Family Fun!

I had fun shooting this family right before the holidays - with three boys it was a whirlwind the entire time, but they kept me on my toes and we were still able to capture some great photos that show off the personalities of the whole family!  

Meet the newest addition!  Only 2 months old, he was very willing to lay still and pose for the camera!
         

 And the middle boy of the group - at 16 months he was a curious little one who kept me on my toes, but also enjoyed looking into the lens.

   
 And meet the oldest of the 3 boys.  At 9 years old, he was also very excited to be captured on camera... or it may have been the bribe of a surprise afterward that gave me these big smiles... hey, whatever works!
           

    

 

 Thanks Drozd family for letting me capture your family!

♪♪♪♫Jingle Bells... Jingle Bells... ♪♫♪

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,

Jingle alllll the waaaayyy....

Oh what fun it would be to save a child todaaaayyyy

Dashing through the Malls

To find the perfect thing

Won't give you the same JOY

As clicking on this link...

Kids who dive down deep

Untying nets and lines

All it takes is just a little

To save a lot of LIVES

Ohhh.....

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,

Jingle all the waaaayyyy....

Oh what JOY you would bring

If you'd give todaayyyy.... 

Okay, so maybe this is a little cheesy - but seriously - thousands of enslaved children die on Lake Volta every year from diving into it's deep crocodile-infested waters to untangle nets.

This January a team of my very dear friends are headed to Ghana, West Africa to rescue a group of boys from this life and bring them to The Father's House where they will receive a home, clothing, food, education, and most of all - the Father's Love.

Please consider donating to this amazing cause that has captured my heart this holiday season. Every little bit helps!! Check out this short video for more information!  

Father's House - Ghana from Matt Garrett on Vimeo.

Down on the Farm

When Valerie contacted me and asked me to do a session with her fiance, I was excited to oblige - but even more excited when she told me their pup would be joining!  My first time photographing animals with the owners - and I must say, it was pretty fun! 

We headed to a nearby barn that is no longer functioning, and snapped away in the frigid 40* temperatures.  We stayed movin' to keep warm and lots of laughter helped too - how can you not laugh at this face? 

She did that every time I squeeked her toy... and then there were the times that she came running at me to get the toy - thankfully Mike kept her reined in on the leash and there were no casualties.  :)

This beautiful lab/greyhound mix was rescued by Valerie & Mike and is still all puppy!  She was the sweetest thing, and very playful - I think she was excited to be out in the wide-open field of the barn!

After a few shots with the puppy we headed deeper into the property to get some shots of just Mike & Valerie.  We had a lot of fun and laughs getting some of these silly shots!

  

 These two were so fun to work with, I had a blast photographing them and they were champs to do it all in the unseasonably cold weather!

Santa Clause A baby GIRL is Comin' to Town!

I was so excited to photograph my good friend and co-worker with her 2nd baby bump - and 1st little girl!

I was flattered when she told me the bold colors we painted our nursery (you can see them here) inspired her to opt-out of a lavender accent wall and instead go with bright magenta!  I was even more thrilled at the chance to photograph her in front of it with her little girl of a bump! :)

Little C is going to be a BIG brother soon, and he definitely knows there's a baby in there... or "B" as he says.

I love hanging out with these guys and they were such a blast to photograph - even with a two year old that wanted nothing to do with the camera and everything to do with the 'leafs', we managed a few good group shots.  :)

I had fun with mom while dad took care of the toddler too - isn't she beautiful!  She wears pregnancy like a designer outfit!

Thanks Huff family - for letting me capture your growing family!

Settling Down Up

We found out on Monday that we'll be welcoming a precious little BOY into the world in April! 
We're very excited that our first baby will be a boy - though we'd be happy either way, there's just something about knowing our boy will be a 'big brother' some day. 

 

When we announced the gender to our friends and family Monday afternoon, this was one of the many messages I received: 

"Yay! For a nephew, the little champ is already very blessed. Watch out champ, theres an uncle in Africa that can't wait to meet you!"

(And may I add, the only one that made me tear up a bit!)




It got me thinking about when we found out we were pregnant, right after I had returned from Africa. 
I thought about how when I read those little lines on that stick, my first reaction wasn't that we were 'settling down.'  My first thought wasn't about what school our little one would go to, or what his first pet would be.  My first thought was about how amazing it would be to take our little man out on the mission field with us.
 
That's right, we have no plans of "settling down".  We know that God has called us to become missionaries and travel this globe in His name, and that means raising our kids at the same time.  We aren't going to wait until they're grown and off to college or life.  We're 'settling up' - keeping our eyes UP to the Creator who promises to take care of us and bless us and keep us when we follow Him.  And that's just what we plan on doing - following Him and the call He has given us. 

I'm not saying we're up and leaving anytime soon, but I am saying that when we get the call from God, we'll obey.  That may mean taking our little boy with us, or that may mean leaving him with a trusted friend for a few days.  I do know that our little boy's passport will be ready and waiting for when the call comes, though, and I know I can't wait to take him to meet his Ghanaian relatives!  I am so excited to see his face at his first taste of atoto and fresh coconut.

I can't wait to see him playing with all the kids at The Father's House, and I'm excited sling him on my back as we walk around the village. 

Our little boy is going to be an amazing man of God, and we're so excited to raise him UP, rather than settling down.