{ christmas photo special }

Yep!  It’s that time of year, whether we want to admit to it or not, it’s here… the HOLIDAYS!  So instead of dreading it let’s embrace it (much easier said than done)!   This is considered to be the best time of the year to get your family photos taken but it’s also the most unaffordable time of the year to spend your dollars and cents on anything else but gifts… but what DOES make sense and doesn’t cost many dollars, is this year’s Christmas Photo special that can add to this year’s memories of Christmas, plus make an excellent gift for grandparents (they’re the HARDEST to shop for!).  Have you ever gotten one of those super cute Christmas cards in the mail from someone that has their super cute picture on it and wished you could have the same super cute card but personalized especially for you?  Fear not, my friends… I’ve got the answer!

For $79 dollars, yes – that’s only seventy-nine dolla-roos… you get it all!  A mini 25-30 minute photo session (‘cause we’re all short of time), up to 5 people (each additional person over 5 is only $10!), 5 digitally edited images (not TOO many to choose from) that will be made available as an instant digital download (I email you the link), plus 25 of those SUPER CUTE Christmas cards – 5x7 & 2-sided (with many templates to choose from)!!  And sha-zam!  Put ‘em in the mail and that’s it – you’re done!  What have you accomplished??  An updated family photo, gifts for the grandparents, and Christmas cards that you didn’t have to sign, plus you saved a bundle!!

Need more info?  I tend to not always cover it all and leave people with additional questions… just call or text me, or even email me or contact me through Facebook – whatever works the best for you!  So let’s get your smile on & satisfy that sweet tooth with this amazing yet easy and affordable package designed especially for you in mind – now chant real loud:  iCandy!  iCandy!  iCandy!

(Offer good through December 15, 2011   |   Cannot be combined with any other offer, promotion, discount or coupon)

{ grandpa's girls }

In August, just me and my two girls went and stayed in Blackfoot.  On our way out, we stopped to see grandpa, Chevee's never visited his grave site.  It's not the ideal place to have to go have a little chat with your grandpa or dad, but visiting is a must, and I actually enjoy it and surprisingly enough, it brings me peace.

These first pictures are Aaliyah showing Chevee the engraved picture of grandma and grandpa.

Chevee also likes to look with her hands!

Kinda seems weird that I'm having my girls pose in front of a headstone, but it doesn't bother me, and under the circumstances, I don't think it's all that weird. Plus! My mom spent some good money on that headstone - may as well show it off!

Aaliyah decided they should lay with grandpa - seems as if it's more like laying ON grandpa!

The last time I saw my dad, which was 3 days before he passed away, I knew it would be my last time seeing him and that it was goodbye, and so I asked him to randomly leave me dimes to help me know he's still with me. He looked at me very strangely, gave me a little smirk and said ok. And to this day, I don't find pennies, I find dimes - I'm not kidding either!  When we visited in March, I left him one of the dimes he'd left me - it's still there.

Well... today it's been three years since I started my hobby of finding dimes, meaning it's been three years since he passed away.  I wasn't there to hold his hand as he took off to his new adventure (as Carter puts it) of engineering the hell outta heaven! That would have to come first before he took on any other assignments, or he would just be a complete wreck! They say in Heaven you're suppose to be at peace with so much happiness, but I truly don't believe he would be if there was even one little white picket fence that had a little tilt to it - I'm sure St. Peter handed him his tool belt right as he walked through those pearly gates!

Well pops - we love ya and we just miss you more and more with every passing day but we know that you're not too far away and that you're keeping tabs on us - though I'd prefer having you here instead.

{ happy birthday } to our BRAYLIN

Today is my nephew's birthday! His name is Braylin and he is 4 YEARS OLD! He's my most favorite little boy in the whole wide world and he just tugs on my heart strings just thinking about him, let alone when I look at his big blue eyes! Take a look!!

