March 2017

Sweet Baby Hazel

Published on March 29, 2017March 29, 2017 by Krista Reynolds1 Comment

I just have to share this session!!!! I love all newborn sessions so much, but I especially love when they are full of baby details! I am a self-proclaimed detail junky- I love homes and the things inside of them that tell the stories of the people who live there.

The walls covered in photographs of families and friends. Or art that means something. In our home, we have a small painting that was hand painted by Jason’s grandfather on our wall. It’s one of my favorite things. These are the little things that make a house a home to the people that live in it.

Hazel was born August 23rd, 2016. She is such a sweet little baby and so very loved by her mama, daddy, and big brother. Today, take time to enjoy the little things that make up your home, and this sweet session.

See ya later TV!

Published on March 23, 2017 by Krista ReynoldsLeave a comment

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Over the past few years I have started to see a trend. I’m sure many of you have. If you haven’t, I’m pretty sure you live in a hole.

The world we live in is filled with screens. Everywhere.

Every where you look are screens, and the little ones in our hands are the worst! I’m talking about your phone. However, I can’t life without mine anymore, heaven forbid I actually know where I’m going without my GPS. Thank goodness for WAZE!

It also holds my synced calendar that I share with the hubs. And pretty much everything else that I need to get along with my day, business, and life.

However all these screens have become a real problem.

A few months ago now, I started to notice a really scary trend happening in our house. On the nights that Jason and I were together after we put the kids to bed (which is not a lot due to both of our jobs), we would settle in to our spots on the couch, maybe catch up on our day, turn the TV on, and find one of our shows or watch a movie. Then, more often than not, one of us would fall asleep (usually me), or one or both of us would be on another device at the same time.

As much as we think that this was spending time together because we were both in the same room, watching the same thing… it’s not. There is no communication happening, no eye to eye contact and most definitely no engagement with each other, especially when you’re too busy engaging with whatever else is on your screen, like Facebook or Instagram.

So, I knew that our 10 year anniversary trip was coming up in February. We would be spending 7 full days alone on an island knowing no one else. And I wanted so badly to be able to enjoy time together without a screen. Without the comfort of it.

I don’t know about you, but I so badly want to have a GREAT marriage. A marriage that is healthy and strong. Not just a good one, but a GREAT one! I have chosen to live the rest of this life with this man and I want to know everything about him. I want to soak him up as much as possible and cut out the junk that’s getting in the way.

So for the month of January leading up to our trip we decided to go screen-free for the nights that we were together at home. The first night was honestly a little weird. We both just looked at each other with that look of “now what” after we put the kids to bed. However, we ended up giving each other back massages and talking for hours! Come on now, you know that sounds amazing!! I even learned things about Jason’s trip to Thailand that I had never heard before. Stories about his adventures there that had somehow gotten lost in our every day life. I want to hear all of my husbands stories so much more than any show or movie out there.

Some nights we snuggled up together with our books in bed, or just talked with a glass of wine, but after the first week of no screens, it got easier.

Then one night when Jason was gone for the evening I sat down for some “me” time after the kids were down and found myself totally turned off by the idea of turning on the TV. So, I picked up my book and started to read.

If you’re like me you probably have a list of books or a stack that you have been wanting to read that you keep putting off. We have all the excuses in the world, right? “I don’t have time” though is the biggest one.

What woman has time to read? We have jobs, families, friends, house work, cooking, shopping, planning, a social life and so much more to get done! But wait, how much time are we actually spending watching TV or being on a screen? Now, take that time out and replace it with all those books you have wanted to read. Or insert your own things you have been wanting to do.

Since starting the no TV challenge in January of this year I have read… 7 BOOKS!!! SEVEN! Seven books in 3 months!!!! That’s more books than I can even say I read in college. And they have all been for pleasure. Books that people have recommended to me and I always said “I don’t have time”. But really, I wasn’t making it a priority. I was filling my time with Netflix or, dare I say, The Bachelor… Which I didn’t watch this last season for the first time in over 8 years! And guess what, I didn’t miss it.

