HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Wishing you all a safe and fun Halloween and Happy Trick-or-Treating for all your little ones! Living on a mountain-top in the Bozeman Pass, there aren't a whole lot of trick-or-treaters that show up, so we go to them! Here are a few scenes from Halloween 2007 along beautiful Yellowstone Street in Livingston. They really know how to do it up there! Our Sam & Larissa were Darth Vadar and The Ghost...

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Paradise found...

When you're young and in love and living in Paradise Valley, Montana, life is pretty darn perfect. So it would figure that the day of my session with Carrie and Ellis would be perfect too! In fact, haven't we been having the most awesome weather???

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The newest addition to Carrie & Ellis' "family" is Chimba, now 6 months old. (Get a load of the size of him!) I think puppies and dogs are harder to photograph than children, but their "baby", Chimba was on his best puppy behavior. Obeying commands, only occasionally to burst forth in joy...

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Isn't Chimba absolutely gorgeous? I had never seen a Rhodesian Ridgeback before! They are also known as the African Lion Dog. He was one big ball of bounding energy! And oh, THAT FACE!!!

This is the darling look you get from Chimba when you call out "Cookie! Cookie!"

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Carrie and Ellis are pretty cute too! And yes, I do believe they've found Paradise!

A taste of winter...

A touch of snow really makes for the perfect holiday portrait. Luckily, there are still a good few patches of it up here at Sky Ranch following that magnificent mid-October snowstorm. The cool pastel colors and light combined with the warm and vivacious personalities of these two spunky sisters made for a session that was not only beautiful, but fun!!!

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I love how relaxed and easy these two family portraits are...can't decide which I like better!!!

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Thank you Terry & Teresa, Lila & June, for your dedication in coming to me every year for the past 4 years for your annual portrait session. It's one I always look forward to...

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby...

Happy Happy 1st Birthday to one of the cutest sets of twins in Bozeman! Beautiful Lauren and her happy-go-lucky twin brother, Ryan, are 1 year old today and will be celebrating with a big party in their honor this weekend!!!
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Oh, I remember when our own twin babies turned 1 year old...how I did cry remembering how far they had come since they were skinny little preemies in the NICU with all those tubes, IV's and monitors...

As any mother of twins knows, the first year is pretty much a blur so the 1st birthday milestone hits you pretty hard...suddenly you realize that the amazing year of firsts is over. Your baby will only be a baby for one more year. After that, they're off and running into toddlerhood and childhood...

So thanks again, Maurissa and Phil, for choosing me as your children's photographer and allowing me to document your family and twins as they grow...

double proud...

One of the great things about being a mother of twins is not only do you have double the pleasure and double the fun...you also have double the pride!!!

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Sam & Larissa could hardly contain themselves waving us down at the schoolyard today with their Presidential Physical Fitness Award Certificates and patches in hand. They were among 6 students in their ENTIRE school to win the Presidential distinction. Winans Elementary in Livingston has a total of 230 students.

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The Presidential Physical Fitness Award recognizes students who achieve an outstanding level of physical fitness in school testing. Boys and girls must score at or above the 85th percentile on 5 events including curl-ups, shuttle run, endurance run/walk, pull-ups and sit and reach.

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Sam & Larissa have regularly placed either in the National or Presidential categories since they began the testing in public school. Oh sure, they have inherited our good sporting genes, but more so, they are encouraged to run outside and play all summer long and every day after school. Like we used all used to do as kids...remember??? They chase after butterflies, build volcanoes in the sandbox and tunnels in the snow and all the while, they are running, climbing, digging and becoming physically fit children without even thinking about it. They get extra bonus points for mucking out horse and goat stalls and hauling hay.

In an age where children are lured by the computer, TV and video games, let's remember to invite our children into nature and let them run and play, climb, fall down, get dirty and get up again. It will prepare them for life...

They will become physically fit, stay healthy and live long!!!

For more information, visit:

THE PRESIDENT'S CHALLENGE

Introducing Luxe Holiday Cards by MINTED!

I am always on the lookout for the best products to offer and boy, was I thrilled to discover these gorgeous holiday photo cards by minted. They were recently featured in both Town & Country and Cookie Magazines.

