A Goode Time in the Park

No, I didn't spell that wrong - I just can't help being punny right now :)  We had fun with the Goode family at a local park for their family session last week!  The weather was perfect, the kids were adorable, and the parents were smashing - it was a great time!  Here are some of my favorites:

      

Thanks for letting me capture your adorable family!

Spring Fun in the City!

What a fun time in the city with the Huff family on a beautiful Saturday afternoon! 

Yup! This was right in the middle of Uptown Charlotte (also known as 'downtown' to normal city-dwellers - I still haven't figured out in my 6 years of living in Charlotte why they call it Uptown instead of Downtown, but that's a whole 'nother blog post... anyway - I digress)   :)

 

 (We have NO idea what she was doing, one theory was listening to the worms :) )

 Colin loved playing in the fountain!

I love this family and we always have so much fun on our sessions - even if most of the time is spent chasing this little man around who literally turns and runs from me as soon as I pick my camera up! 

I remember these days when he couldn't run so fast!  :)

And then there's this sweet girl, who isn't running too fast for me yet, but I'm sure she will be by the time we do our next session!

Mom & Dad got their turn in front of the lens too!

Dad still has the moves.. 6 years of marriage and two kids later!  :)

 

Thanks so much for letting me chase your family around with my camera again Huff family!

New

Such a sweet little girl, brand new in this world - and I couldn't keep my lens off her!

 

Welcome to this world Baby Caitlyn!

Another ONE!

All the little babies are turning one... including this sweet boy!

 

He sure had fun smashing into his cake!

   

 His "brithday suit"  :)

 

 This little girl loves her baby brother!

 Standing tall!

Happy Birthday Harrison!

Jack is One...

One... handsome little boy! And ONE year old!

 Big sister wanted to get in on the action and hopped in this shot at the last minute :)

  

Happy birthday Jack!!

In One Month

In One Month at Freedom House Church - So. Much. Happened.

First up was Easter.  Petting Zoo.  Bubble Machine.  2000 people walking through the doors to hear an awesome message by Pastor Troy.  Krispy Kreme Donughts and Starbucks coffee welcoming people at the front door.  Though I didn't take any pictures for the church, I did manage to capture a few of my little man that day - his first Easter!

  

 

It was a pretty awesome day.

Next up was baptism Sunday.  Hundreds of people of all ages professed their love and devotion to the One that set them free.  It was a beautiful thing to be a part of! I have SO many images of that day, but here are a few:

 

 

 

A couple weeks later we celebrated Liberty Sunday, a yearly event that is truly liberating!  You can read more about it here.  This year 10% of all the donations will be sent to the LA Dream Center where Pastor Matthew is doing some pretty amazing things.  The rest of the donations go straight to the building fund - which is in progress!  For almost ten years Freedom House has meet in homes, then in schools.  But not for long!  Liberty is more than just giving money though - it's about experiencing the amazing freedom that comes from giving sacrificially.  It's not about an amount.  It's about the sacrifice.  We've experienced it for several years now and there just aren't words to describe it - so here are a few pics to help!

      

The theme: Unlocking Dreams                 All decorated up for the big celebration!!

 

Pastor Matthew Barnett from the LA Dream Center - on location with a video message for FHC!

   

 

Pastor Troy praying over the offering

 

Praying over the offering and believing for BIG dreams to be unlocked!!

 

Even the kids get involved!

And finally - the biggest day in our church's history - the First Ever Service, in our First Ever Building!  Oh my gosh!  I'm really trying to refrain from typing in all caps and using a gobzillion exclamation marks because it was just THAT exciting!  This building has been a long-time coming and has been built by the resources of one big, huge, church family.  How amazing it was to be a part of such a HUGE, exciting, - okay I'll say it - EPIC day! 

 Isn't she beautiful!??!

  

 FHC's mission statement: Equipping people to experience Christ's freedom in their everyday lives.

The preschool rooms got a makeover with original artwork and a new logo for FH Kids!

 

  

The Coffee Shoppe.... otherwise known as... STARBUCKS! Yup, it's true.  Mmmmmmm....

  

 

   

Even the bathrooms are all swanky-and-amazing! And YES I took pictures of the bathrooms - I mean, they're too beautiful not to!!

 

 

And now... the moment you've all been waiting for....  (drum-roll please)

What? Not what you expected to see?  Well these chairs are more than meets the eye!  To the long-time church family that has been sitting on hard, metal chairs, or those that even endured the plastic will-it-really-hold-me-up chairs - these chairs were heaven sent.  And each family had the opportunity to purchase their 'own' chair - so these mean a lot! :)

 After some family-style worship, Colby (the pastors' son) dismisses the older kids to go over to F2 for kids church

 They get a pretty sweet ride across the street!

 After their lesson they get game time with XBox Kinect, Wii, Phoosball, inflatable bounce houses and more!

 

 Meanwhile... back at F1, Pastor Troy is bringin' the word!  And it's a FULL house for the 9am service - and there are still two more services to go!

   

 To close out the service everyone prayed over the new building and all the exiting things on the horizon!

 

 I truly love my church & what an awesome opportunity to capture so many amazing events!

Thank you Freedom House!