Happy Holidays from the Hopes!!

Hello everyone! It's been a while since we've done a strictly personal blog post, so I thought it was time to share some new photos of the girls. Well, let's face it, we've been so busy this fall that I really haven't had time to do anything other than all of our clients' work. But that's a good thing. Great actually! We've survived another year in business and for that we are thankful to all of you that have made 2008 possible for us. Thank you and we love you!!

We needed some photos of Madilynn and Amelia for our Christmas cards (and for Christmas gifts... sssh!... don't tell the family) so we set up the home studio and fired away a couple of week ago.

Our two little cuties!


Maddie being a poser.


Hey, the hat has a tail?


The many faces of Maddie.


And daughter #2, Millie (with the help of a Bumbo).


Our little Elf.


We piggybacked the girls' Christmas photos with a three-month session with Millie. It's crazy to think she's already three-months-old (well actually, four-months this coming Friday)!


She's already bored with me.


Check out the drool action! I've said it before, and it never gets old (in my mind anyway)... Spit Happens!


Two chins are always better than one!


We think her eyes might just stay blue.




She's still not quite so ready for the belly-head lift photo. The second we 'unplugged' her she squalled like a, well, like a baby.


This one melts my heart every time I see it! She's such a happy baby!


I have to admit, if Danielle and I never amount to anything in life, at least we can say that we have two beautiful daughters! Here's hoping we don't mess them up too much!

As the year draws to a close it is amazing to look back on 2008. It's hard to believe that we've survived our 2nd year doing this full time. We took a big leap of faith when we left our full (fool) time jobs and we have been blessed with continued success. I'll admit, we definitely felt the start of the recession early in the year (back when we didn't even know a recession was starting) and our phone didn't ring as often as we thought it would for weddings, but the portrait side of the business really exploded for us this year (and you can expect even more on the portrait side of things for us next year!). We're keeping that faith that we leapt with and have nothing but optimism for '09.

And then, we had another baby. What. Were. We. Thinking? :) To say that life has been crazy around the Hope house would be an understatement. It's true that no two children are alike, and Millie has really put us to the test a few times. Luckily after nearly four months though, things are starting to settle down. Heck, last night she actually gave us 7 hours of sleep. Amazing!! (And I hope it wasn't a one-time only early Christmas present.) She truly is amazing and it is beautiful to watch Maddie and her interact. For Danielle and I, two only-children, watching this dynamic of sisters, even at such a young age, is a wonderful sight.

Of course, there are a hundred other tidbits I could share with you all about what a good and crazy year it's been, but I'll spare you for now. You really don't want to hear about the broken elbows, the workshops, the vacations, the adventures of a one-car family, etc. Instead, you're asking yourselves, "why the elf aren't they dancing yet?". Last year, we discovered OfficeMax's "Elf Yourself" and I posted our heads doing a Christmas jig here on the blog. Well, a lot of people have discovered them this year, so I hope you're not tired of it yet. Regardless, here are the hop-skipping Hopes:

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

:D

Back to all seriousness, we really do want to thank all of you for reading our blog and following us throughout the year. I started this thing over a year ago thinking that I might get my Mom to look at it occasionally, but it's taken off and it's great that it's become an avenue for us to share our work and our lives with you. And it's awesome that by "you" I mean our friends, our family, and our clients. Three groups whose boundaries are blurred more and more everyday. Thank you to each and every one of you that has made our year all the more special!!

I normally don't like to mix religion and business (or politics and business for that matter), but I think I would be a bad Christian if I didn't remind everyone that this is the season of giving. Please take time this holiday season to do something for someone in need. The world is topsy-turvey right now (well, not just now... always) and there are a lot of folks and families in need and who have uncertain futures. Don't be afraid to reach out and give a helping hand. I'm sure you'll be blessed in return.

And on that note, from our family to yours...

MERRY CHRISTMAS (or Happy Hanukkah/Merry Kwanzaa/Joyous Festivus/Good Thursday/Fine Pagan Virgin Goat Sacrifice Day/Zarathosht Diso/Winter Solstice... whatever you celebrate)!!!



Love,
Wes, Danielle, Madilynn, and Amelia

:)