Every day

You guys, we are finally getting semi-normal sunlight here in Fairbanks Alaska! The kiddos get on the bus as the sunrises and we eat dinner as it sets... it is glorious.  We moved here late spring so the whole extreme light/no light has almost come full circle for us. I still can't decide what is more difficult, the abundance of sun or lack of but both are emotionally intense . It's real weird and difficult to explain unless you've experienced it day in and out.

It's been mentioned before but January was rough around here. Between frostbite, temps reaching 50 below zero, parenting alone, car problems... it was a D A R K month ( figuratively and literally ) So I challenged myself a little bit. You know the whole " Finding light in the darkness" thing . I committed myself to running every day - treadmill or indoor track- and taking candid shots of my daily life every day. Both might seem pretty easy considering I do a lot of both, but truthfully it was challenging! Being dark and cold meant I had to do my two favorite things INDOORS that I normally enjoy under the warmth of the sun. Treadmill running is not pleasant but it has kept me semi-sane mentally which is great for everyone. My photography style usually consists of bright colors and rich sunlight, which meant I just had to find ways to incorporate our little bits of sunlight through the windows instead. Holy moly did I learn a lot!

Our family is about to trek south for some family adventures visiting our people in the lower 48 and you better believe I will have plenty of SUNSHINE filled images to share, if you want to stay up to date check out my new and slowly growing instagram account @b.elievestudio ( I'm still trying to figure out the whole public account / hash-tagging / what to share and what not to...  I feel so old and behind ) But before we head out and return to spring I would love to share a few candid moments from around here over the past month .

Ok so maybe the dark days of winter haven't been THAT bad, we still have managed to squeeze in some fun during our first hibernation. 

-B

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.- John 1:5

Five years old

Five years old.

Our middle boy was the most angelic baby. Hardly ever fussy, slept like a dream, and was just sweet as can be from day one. Maybe we were simply comparing him to his older brother (18 months at the time) who was quite the handful. Needless to say that sweet angelic baby grew and before we knew it he slowly began making up for all of those quiet moments of the first two years! That little freckle face is adorable and it sure is a good thing right? To say he has personality is an understatement but underneath that wild ball of noise is a silly and sweet boy that loves sparkles, Poe Dameron ( Star Wars),  rainbows, and his brother more than anything in the world. He would give literally anything for his siblings and simply wants to make everyone laugh, and OH how he does.

He talks about his Birthday pretty much all year , that and what he wants to be for Halloween, and he decided to have a simple PJ birthday with his family but was adamant about having rainbow cake with batman on it ( which then changed to spiderman after it was too late...) He and his brother have been watching the kids baking championship a little too much and decided they HAD to make it themselves . We went with a box of fun-fetti mix because you really can't go wrong there, and I got to sit back as his brother read instructions and they slowly combined the ingredients with appropriate food coloring. Once we assembled the layers Dad drew the necessary batman mask to top it all off, he was thrilled.

Our kiddos have learned over the years that we always set time aside to take a few Birthday portraits. He chose his favorite red pants and  his " Anchorage" shirt and OF COURSE his cowboy boots. This kid LIVES in cowboy boots even if it means slipping on ice... simple cost for STYLE guys.

We had a break in our numbing temps when it reached about 10 ABOVE zero!  Here are a few of my favorites from the couple minutes we lasted outside...

He claims now that he's 5 he's going to behave all the time, but we wont hold our breath for that one.

My goal for 2017 is to be more candid and share personal work from my heart, have you found my new instagram yet? It's a little messy as I'm getting started but find me at @b.elievestudio 

Hope  everyone is having a beautiful week and if you're local that you are ENJOYING this radient  sunshine!

-B