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Here's what I really love about them...gone are the days of the tacky holiday letter insert. These cards address the issue of keeping friends & family up-to-date in a most elegant style.

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Here is minted's version of the "holiday letter"... the letter card!

And another unique way of sharing the year's special events in your life (and a few more photos)...the yearline card!

To top it all off, minted also offers calligraphy services.

I am proud to have been selected as an affiliate of minted and I am confident you will love their fresh designs from indie designers, their luxuriously thick paper and their impeccable service. Prices start at $67 for 25 cards.

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Visit minted today by clicking on the link on my blog!

What I Love About Park County!

It's another big night for the Saarel Family...we'll be attending an artist's reception for our twins, Sam & Larissa (only 8 years old) and other community artists, professionals and amateurs, who have their artwork on display in a juried exhibit titled "What I Love About Park County". The exhibit will feature paintings, photographs, stories, poems, drawings, pastel and other multi-media. And yes, even I entered a piece...a photograph titled "Livingston Saturday Night".

.Drop in to see this collaborative effort between the Livingston Center for Art and Culture and the Park County Environmental Council and cast your ballot for best of show. The exhibit runs through November 8th.

Where: Livingston Center for Art and Culture
When: Tonight! Friday, October 24th
Time: From 5 - 8 p.m.

For more information, call 406.220.5222.

****************UPDATE...UPDATE...UPDATE****************

So we dropped by the show at 5 p.m. (a little too on time) so we decided to grab a quick bite for dinner at The Sport...we returned only to discover that Sam & Larissa's pieces were the first two to be sold! Many thanks to Karen Garre of the Garre Gallery for purchasing the twins' artwork. They were absolutely thrilled!

Notice the RED DOT on Larissa's piece titled "Paradise"???

And here's the RED DOT on Sam's pencil drawing titled "The Bear and the Eagle"!!!

Funny thing...we had a check all made out to the Livingston Center for Art and Culture to buy Sam & Larissa pieces for ourselves...but Karen beat us to it!

Holiday Gift Ideas...custom jewelry and gifts!

Not to scare anybody, but I just realized that Christmas is only 8 weeks away!!!!...so even though I'm going to send everyone on my mailing list suggestions for holiday gift ideas including deadlines for ordering, I thought I'd also post ideas here every week or so.

So let's start off with one of my favorites...Planetjill custom jewelry and gifts! With everything from necklaces, bracelets and rings to cufflinks, keychains and baby spoons we can create a uniquely personal gift for everyone in your family including mom, dad and the grandparents!

And wouldn't it be fun to do a Holiday Photo Ornament ($48) every year as the children grow...

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For all your little treasures, how about this adorable oval trinket box, a beautiful keepsake for only $58.

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Now THIS is on my Christmas Wish List...a beautiful 14K White Gold and Diamond Vintage Oval Photo Charm Necklace...ready for this Santa???...$1,695...OUCH!...but it's sooooo pretty. It's an heirloom. It will be handed down for generations!!! I've been a good girl!??! Really, I have...

These sterling silver photo bracelets are wonderful for moms and grandmothers...the more charms, the merrier! (Price varies depending upon number of charms.)

And wouldn't everyone just love a silver quad photo keychain ($90) in their Christmas stocking?

Visit my web-boutique to see additional selections or visit the studio (or I can meet you in town to show you actual samples).

The deadline for orders of Planetjill custom photo jewelry and gifts is Friday, November 21st.

How sweet it is...

We just returned from a long weekend trip that proved itself to be a children's paradise...

Let's start with a couple nights at Fairmont Hot Springs... less than a 2 hour drive and oh so far away (or far enough away) from Bozeman and Livingston, school and work, the phone, the mail, the computer... it's heaven on earth for children to swim and splash in a double Olympic-sized pool and slide down a 350 foot waterslide! Doug and I, meanwhile, thoroughly enjoyed soaking in the hot pool when not playing a rousing game of water volleyball with complete strangers or taking underwater photos of the kids and each other.

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But you can't soak in the pool forever, so we stopped in Anaconda one morning after breakfast so Sam could try out the Benny Goodman Skate Park and I could visit the Hickory Street Antiques Store. No treasures this time, but the true find was the bounty of information from the store owner who suggested we take the kids for a trip to the candy store...

