Jasper House Mini Sessions

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Hello Dears!

Back in July, I told you all about a special opportunity to give back, and boy did you take it and run with it. Jasper House is a program in Haiti that provides resources and healing for women who have been abused and traumatized. Until Jasper House was founded in 2015, there were virtually no resources for women facing assault or abuse. That was a major issue, considering 1 in 3 women in Haiti ages 15-49 have experienced sexual and/or physical violence. 

The Healing Centre at Jasper House was founded in 2015, and here women are provided with therapies such as counseling, art, yoga, and self defense so they can heal, restore their self worth and be empowered to transform their lives. They weren't merely a safe home, the Healing Centre was a place where hope is restored and new life begins to take root. 

Since 2015, Jasper House has grown!  The majority of the women at Jasper House were over the age of eighteen and had reached an average academic level of second grade.  There were no adult alternative education options in Haiti so Jasper House created one. The Women's Academy for Learning provides basic education and literacy in addition to 3 vocational tracks so that the women are able to support themselves and have professional careers. 

Their most recent program is Rise and Empower, a type of non-profit business that employs people and earns income in order to help address perceived social or environmental issues. With the creation of handcrafted clothing and accessories, made primarily with locally sources materials, R&E is a business that will not only provide cutting edge fashion pieces that will long outlast the trends, but will also provide our women long-term sustainable income, empowering them to take back the keys of autonomy and independence for their lives. 

Jasper House recently expressed the need for a Tap-tap. What's a Tap-Tap you might ask? A Tap-Tap is a painted bus that is used to transport people around Haiti.
Jasper House currently has no form of consistent, reliable and safe transportation for their students to and from school.  Having a Tap-Tap would increase educational performance by decreasing the amount of class time missed due to the lack of safe transport.
They began raising money for a Tap-Tap in June and were about 25% of the way to their goal.

We wanted to pitch in so that they could be closer to their goal by the start of the new school year. I announced my plan for the Tap-Tap minis, and you guys responded! Through all of our lovely mini sessions, we were able to donate $1800 to the Jasper House Tap-Tap fund! That was only possible through YOU wonderful people! We can't thank you enough for your willingness to give back. 

If you missed out on the mini sessions, don't fret! Jasper House is still accepting donations for their Tap-Tap fund, and you can find that by clicking the button below. Just click on the drop down menu and choose the Tap-Tap fund.

Another great way to help out is to purchase a t-shirt from Jasper House! They recently launched the release of their 'Tomorrow is for Women' t-shirt, and all the proceeds from the t-shirt sales will go directly to the Tap-Tap fund. Go get you one! Just click below to check it out.

Thanks for stopping by!

Baby Samuel ·OKC Lifestyle Newborn·

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Hello Dears!

I know that everyone has moved on and put the holiday season behind them but I'm still dreaming of this cozy New Year's Eve lifestyle session I had with baby Samuel and his self-proclaimed "big time nerd" parents.

The word nerdy is a high compliment in my book, y'all. The minute Natalie and Pack told me that they got Samuel's name from their favorite show, Supernatural, I knew we would get along famously. The second I saw the Harry Potter inspired nursery, I knew I was in love. (It's worth noting that I'm currently binging Supernatural, so I edited Sam's session while watching Sam on my iPad. So meta.) 

Natalie and Pack were super patient and waited until Sam's birthday to find out the gender, so they wanted to plan a nursery with a gender neutral theme. Natalie said that she wanted the Harry Potter themed nursery to have more of a classic whimsy look without being *too* over the top or cheesy. I'd say they knocked it out of the park, wouldn't you? I chuckled during the session because the gorgeous chair in the nursery made me think of Slughorn's armchair disguise (although his chair probably paled in comparison to this beauty!). Not Harry Potter related but still adorable are the itty bitty macaron and pizza art prints, a subtle nod to Natalie's pregnancy craving and Pack's favorite food, respectively. Sam made his appearance to this world a little earlier than expected and his nursery was completed by Natalie's mom and sister a whole three hours before her water broke! If that's not an appropriate introduction to parenting, I don't know what is!

Thanks for stopping by!

Baby Hayden ·OKC Lifestyle Newborn Photography·

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Hello Dears!

I hope Mr. Hayden's yawns aren't too contagious this Monday morning! But don't let that sleepy face fool you, Hayden was quite the little milk monster. He'd have nursed all day if Karina let him! He also had the softest head of hair. That's one of those things you soak in as much as you can when you have a brand new little one. It's the good stuff.

It was so nice getting to know Karina and Craig during their newborn session. I asked what piece of advice they would give to new parents, and Karina said "Take care of your wife!" Baby Hayden was breech, and despite their best efforts to spin him, the birth day ended with a c-section. Karina said seeing her husband take charge was much needed, and quickly reminded her why she married him! Help from your partner goes so far during this difficult but oh so rewarding time.

Now, can we PLEASE talk about their precious new baby with the sweetest dog ever? My favorite photo from this session is the one with Hayden laying on Ash's paw. Ash was such a sweet and gentle dog, and was very much involved in what was happening with baby Hayden. When we headed into the toy nook, she followed suit and plopped down on the rug. I knew she was calm enough to try out what ended up being my favorite photo from the session! We laid Hayden on her paw and dad was right out of frame, but Ash didn't even bat an eye. She posed like a pro and didn't move until Hayden was in dad's arms. (I refrained from saying her special ear-perk word *Popcorn!* because I didn't want her to jump, but trust that Ash was happy as a clam the whole time, despite the long face!!)

Thanks for stopping by!