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!!

A Few Photography Updates

It has been so incredibly challenging to find time to update the blog with all of the various shoots I have had lately. Between October, November, and December I had nearly 30 shoots plus a wedding and a birth that I had the privilege to photograph. This time of year is so busy because of Christmas card shoots and I wanted to share at least some of the many shoots I have had these last couple of months. These families are so precious and I feel so honored to capture their special moments!

This is the Brenes family. I have been so fortunate to take pictures of them the last couple of years!

The Reid Family. You may recognize this beautiful family from several shoots including newborn pictures with Miss Sadie back in September!

This is the Dean family. They were a referral but we put it all together that we knew each other! :) It was a cold day but Joshua was as sweet as he could be!

Thank you for braving the cold with me!

Last year I got to take pictures of Bryson for his first birthday and this year we took more of he and his sweet parents who are old friends of mine! These are some of my favorites I have taken!

We rescheduled for various reasons over and over again but were finally able to get some pictures of this sweet family! These children are so precious!! 

I had so many pictures of these girls and their mom and dad that I LOVED! These are the Garrett girls and they were so precious! Nothing says southern girls like white heirloom dresses and bare feet sitting in a rocking chair! :)

I have known this family for such a long time. Jack used to be my youth pastor and pastor and Brandi spent time with me when I was in middle school and was such a role model in my life! Now, they have three BEAUTIFUL children and we had such a fun time in the cotton field!

I have taken pictures for the Busby family on several occasions now and even had the privilege to shoot her first and second birthday parties. This is one from their Christmas card shoot! Those blue eyes kill me!! She is so precious!

I took pictures at sweet Emiliana's first birthday party so I was really excited to take some of the whole family this year! Aren't they a beautiful family?

Natalie and I never really knew each other but we read each others blogs religiously for a long time!! I have watched these little girls grow up via the Internet and taking their pictures was such a dream! :) 

I met up with the Howard family at their house one afternoon! We had so much fun! Those babies are so incredibly cute!

I have taken pictures of Collins and then newborn pictures of Miss Lucy and finally was able to get the whole family in a picture! They are a BEAUTIFUL family that I have known for a long time!

The Manley's request was hay bales and cotton! Well, we waited just a bit too long for cotton fields unfortunately but came upon these hay bales and we were just giddy! They are such a sweet couple and we got some great sunset pictures! 

These girls were so sweet and so well-behaved! I can't even tell you! They loved having their picture made which makes my job really easy! :)

This session had been a long time coming and I had been so excited for it! The Thomas family was so fun! They made me want to have a huge family! :)

These boys....let me tell you. Those older two are GREAT big brothers! Honestly, they were just so sweet and cooperative! I chased the little one around and we got some great pictures!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU for letting me take your pictures! My clients have been so great and I REALLY appreciate you coming back or giving me the opportunity to take your pictures! It is such a privilege and a blessing to be able to do what I love! :)

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

Ashley and Matt (engaged)

Ashely and Matt are such a precious couple! After hearing their story, I am just so excited that they are getting married! They have dated for 10 YEARS!! Wow! This proposal and ALMOST marriage has been a long time coming!! We met up in Fairhope to take their engagement pictures but ended up driving around and stopping when we saw a fun place to grab a few pictures! Ashley and Matt, I am so excited for y'all's day in May!! It will be here before we know it! Thanks for field hoppin' with me for these pictures!

Hay bales make for some fun photos!

Matt, you did awesome on her ring! :)

They are so fun!

This southern snow does not stay nearly long enough! 

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.

two years

Two years. I can't believe it has been two years since I walked down the aisle that I had been longing to walk down for so long! I can't believe it has been two years since we promised forever to each other. I have learned so much. I have grown so much. I have cried many tears and laughed way more. Husband, you are the greatest. You are such an encouragement to me and such a great leader to our family. I am excited to see what the Lord has for us as we embark on our third year as husband and wife. Thank you for loving me well.

To God be the glory!! GREAT things He has done!! May we glorify Him more this year than we did last year! :)

A Letter to My Husband

My Dear Brett,

Words cannot express how thankful I am for you. I am always pretty thankful for you although I may not show you enough. Perhaps this post was inspired because we spent the longest amount of time apart in our almost two years of marriage this past weekend. The longest time being two nights. Wow. I know that is a bit ridiculous when you think about how many couples have to spend weeks and months apart. However, I will not apologize for feeling sad and having just a slight bit of anxiety when leaving you Friday.

I am thankful. I am thankful that we have not had to be apart and that I have been able to go to sleep right by your side almost every single night for the past two years. I am thankful for how hard you work and how you encourage me. I am thankful that you can make me laugh like no one else. I am thankful that you critique me. I am thankful that you push me towards Christ and encourage me in my walk with Him. I am thankful that you play with my hair each night as I fall asleep.

But mostly, I am thankful for our marriage. I am so honored to be your wife. I am glad that God designed us to be together. What a privilege. Please know how much I love you and trust you.

You are my favorite person! :) Thank you for walking beside me each day and loving me well.

All My Love,

              Your Wife

Marikate and Michael (married)

Back in June, I had the privilege to second shoot for a wedding with the fabulous, Alana Damron. Marikate has been a friend of mine for years and I was so thankful she asked me to help! It was such a beautiful, southern wedding for such a sweet couple!

So so beautiful!!

Sweetest thing ever! :)

They were so so happy! Thank you again Marikate for allowing me to help capture your special day! It was incredibly beautiful and such a perfect day!

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!!