Erica Holland Photography » children

In an old house in Germany . . .

Erica Holland Photography — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:12:33 +0000

In an old house in Germany without any vines lived three little girls in one straight line.

They smiled at the good

and frowned at the bad

and sometimes they were very sad

They left the house at half past nine in one straight line in rain or shine.

The tallest one was Madeline.

She was not afraid of mice – she loved winter, snow and ice. To the tiger in the zoo, Madeline just said, “Pooh-pooh!”

And nobody knew so well how to frighten Miss Clavel.

Last night was our branch Halloween party and trunk or treat. I’m not sure that we will go trick or treating again this year, and my grandparents have been asking for a blog, so here it is. Annika and I came up with the idea months ago for a Madeline Halloween. Brad’s Mom came and brought fabric and patterns and taught me how to sew little dresses for the girls. In typical fashion, I finished sewing them all just in time. Annika is usually very reluctant to let me take pictures of her, but she loved the idea of a Madeline photoshoot. Lucy and Elise weren’t quite so excited. Annika and I have more plans for Madeline pictures, so maybe you will see some again.

Lucy and Elise were thrilled by trunk or treating. It didn’t take them long to figure out that if they held out their bag or a hat that people would fill it with candy. They shuffled from car to car saying “candy? treat?” Annika responded to each new gift of candy with a polite and oh-so-appropriate “merci!” By the end of the night they were sticky and positively beaming. Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but we had a great time. I wonder how many more years I’m going to be able to choose their costumes for them and eat all the chocolate out of their candy bags without them noticing?

And now one more picture before we go

And that’s all there is. There isn’t any more.

Crowson Family

Erica Holland Photography — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 19:57:16 +0000

Genevieve is my good friend, and when she told me that her whole family was going to be together during her husband’s leave from Afghanistan I jumped at the chance to photograph them. I was about to leave for our trip to Switzerland, and the light was fading fast, so the session was a little bit rushed, but I think it worked out alright. I can’t say enough what a wonderful time I had with Genevieve’s family. They were so much fun, very well behaved, and up for anything. They seemed genuinely happy to be together. Thank you, Genevieve, for letting me meet your family and spend the evening with them. These are just some of the shots I got, but I thought you might be anxious to see what I am working on.

Summertime in April?

Erica Holland Photography — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:23:15 +0000

Remember all those posts about my long dark winter? Well, spring has officially come, and it has been worth the wait! Baumholder is not a warm place. We might have a week or two in the summer where the temperatures reach the mid-nineties, but it is generally pretty cool and frequently rainy year round. The last two weeks the sun has been shining everyday, and the temperatures have been in the seventies. That’s a Baumholder summer! And it is only April! Because the sun comes out so infrequently, I feel guilty if we don’t spend the entirety of a sunny day outside. The last couple of weeks have been heavenly. We’ve gone rock climbing (twice), we walk to the lake almost every day, we’ve been barbecuing, and the kids can play at the park. We’ve brought shorts and t-shirts out of storage and gone shopping for sunglasses and sunscreen. This may be the only summer we get in Baumholder this year, so we’re soaking up the sun while we can!

This also brings me to something I’ve been thinking about for a while, but need to announce here. I’ve spent very little time at my computer the last couple of weeks, and its been great. I’ve spent more time with my girls, and I feel like a better Mom. I’ve decided that I need a break from the business side of my photography. I have really loved all the people I’ve met and the experience I’ve gained by taking on clients. I’m not hanging up my hat forever, but right now my three girls need more of my attention. I didn’t like how often I was turning on a movie for Annika so that I could finish editing, or the times that Brad was actually home in the evening, but I had to spend it sitting at the computer. I’ll keep posting on this blog, but at least in the foreseeable future I won’t be taking on any clients.

And now for some pictures! I haven’t blogged in a while, so these pictures are from all kinds of things we’ve done in the last couple of weeks, and there are a lot of them. I know that there is rain and even snow in some parts of the United States, so think of this as a virtual gift of sunshine. I hope it brightens your day.

I don’t always want to take my camera when we go on walks, so I’ve been bringing my iPhone along instead. When the light is right it’s fun and relaxing to snap pictures with the phone. I really love all the camera apps I’m finding. Sometimes, though, there is no replacement for the real thing. Like when there is really great backlight. That’s when I wish I’d brought my real camera along. I did on this walk with Andrew and Avery, and I’m glad I have pictures of my niece and nephew before they leave in a couple of weeks. I sure love these kids, and Annika is going to be devastated when they are gone.

Plugging Along

Erica Holland Photography — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:15:11 +0000

Brad was home today, and I am opting to ignore the dishes until tomorrow, which has given me the time to sit down for a minute and look through some of my pictures from this last month. Frankly, this month has been a bit overwhelming for me. I had this idea in my head that by the time I got through Lucy and Elise’s first year, things might start to get a bit easier. I thought that maybe they would start to play together more, and play with Annika more, and would not require my constant attention. This is not the case. For whatever reason, all three of my girls have been hard lately and I can’t seem to stay on top of everything I need to do. Being a Mom is hard work. Looking back through pictures was a nice break for me today; it reminded me that we do have fun times, and that I really do love my girls, and that despite all the crying and whining, they’re pretty cute kids.