To those of you out there that have never truly thought about just how special adoption is, maybe after reading this, you'll know.  My brother, Carter, and his wife, Angela, were finally ready to start their family and tried for many years to do so.  After several failed attempts they turned to adoption. Not far away, was a young, scared pregnant mother, though she came from a very wonderful and supportive family, she knew that giving her baby up for adoption was the right thing to do - she chose Carter and Ang to take her sweet baby boy into their lives and give him what she couldn't at that point & time in her life. And, of course, Carter & Ang did just that, with fully open arms giving more love than one knew what to do with!  Braylin was born in Logan, UT but he and Ang had to wait a few days before they could go back to Idaho, so lucky us - we got to spend time with them and watch Ang give all that love to him - I've never seen anyone glow as much as she. You could see the amazement in her eyes as she looked deep into his and it was an experience that I'll never forget. Adoption is so very special and I really don't think that every one of those birth mothers out there know just how happy they make families and how special they are and how grateful those families are for their selflessness.

Here's more pictures of Braylin from over the summer - he's so full of life, I could hardly keep up to get some shots of him!

And then shortly after Braylin, another miracle came to be...  Ang got pregnant!! And just days before that next Christmas, we were blessed with Adilee, which is a mini-me of Ang!

I know that these 2 little cutie-patooties are most definitely keeping Carter and Ang young, but boy! Are they oh so worth it! And even though Braylin and Adilee will have their little spiffs, they're still the  best of friends!

Happy Birthday, little man! We love you so very much! And of course, we love you too Adilee - and as mommy always tells you - we love you bigger than heaven!

MEETING GRANDMA HAZEL

When we visited Idaho in July, Chevee got to meet my Grandma Hazel for the first time. Grandma Hazel is my dad's mom and she lives in an assisted living home in Blackfoot and has been there for a few years.  Her memory isn't too healthy and for the most part can only remember things from long ago. She can tell all kinds of stories from when she was a little girl - it's truly amazing as well as entertaining to listen to her.

I went to visit her when I was pregnant (very pregnant & showing) and she was very surprised & excited to see that I was, but I knew that she wouldn't remember. Showing up with Chevee was a complete surprise to her and oh so exciting.  She was perma-grinned and just couldn't quit staring at her - it was truly a heart-touching moment!

Grandma Hazel is very special to us.  When my dad passed away almost 3 years ago, because of her struggling memory, we were so worried that she would forget that she had lost her only son and that it would be similar to "50 First Dates" and that she would have to continuously relive the news each day; but to our surprise, that was one recent memory that she held onto for longer than just a few minutes.  I would go visit her, and in her tiny apartment, she would be rocking in her rocking chair and next to her would be a little table with a lamp and a picture of my dad, the picture being turned and facing her, and she would be rocking and staring at the picture - it never failed, I would instantly tear up and then embrace her in my arms as she would start to cry too and tell me thank you, thank you for coming.  Unfortunately, in the last year, her memory hasn't been able to hold on to the passing of my dad and when my mom visits, she asks about Ed.

I get so much joy from visiting her and taking my kids to see her so that she can remember, at least just for a moment, that she has a family that loves her.  When she met Chevee it was all OOHS and AHHHS and then the question, "what does Ed think about her? She's just so beautiful, I bet she's got him wrapped around his finger," and I just smiled as a tear rolled down my cheek.

She just couldn't get over Chevee's hands - she was so amazed at how tiny they were, she hadn't held a baby for so many years.

Notice her cute & colorful polka-dotted nails.  When I visited a different time, they were all done up too - "tween style" and I complimented them, because it really is so cute! She said that girls come to the facility and paint all the lady's nails for them... that only made sense. My grandma was always so proud of her nails; I remember as a little girl she would always show me how long they had gotten and how strong they were because of a certain strengthening clear nail polish she would use on them.

We're amazed that Grandma Hazel is still with us and I just pray that she feels no pain every day and that she doesn't get her feelings hurt because Ed doesn't come to visit.  We love you Grandma Hazel!

GIFT CERTIFICATES ARE HERE!!

Guess what I finally have??? Just in time for (I really hate saying this word in September) the Holidays (ouch!), iCandy  now has gift certificates for sale to be applied towards photo shoots, prints, or a design; and they can be any amount you want!

I sometimes tend to go a little overboard, and with these I think I may have, but just a little :). I love colors, all colors and I couldn't choose just one color for the certificates, so I chose lots of colors so that you can have a choice too - though I doubt anyone will truly care - but just in case... I got your back!

So you know that there's always that hard to buy for person (or family or couple) or you just need a last minute wedding gift or you know of someone who hasn't had family pictures taken in a very long time and just needs a little nudge... think about it - I know you know SOMEONE that could benefit!!  Well when you're ready, so are these gift certificates!  If needed, you can just pay through PayPal and I can mail them to you unless you're up for a beautiful scenic drive to Alpine!!