When I sit and think about my favorite memories with Jason, I don’t think about all the shows we have binge watched together. I think about one of my favorite nights that we stayed up really late talking on our porch, we completely lost track of time getting lost in each other. Or the nights we creep into our room and spend the evening in bed. When it comes to time with my kids, one of my favorite recent memories is playing an impromptu game of Pictionary in the kitchen for hours one night! It’s reading to them, having loud dance parties in the kitchen (or on the deck when it’s warm), watching our baby boy figure things out or chase his sisters around. None of it has to do with any kind of screens.

Jason and I have been closer than ever, have had better communication, and I am so glad that we can now be in silence together, yet not get weirded out by it. For those of you ladies reading this thinking… “Krista, you’re crazy- my husband would never go for this” I promise you he will because usually it means more time together in the bedroom. Wink Wink!!! When you start making each other the priority instead, you come back to the center that set you on fire.

We only get this one life, this short period in time and I don’t want to spend it looking at a screen. This doesn’t mean that we will never watch TV again. Just last night we caught the end of the Wild game together! It just means that we are more clear about the role we want it to have in our life.

I read a quote today from the book I’m reading that said “live each day as if you are terminal, because you are” ~ The Broken Way

We are all losing time everyday. And we are the ones choosing how to fill it. So, no more excuses about time. Every excuse you make is just that, an excuse. What will you choose to make a priority?

Start with just a week of no TV in the evening, no screens after 4pm, see how it feels. Fill your time with the things you haven’t had “time” for. Then, if that works, try 2 weeks, then 3, then 4 and so on. I promise you won’t remember the last time you turned that thing on. And this can be any screen. Your phone, the video games, the TV, tablet, whatever it is for you.

I want to encourage you in this. I know it wont be easy- a good change never is.

The books I have read since January…

Present Over Perfect – By: Shauna Niequist

Chasing Slow – By: Erin Loechner

The Magnolia Story – By: Chip and Joanna Gaines

Nothing to Prove – By: Jennie Allen

Uninvited – By: Lysa TerKeurst

Wild and Free – By: Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan

The Broken Way – By: Ann Voskamp

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If you have any great book suggestions for me, let me know! I am writing them all down in the “to read” notes on my phone! I highly recommend all of the books that you see here.

I have been loving this TV-free life. I am currently searching for the perfect piece of art to replace the TV in our main living room. I am totally serious!

I want to find comfort in the quiet; in the places that we are called to seek out each others company. I want the voices of those around me to be the loudest. That being my husband’s, then my kids, and in the super quiet of the mornings when I am all alone, I want that voice to be the one of my maker. He can only speak when we are willing to listen. I think I have learned so much in all this. In this busy screen-filled world that we have found ourselves in. And that is the other theme that’s breathing into us all. Like a slow breeze that you just realized was there. We are hungry for something quieter, something slower. Full of less noise, a slower speed and much deeper relationships. I pray that theme will soon take over before it’s too late and we all look like the humans from the movie WALL-E.

Jason & Amelia’s Engagement session

Published on March 21, 2017March 21, 2017 by Krista Reynolds2 Comments

What can say about Jason and Amelia? They are just the best!!

After 7 years of dating this is a couple that knows who one another is, what sets them on fire. You can see it shine through them when they are together! They have the most genuine smiles towards one another. They are just the cutest.

Jason and Amelia didn’t know what exactly they wanted for their engagement session so they gave me the go ahead to do whatever I wanted! So, I did. I set out to find a dress, a florist, a canoe, and a bunch of food to style their session to perfection. I love that they were open to anything. Even when that “anything” meant getting in a canoe, on a really windy day, on a cold lake and standing up in it while I shouted directions from shore.

It was such a fun shoot and I am so excited for their June wedding. They are a beautiful couple with so much life to give to those around them.

