Snow Day?!?

We have had quite a bit of excitement in Alabama. On Monday we had a high of about 65 degrees but we were promised that "snow" or a "wintry mix" would await us on Tuesday or Wednesday. Naturally, because we live in South Alabama we did not know what to expect but I am a teacher and teachers are tend to be the ones who are quite hopeful. On Monday around 2:00 I joyfully announced to my fifth graders that we would indeed not be at school the next day! :) On Tuesday morning I waited and waited. On Tuesday afternoon I waited and waited. Around lunch the precipitation began. By the afternoon we definitely had lots of ice. I am a bit of a weather nerd so I was pumped. We got word that we would not be at school today either! TWO SNOW DAYS in MOBILE? What?  We woke up this morning and to a winter wonderland. I am almost certain that it was not really snow and probably just ice but it was beautiful!! It stuck all day...and was FREEZING! Brett and I went "sledding" and played outside. It was such a fun day! We also ate soup, worked on a couple of projects, and did a lot of relaxing!

It was such a fun day! I am thankful that it is still frozen outside! I am thankful that we are off again tomorrow!! While it was beautiful and I am thankful for three days off.....it showed me that I am without a doubt a summer girl. Spring, warm weather, where are you? I am so ready! :)  You people up north are tough. I would much rather sweat it out! Until then, I will bundle up and stay inside! Stay warm!

Baby Shepherd (birth--pictures)

On November 13, 2013 I had the absolute privilege of photographing a birth. This was the first one I have done for someone who is not a family member. I have known Annie for a long time! She contacted me about wanting me to be present for the birth a bit before and I was just thrilled. This was Annie's third baby, she and Chop's were not finding about the sex of the baby, and Annie was planning on going natural. Oh my word. Can we talk about what a rockstar she was? She had everything against her. She was induced, they broke her water, and she was three weeks early! Gracious me....but she did it! She was so amazing! After several LONG hours of labor that precious boy made his grand entrance! Chops was also incredible as well....so encouraging...so helpful! They were such a great team! He helped her as she went through the pain and the exhausting task of delivering baby Shep. I shared the video I put together a bit ago but wanted to share some pictures as well. Sweet husband...

Really...aren't the precious? Can't you just see all of the emotion from the work to the relief when he is finally here! I cried and cried as the baby entered the world! :)

Thank you Annie and Chops for letting me be apart of this emotional and special day! Y'all are precious friends and I am so grateful for you!

Our Christmas Card

Now that our Christmas cards have made it into mailboxes I can share it on the blog!

I used minted this year and the goal was to get them as cheaply as possible! I had a couple of discount codes and was very happy with the quality and how quickly I got them!! I think the turned out precious!

I can't believe we are only 4 days away from Christmas! I am thankful that I am officially on Christmas break for 2 weeks from school. I will have a short photography break but jump right into it again the day after Christmas!  What a blessing that is! I plan on doing lots of resting as well and hopefully more blogging!

Happy Happy Christmas!!

Thankful

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever!"

-Psalm 107:1

Over the past few years Thanksgiving has quickly become my favorite holiday. Sure, growing up Christmas was probably my favorite. I definitely don't hate giving and receiving gifts, cadbury mini eggs at Easter, or my birthday. However, I think as I grow in my relationship with the Lord, I have come to the realization that there is more to love about Thanksgiving. Let me preface this by saying that while I strive to be grateful daily for ALL that He does, has done, and is doing in my life, I am constantly struggling and continuing to grow in giving Him the praise He deserves.

Today I celebrated Thanksgiving with my in-laws and members of his family.  I was thinking about this holiday and the meaning behind it. While many holidays are for celebrating Christ, his birth, resurrection, etc., we have turned them into completely self-centered holidays. Each one is becoming about what we can get. I do know that this holiday could be one focused on, well, food. However, this is one holiday that should be completely focused on Christ and all that He has done for us. It should be a holiday where we don't focus on self and fix our eyes on something greater.

There are a million things that I have to be thankful for. Just today I was thinking about the small things....a warm bed, a comfortable bed, a house that is heated and cooled to my comfort (when my husband allows it :) haha), food, and not just what I need to survive but choices, at my fingertips. As we were driving in the car today in the 30 degree weather, I had a seat warmer. A SEAT WARMER??!!?? Y'all, there are people who will sleep outside tonight in this cold weather we are having. I know that this is something that we hear about a lot. I know that there is not always something we can do about it. These few things that I have mentioned are little things I can be thankful for. I haven't even mentioned my husband, my family, and friends who I am so grateful for.

I love that we have a day to reflect and that it revolves around being thankful for all that we have been given. But, I pray that we all can choose to have an attitude of gratitude each day.

"O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His, and He made it: and His hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord, our maker."

-Psalm 95:1-6

 He is so faithful. He deserves our thanksgiving everyday. He always provides, always cares, always loves. I am undeserving of how good He is to me. He meets my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. He is worthy of my praise.       He is a good God.

Thank You  Lord for Your continued faithfulness in my life. Thank you for loving me.  More than anything, I am grateful for His grace. I am grateful for my salvation and that He chose to save me. I belong to Him forever and ever.

"I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds."

-Psalm 9:1

"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen."

-Revelation 7:12

An Evening With Lucy

Recently I have been playing around with video on my camera. I am by no means a pro but I love the idea of adding stills with video. The combination is so special. A couple of months ago I took some video of the routine that Amy and Jeff go through with Lucy almost each night. I think those moments are so special and I know parents probably rush through the evenings with their kiddos. I almost wish I would have done this at an earlier phase to see how the routine changes! I know moments are fleeting and that something as simple as a routine at night is worth capturing! :) Again, I am no pro but here is a little glimpse into Lucy's eveningroutine...