IN LOVE {photo contest}

Yep! That's right! It's time for another photo contest so I can make someone happy!  The theme for this contest is "IN LOVE."  I know, I know, it's not Valentine's Day but September is when my husband & I started dating 16 years ago and on September 20 in 2003 is when we finally tied the knot! So in honor of all the LOVE, I decided it would be fun for the contest to be all about it.

Pictures I'm looking for will based all around love, showing expressions of love.  So it doesn't just have to be you and your husband/boyfriend, it could anything that is showing love. Children, pets, nature, family, etc.  You get the idea, right??

The prize this time?  The winner will receive 50% OFF any photo session PLUS a FREE portrait package (one image from your shoot professionally printed) which is (1) 8x10, (2)5 x7, (4) 4x6 and 8 minis.

One thing I have to remind all of my friends & fans of is that I am based out of Utah County and conduct business there and in Salt Lake County. But for those of you outside of these areas, please feel free to enter but please remember that if you win, I'm not able to travel to your area specifically for your photo shoot; but if I happen to be in the area, I will, of course, make time for your shoot - other than that, the shoot would need to be held local to me.  Sorry!

So get your picture in, you have until Monday, Sept. 19. All entries will  be posted on Sept. 20 and the voting can begin, but it will be up to you to get as many votes as you can by consistently posting to your wall words of encouragement to your friends to first "LIKE" iCandy, and then second, "LIKE" your picture to count as one vote.  This time, I'm not going to allow comments to count as votes - ONLY LIKES... it just gets way too confusing.  Your friends are more than welcome to comment on your picture, but please make sure and let them know that their comment will NOT be counted as a vote. I'm an easy & simple person so I needed to simplify the voting.

Okay, friends... let's get this started. It's that time of year for Family pictures for Christmas cards and I know 50% off a session would be Christmas early for a lot of you!!!

You can either text pictures to (801) 651-6990 or email to micah@icandymadeyousmile.com

Ready, set, GO!!

FUN IN THE SUN {photo contest}

Finally.... the iCandy Fun in the Sun Photo Contest!!  Show us the fun that you've been having over the summer.  Let's see your best picture of the most fun that you've had!  Here's how it works:  Email a photo of either you, your kids, your spouse or just any old photo that captures some good 'ol summer fun to micah@icandymadeyousmile.com by August 5th, all the pictures that are entered into the contest will be posted on Facebook on August 6th for the voting to begin and the winner with most votes will be announced on August 13th.

How do you get your votes?  Well that's up to you!!  You need to make posts on your Facebook page to your friends to go vote for you.  The more posts the more votes you're going to get!!

What's a vote?  A vote is either a "LIKE" on the picture that you've entered, or a comment on the picture that you've entered - if someone "likes" and comments, only one will be counted as a vote.

What do you win?  A FREE PHOTO SESSION, silly!! The session is good for up to 4 people (each additional person over 4 is $15) along with 20-25 digitally edited images on disk, copy-right free! (a $200 value!)  Plus you'll become a part of the iCandy family being able to participate in our referral program which will give you discounts for future photo sessions!

Now c'mon... what do you have to lose??  NOTHING!  And what do you have to gain?  LOTS!  Starting with some good 'ol innocent fun and a chance to show-off your summer and also win a photo session which will give you more memories to last a lifetime!!

ready, set.......      GO!!

The Holley's... (hunks, divas and heart-throbs!)

It's been 8 DAYS since I've "blogged" (I love using that word - duh!) Me and the 3 kids took off to Idaho last Saturday - back to my hometown of Blackfoot to do some photo shoots and to hang with family and friends - I had so many "moments" while there that I was actually able to come back with much blogging material - good laughs ahead, my friends!