It seems that babies and toddlers thrive on routines, but it can make life monotonous at times. Even though our days are a bit boring I’m still trying to take pictures daily (or at least a few every week). Just for fun, here’s some of what we’ve been up to:

This is Lucy, aka Lucy Lu, Lucy Goosey, or just Lu. No matter how hard I try she always manages to look a bit unkempt, and this is her new favorite pastime. She could pull books off the shelves and clothes out of the drawers all day long.

This is Elise, aka Elise. She really doesn’t have many nicknames. She is now standing very well, and can stand up in the middle of the floor, but wants to have nothing to do with taking steps. She also likes to talk on the phone. Picture her saying “heh-wow” into the phone. I’ll get it on video one of these days.

This is Annika, aka Anni Banani. Note the new pink boots from Avery in the picture below, along with the pink pants (and a pink shirt under her jacket.) Notice how happy she is that Mom let her leave the house in the clothes she picked out.

Annika wants to be a ballerina. She spends a lot of time practicing her “ballet moves.”

One day it got warm(ish) and we went outside. The warm(ish) weather didn’t last long, but hopefully it was enough to keep us going until spring gets here.

This morning I was ready to go to church early. This hasn’t happened since before we had children. The babies were napping and Annika and I went outside to snap a few pictures. In the end we had carseat difficulties and didn’t make it to church on time after all.

This post makes it look like everyone is smiling and happy all the time. They’re not, but I feel happier after reading this post. There are dishes in the sink and toys on the ground and laundry in the basket, but I’ll go to bed thinking about smiling girls and I think I’ll sleep better for it.

A Birthday Boy

Erica Holland Photography — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 23:32:53 +0000

This is Jacob. He has the most wonderful brown baby curls, and two little teeth that make his smile irresistible. He is quite the charmer. Today is his birthday, and I got to spend part of it with him taking pictures and hanging out.

When Annika ate her first birthday cake she daintily pulled off the frosting and licked it off her fingers. My friend’s little girl insisted on using a fork. This must be another way in which boys and girls differ. It took Jacob a minute, but once he got going there was no stopping him. At one point he tried to pick up the entire cake and when that didn’t work he took some of the biggest bites I have ever seen fit in a baby’s mouth. That’s my kind of kid.

Carla, I hope you enjoy your sneak peek. I had a great time this afternoon; thanks for sharing Jacob with me. Editing the rest of these pictures will be fun because I can’t help but smile when I look at his little grin.

Steinhauer Family

Erica Holland Photography — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 19:32:25 +0000

Uma and I met each other when we were both pregnant with our oldest daughters. We were in the same “centering” group at the hospital here, and we got to share all of our pregnancy woes (and some of the good stuff as well.) After the babies were born Uma moved to another base here in Germany. However, we kept in touch as we navigated toddlerhood and both added new girls to our families. I was thrilled when Uma asked if I would photograph her little family before they moved from Germany. Snowstorm after snowstorm forced us to push back our session until right before they left. I’m glad we finally got the chance to get together, and I wish we had that chance more often. Annika had more fun playing with Chase than I’ve ever seen her with any of her other friends. As soon as Chase got here they were setting up a tea party and fixing up a feast in Anni’s kitchen. Now Uma and Wil are in the United States and are moving on to their next adventure. Thank you, Steinhauers, for letting me meet Wren and photograph your family. Good luck with your move!

Sledding – A Year Later

Erica Holland Photography — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 23:58:22 +0000

Although we have a decent sledding hill across the street, we built a “slide” on the patio again this year; it is simply too hard to get everyone dressed to play in the snow and even more difficult to keep Lucy and Elise warm while we are out there. We’ve had more snow than we have before and it has made for some fun days (especially when I can get off of work a little bit early). You may remember Annika saying “get out” when we made her go down the slide last year – suffice it to say that she a bit more excited about the snow this year…

Sledding A Year Later from Erica Holland on Vimeo.

McMinimy Family

Erica Holland Photography — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 07:47:41 +0000

I am feeling a little short on words today, so I’ll let this post speak for itself. Craig and Monica have three handsome and charming boys and it was a pleasure getting to know them. They are full of energy and love for each other. (Have I mentioned that boys have such a different dynamic than girls?) I have quite a few more pictures to edit, but I wanted to share some of my favorites. Merry Christmas McMinimy family!

Woodruff Family

Erica Holland Photography — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:55:48 +0000

It’s raining outside, my girls are sleeping, and I am working hard to catch up on my editing. I have a long ways yet to go. However, I did get these done, and I am excited to share them with you. You may remember the littlest one from this session in the spring. It was great meeting the whole family, and I decided that Finn is a lucky boy. He’s got great older brothers and I am sure he is always entertained. I’ve had quite a few sessions with boys lately, which has been fun. We are so overwhelmed with glitter and pink and princesses and fairies in our house; boys are a nice change of pace.

I’ve been sitting still in my cold house long enough that my nose and toes are now cold. I think I’ll go make a big pot of soup. Maybe some brownies. Cold, rainy days seem to justify extra desserts.

Taylor Family

Erica Holland Photography — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:00:34 +0000

I took these pictures back in September, so it is about time I got around to blogging them.

The Taylors came out to Germany back in August, and we are so glad they are here. Cameron and Carley are great kids (and wonderful babysitters) and Conner is a good friend for Annika. You can tell that they really love each other, and I can see why. Spending time with them is a joy. Now that we have three children, it is sometimes hard for us to find friends in similar life stages. I am grateful to have a friend in Christy. Thank you, Taylors, for being so patient in waiting for these pictures. Now that we are back in Germany, we can’t wait to hang out more.