Evening with Lucy from Laura Kittrell on Vimeo.

It's Fall!

Hello! Hello! It has been too long....as usual. We have moved out of September and are halfway through October? What? Life has been so busy. Isn't that what I say every single time? Yes. Between school and photography and life in general I cannot keep up. Sometimes life just needs to be lived and not written about. However, I do enjoy this little space and would like to be a more frequent visitor to my own site! :)

In the last months we have been busy with work, family visits, a little traveling, and much more. I'll hit the high points. One of the most exciting things was at the end of September we found out that the next little Jacobs baby will be a boy! We are so excited that we are getting a baby boy to love on!  Hurry up February!

Brett and I have enjoyed the fall so much. While we know that during the last two football seasons, we were in the center of God's will, it has been so nice having my husband home each afternoon and on Friday nights! What a blessing!

As far as photography, things are so busy. I am very thankful but it certainly is tough to balance it all! I definitely want to share more of my recent shoots! I am so happy that people allow me the privilege to capture their memories and I want to share those in this space soon! I am also the proud owner of a brand new camera! Ah....I did my first shoot with this baby this past weekend and  am looking forward to several more shoots this week! :)

Brett and I also did some location scouting and tested it out to get some shots of me for something I am working on. As you can see I was only slightly awkward being in front of the camera! :)

I love my husband!

I'll leave you with a lovely "fallish" picture of sweet Lucy at the pumpkin patch! Why oh why does it not feel like fall outside? Praying for cooler temperatures to make their way to us soon!!

Happy Monday! Looking forward to a short work week at school! :)

Lucy is 1!

On August 7th we celebrated a year of having Lucy Myer with us! We actually celebrated a few days before that so this post is long overdue! So here is a picture overload of her day! 

This was actually at her 1 year shoot. Girlfriend LOVED the cake!! :)

Favors for the guests

Some decor.....

We had pictures of her EVERYWHERE!! haha

To hold the pink lemonade of course...

Mommy and Lucy

This little lady was decked for the party as well! :)

Precious right?

Sweet sweet family!! :)

Ok...she loved her cupcake too!! Big girl, we love you so much and are so happy you have been with us a year! :) You bring so much joy to our lives and we love watching you grow! Can't wait to see you become a big sister in February!!

Currently...

I get the urge to write in this little space at the most random of times. Sadly, those random times have become few and far between. I hate that. I thought I'd catch up a little bit since I have started school....

Currently...

wishing for......fall weather. In general, I am a summer girl to the core but, I can't help but wish for some boot and scarf weather! :)

reading.....One Thousand Gifts and it is so so good. It is such a great reminder for me to stop, look around, and be thankful for EVERY little thing. So often I am thankful for the big things but not the little things that might happen each day.

itching....to know if the new baby Jacobs will be a boy or a girl! :)

wanting....this camera. I have been saving and am almost there...

thanking....the Lord for His faithfulness and continued provision

needing.....to blog about Lucy's first birthday!

loving...my husband and how hard he has been working for us

clinging to....."I am the Lord, I do not change!" -Malachi 3:6

praying...for joy in all circumstances!

thinking....about everything going on these next few weeks and how busy it will be.

feeling....tired and needing to get to bed :)

Goodnight!

Hello 5th Grade! Ready or not!

Today was my last day of summer vacation. I say that quite sadly if I am being honest. The past couple of months have been so busy. I have had a lot going on with my photography business and then more recently in the last couple of weeks, a lot going on with getting prepared to start the school year. But, every teacher will tell you....no matter how busy your summer is, nothing beats waking up without an alarm clock (even if it is 6:45), planning a day out (even if it includes cleaning your house), or going shopping in the middle of the day (even if it is just for groceries!). So again, while the summer may not have been glamorous, it was a nice break.

I spent my last day of summer in the best way and doing the things I love. Breakfast with my husband, time with my mom, sister, and niece, a quick swim, blogging, a little editing, and more time with my husband. It's the little things. I have to say, with the start of this school year I have wanted to dig my heels in a little bit. There have been several, "but God"s thrown out in my prayers lately. "But God, I have so much going on!" or "But God, I have two jobs! How can I balance this?" or "But God, I am not sure I remember how to balance teaching, laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc." :) Thankfully, when I deserve to hear, "Suck it up and be thankful for what I give you!" He is full of grace. He has so sweetly reminded me and whispered a few things to me lately. "Laura, my grace is sufficient" and "Trust me" and "This is the work I have for you. Do the next thing." I am grateful for His grace in my life.

Last night we met our students and parents. Over the past week of busily trying to prepare for school to start I haven't really been able to get excited about things. But last night, as I was blessed by many of the parents that I met, I was able to get excited.

God has been gracious to use people, His Word, and other situations to encourage me right when I need it. So, ready or not, here comes another school year. Praying for a grateful heart and a hardworking spirit. After all, this is the work He has given me! May I serve Him well!

Around Here

Around here we have been BUSY. Last week my sister-in-law brought my two nieces to town to stay while she and my brother went on a little vacation. So, those babies are here and it has been so busy and so fun! We have done a lot of swimming, some crafts, gone on walks, taken lots of pictures,  and entertained three little ones. P.S. Three babies is exhausting. Just saying. 

Little mermaid! :)

Love these sisters! :)

Jimpa and VirginiaLove this big girl! :)

They will also be here for the weekend to celebrate this baby girl turning 1! Can't believe it has been a year! :)

Other than that, I am trying to sneak out here and there to get ready for a new school year. Is summer really over already? Ahh.... I will also be celebrating my 25th birthday Thursday! Gracious....me! It is going to be a busy few weeks!

I am just so thankful for God's grace! He has been showing me so much and I have learned a lot about prayer and that He hears me. I am in such need of His grace DAILY! What a loving Father we serve.