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Now apparently this candy store was worth making quite a little drive for and the Saarel Family of Montana, always being up for a road trip and a little adventure dutifully took it upon ourselves to embark on this journey...

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From Anaconda, the Candy Store was best reached via the Anaconda-Pintler Scenic Highway, a 63-mile road that travels through both conifer-clad mountains and sage-covered hills following Flint Creek, passing Georgetown Lake and landing you in Philipsburg. Along the way, we stopped for lunch (as suggested) at the Brown Derby, but it wasn't enough LUNCH to stop Sam & Larissa from eventually filling up at the candy store!

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And so we arrived in historic, charming Philipsburg, Montana which began as a booming mining town in the late 1800's. It's downtown, full of beautifully restored buildings from that era, includes the world-famous Sweet Palace. So here I must say...don't even bother asking your children to restrain themselves...just forgedaboutit...and go grab a bag yourself. The price is $7.99/lb, no matter what you pick!

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Your children will probably not notice the wide-plank floors, gorgeous pink crystal chandeliers or stunning tin ceiling. Their eyes will fixate on the 870 different kinds of candy from 18 different countries...

For the most part, our Sam & Larissa grabbed their old favorites...Smarties, Taffy and a few giant Lolipops. Next door, at the Sapphire Gallery, I had fun trying on a $40,000 Sapphire ring...but can you garden in it???

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It was a wonderful weekend getaway, but as always...so good to be HOME again...we always miss our dogs, our horses & our goats, Zuzu (the cockatiel) and our fish when we are away...we are, after all, just one big happy family...

the real thing...

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, the kids just won't all look at the camera at the same time. Makes getting that "perfect" family portrait difficult. So you go with the flow and do the best you can and then, in the end, you realize you got the perfect shot after all...

And sometimes as a children's photographer, there are moments, when you have to work past a few tears or decide to include them. Here, I just love how big sister Kylie is trying so hard to console a tearful Kenzie. It's a classic shot and shows real concern and sisterly love...

Still, no matter what the challenges, I always manage to capture some beautiful portraits of the kids...because no matter what their mood, children are always beautiful.

Sweet little Kenzie...

Darling 4 month old Dillon...

...and stunning Kylie...blessed with all those golden curls!

One thing I can always count on when doing a children's or family photo session is that the children will always give me "the real thing" and that it always ends up perfect.

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After viewing her online gallery, here's what mom Ashley had to say:

"The pics are amazing! I cannot believe how many turned out considering! You are truly an amazing photographer. Now I just have the hard job of picking which ones.........thank you so much!!!!"

all wrapped up in love...

I usually post several images from a session, but sometimes, one photo says it all...
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By the looks of it, Kelly, Travis and their new baby, Kaden Lee will forever be wrapped up in love...

Autumn Glory...

How time flies! I have been photographing the "K" family since 2002...yep...6 years!!! And you can imagine how I've enjoyed seeing their beautiful children, Emma & Grant grow up. Little Emma and my daughter, Larissa, used to go to preschool in Bozeman together!... seems like only yesterday...

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So here I offer you the last of this season's autumn color family photo sessions. I know Molly generally prefers sepia-toned images, but these Fall colors are just so spectacular and the family's clothing was so well coordinated, it just made these photos POP!

After all these years, serious Grant smiled...I mean, REALLY smiled!...only to reveal 2 missing front teeth!!

This one's for you, Molly!

After wearing her hair long for years, I complimented Emma on her fresh new short do only to learn that she recently donated over 10 inches of her hair to Locks of Love!

Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the U.S. and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. How incredible that an 8 year old girl would spend years growing her hair long and luxurious only to cut if off and donate it in order to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to a child suffering from hairloss...

If you ask me, Emma has never looked more beautiful.

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Thanks Molly & Jon, Emma and Grant for making the trek up to Sky Ranch and for baking and bringing the delicious Special "K" treats! Mmmmmmmm.

Here's the e-mail I just received from Molly:

"Susann...well you've outdone yourself once again. These photos are terrific! You have a way of capturing our essence - Thank you! Thank you!"