But this blog is about the session that I had with my good and long-time friend, Marcy... we have many many good memories together, some that we'd NEVER want our kids to know about, after all, we were 15 & 16 when we first met and that's when history was made! We clicked and clicked good and it was on from there! Unfortunately, we had to grow up, get married and have kids (I mean, have kids, get married but still working on the growing up part...) and of course, we were no longer sleeping at each other's houses, staying up or sneaking in at 6 or 7 in the morning, sleeping in until 2pm, waking up and starting all over again - so in the meantime we lost contact but she's always had a spot in my heart - with all her big 90's hair - even if I wanted to kick her out of my heart, I couldn't because of all that damn hairspray she used - she's permanently pasted!  (I'll dig out the pictures for a future blog) So unfortunately, I haven't been able to be a part of her 3 children's lives and get to know them so I was especially excited that she wanted me to do a session of them! And holy moly!  These kids are HOT! When watching she and her 13 yr. old son, it reminds me so much of me and Deondré - nothing but some major head-buttin' and bickering like brother and sister! LOVE IT (well love that I'm not the only one out there in pain and suffering!)  So here's Dylan, he's a handsome little hunk and he's pretty content with it!

And next up is this little amazing diva (not diva in the works, straight up diva!), McKinlay.... she knew how to work the camera and I loved every single minute of it!

And finally, Bridger... he put on the shy act with me but I have a feeling he's really not - but what he is, is a heart-throb. Marcy, you better be careful with this one and just prepare yourself now for the girls that are gonna be chasin' your baby around - WOOT WOO!

  

And here they are, altogether... proof that Marcy and Jon make dang cute babies!

Thanks, Marc, for letting me boss your kids around and capture their contagious smiles, smirks and twinkling eyes!  You're always in my heart...

Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice, That's What Little Girls are Made Of....

I love it when Chevee is in such a smiley mood - which happens to be a lot - but I think as most photographers experience, it's all smiles until the camera gets busted out! I've learned that I just have to keep mine on my hip most of the time, especially when we're hanging out outside... and if I'm sneaky enough, I can catch her at her best, which, I have to admit, I've accomplished in these pictures!

So in honor of Chevee's 3-month old birthday today, July 15, here's our little sugar muffin, monkey butt, lover girl, Chevee - aka "BUBBLES!"

Do you see how she smiles with her eyes??? I love it! Talk about tender-heart moments.

It's amazing the joy, love and tenderness a baby brings into a household

and family and especially when we needed it most.

When we lost my dad almost 3 years ago, I don't think any of us have smiled the same since, I know our kids haven't, Grandpa was a HUGE part of their lives from the day they were born. But we know, and my Mom especially knows, that Chevee and Grandpa hung strong before she came to us, therefore not only were we blessed with the gift of her but we know she also brought a piece of Grandpa with her to help us smile again. I'm sure when she's old enough to take fishing, she'll out-fish us.  Thank you, Dad, for taking care of our Chevee while she was waiting for her turn on earth and thank you, Heavenly Father, for blessing us with such a sweet little lady and also for Deondré who carries so many of Grandpa's traits and for Aaliyah who is just a character of her own that we love so much.  I especially need to remind myself how true and special  children are, not just sweet little babies - we have those patient-testing moments but I know in our house, we also have a lot of fun and laughter...

The Gorilla's Birthday - as a Comic....

My Gorilla had a birthday on Tuesday the 12th - the BIG 36!  He's officially in his "late thirties" but still acts like he's in his teenage years! And just as little kids do, he still gets excited to have his birthday, open his presents and blow out the candles on his cake.  So why not share the pictures as kiddish as he...

The Cake!  (A big 'ol 1/2 lb. patty melt - just like my birthday boy!!)

 The cake with 24 candles - the wifey didn't have her thinkin' cap on straight when she was buying candles - shouldn't one package of candles be enough for any birthday cake?? Well thank goodness we stopped at 24 because the kids have little singe marks all over their arms from trying to light the candles, not to mention, we got our share of wax in our bellies!


The Gorilla thinkin' on what he should wish for when he blows out these flames before him...

 YES, YES, YES! He's got the PERFECT wish! (silly boy, he keeps forgetting he's already got the best wish ever - being married to me!! :)  But you know how boys like to dream and keep on wishin' for more....

And here it goes.......

Good grief, look at all that smoke! (I thought ahead though and turned off the smoke detectors!)

The Cake.... after - poor exhausted candles!  (check out the size of those wicks!!)

A few gifts to show off...

 Who wouldn't get this excited to get a shaker and a Bob Marley clock to add to his Bob Marley wall of fame??

We love our Gorilla papa.... even if he's just a little boy stuck in Gorilla man's body!