary, and really because so many things are changing in our lives, we had the one & only ABI ~ A Beautiful Image ~ come take our pics yesterday. Thank you Abi for giving me the images as soon as we took them and letting me go crazy with my own editing. It's so nice to have such amazing photog friends!!

This is one last simple picture of the three of us before we welcome another soul into our family. It is certainly an all time favorite of the 3 of us!

I got brave going outside to do this. It was only like, oh, say 40 degrees outside. This is just running out in my backyard for seriously a minute to capture some of that perfect light. I really am glad we did though because I don't know if I've ever seen sun flare that perfect. In fact I'm jealous I'm not the one who took them. ;)

And while I'm at it, I'd like to share a few head shots I did of ABI several weeks ago for some new & exciting stuff she will be debuting soon!

Isn't she gorgeous!

Thank you so much Abi for always coming out to capture our family for us. And thank you for everything you do as a friend and fellow photographer. I am so excited about what you have to share soon and what that means for your future! You ROCK!!!

♥ Kelly

Still Here!!

In case you've been wondering, YES, I'm still alive!
I have been dreading posting, only because it would mean I would have to face the reality of how long it's been since my last post and, well, that would be embarrassing!

So, let's move on & not talk about that subject.
You're fine with that, right? RIGHT!

So, I want to just share a few personal things, and all that fun work stuff will be coming the next weeks.

First off, I just want to share some history. November 4th my father in law Charles Ortega was voted to be the state rep for District 52 (Altus - my hometown). This is SO exciting, not only just to see him accomplish this goal, but because he is the first Hispanic representative in the state of Oklahoma. Yeah, pretty cool huh!?!! So here are a few images from the watch party that night & also from his swearing in at the state capitol.

I love the emotion in this photo!

His two siblings who couldn't be there were on the phone right away. It was very sweet!

He's so great with people and they are so excited to have him in this position!

My idea was to take a pic with her Grandpas... she of course can't do anything the normal way. :)

Charles got to say a few words at the induction, and like most of the grandfathers & parents, he let his favorite little person introduce herself too.

The right one she is not having picture time (imagine that!), the left one shows what she loves most. Wonder who's child she is.... !!???

Here are some photos from our big Thanksgiving get together. My FAVORITE HOLIDAY!!! My family is so huge we rent out the Baptist Student Union to gather our families and pretty much have a reunion. It's always fun to catch up, and WOW this year my cousins really made me feel old. Several of them are graduating or are close, and it's just too weird for me that the little kids I used to babysit are now leaving home. Anyway, here's Abi playing on the trampoline with the big girls. Which makes us very nervous...

And here is my little photog again...
She says she wants to take wedding photos like Momma. Does that not melt your heart!??

My parents & my Aunt Carol! I love these!!

And then my Mom had the idea to give the camera a try. I set everything up for her & let her go wild. I'm impressed and must say she did a great job.
(you can't tell her that though... she likes to brag ;) Here are a few of her shots.

Uncle Donnie, Uncle Greg & Tanner back there. They were trying to hang with the young'uns. ;)

My brother Tony catching a pass from Bryan. That's my cousin Amanda in the bottom right... I hear she wore everyone out. AND she's an amazing softball player (pitcher I believe)!!!

My favorite cousin Brady, which I'm sure is cracking up at something my Papa said... there's really no telling... and Uncle Mike.

Tiffany heading off...

And me! I wish you could see my belly more... and then again maybe I don't. I don't think I necessarily look too nice here, but I posted it anyway because it really shows how I feel... TIRED! I am one of those crazy women who enjoy being pregnant, but this little boy is already taking the life out of me. Seriously, the smallest things exhaust me.
I must say, If this is any indication of the future, I am scared! ;)

I shot my last wedding of the year this past Saturday, and my goodness I couldn't have asked for a better one to end the year with. It was amazingly gorgeous, and well.... the post will be coming, not for a while though because I have several others to catch up on first. And just to add, Abi came along with me to 2nd shoot, and I couldn't be more grateful to have had someone with me (and especially my bff) because I don't know if I could've made it without her. THANK YOU my sweet friend! So here is a sneak peek of Shelby & Chris' wedding. I thought it was appropriate considering how FA-REEZING it is outside.

Also, I had a birthday last Thursday, which I'm only mentioning because I want to thank all of my sweet friends & family for the cards, emails, comments, and texts! I am truly blessed and thankful for every one of you!

I hope you are all having a great holiday season & staying warm! Check back in a few days for an actual photo session... or wedding... they'll be something. :)
♥ Kelly