I hope this session inspired you to do something fun, and maybe even a little out of your comfort zone.

Floral Styling by : Cassie, of Two Designs

Bowdy’s Birth Story and a Lesson in Why God’s Plan is Better.

Published on March 17, 2017March 17, 2017 by Krista Reynolds4 Comments

I have always loved St. Patrick’s day. I love the food, the music, the atmosphere and even the traditional Green Beer! And now that I know the real story about St. Patrick, I love it even more. If you don’t know the true story of St. Patrick I encourage you to do some research, or heck, just call me- I’d love to tell you all the details and about how much he loved Jesus and needed to share the gospel.

Anyway…last year on St. Patrick’s day is when I went into labor with our third baby.

Now, let me back up. A third baby was never in our plans. After Georgia was born, Jason and I had decided we were done having babies. That our two beautiful and healthy girls were just what we needed. Also, we had been through 2 miscarriages as well and I just didn’t want to go though another one. And, I don’t like being pregnant. I get so sick and not just in the 1st trimester- like the entire time. So we did what all families do when they decide they are done having babies and gave EVERYTHING away!!!!!

Literally, a few weeks later I was feeling awful. I chalked it up to traveling a lot and being pretty busy with work and let it all just go. I never even thought to take a pregnancy test until I was about 4 weeks late. I know right, denial. I honestly thought the test would be negative, that there was no way I could be pregnant. That I would probably have to make a doctors appointment to figure out what was wrong with me.

I had been editing the day I took the test at 2 in the afternoon. I placed it on the bathroom counter, walked away to check my uploads and actually got distracted for the next 30min. I was that oblivious! So imagine my surprise when the test was a full blown positive!

I did what any rational girl would do and phoned a friend! Crying, and to be honest, I said some non-church words too. How could this be??? We are done? I don’t want another baby!! We gave EVERYTHING away!!! I don’t like being pregnant!!! On and on and on. Everything but excitement went through my head.

So for the next 7 months we rallied and gathered everything to bring home a new baby again! I was fairly healthy during this pregnancy and was only severely sick once, so that was a total blessing, and like our previous pregnancy’s we didn’t find out the sex of the baby and I honestly was convinced it was another girl. Which would have been fine. I wrapped my head around the idea of 3 kids slowly and focused a lot on work up until the week before my due date.

A few fun pics from my pregnancy!

So there we were St. Patrick’s day 2016. In the spirit of the holiday my mom and I decided to order Ruben Sandwiches from the local restaurant here in Elko. They were so good- I thought I wasn’t hungry but soon had finished the entire sandwich, plus fries, and most of my mom’s soup too. When I got up to clean up from lunch I had to sit back down from contraction pain. Now some background: I have always had contractions with my other pregnancy’s that turned into nothing. I have also always been induced a week +1 day over my due date. So when the contractions started I didn’t think much of them, thinking they would soon go away and I would walk into the hospital sometime the week after and start the induction process.

Well, they didn’t stop!! I showered and Jason came into say goodbye to me to go pheasant hunting and asked if I was OK while I leaned over the bathroom sink to a contraction. I said “yes, just contractions, see you later” and off he went. Because this had happened with the girls he thought nothing of my calm state. However, when he returned to find my mom still at our house telling him to go upstairs and get ready to go he was a little shocked.

I had now been in early labor for 6 hours at home. The contractions were coming every 4 minutes lasting for a minute or longer and I still didn’t want to go to the hospital. It took some coaxing from Jason and my mom and my sweet birth coach Sandy to get me to leave the house. But we finally did.

When we got to the hospital though I was only at 2cm…

But, our nurse announced that we were going to stay and that we would be having our baby soon!!! Tears of joy started running down my face, and we sent Jason out to the car to get the bag. Because, like I said I didn’t think we would be staying.

I took this blurry but perfect picture of Jason as he came in from getting our bag. We were so excited! It was now around 7pm.

The next few hours as we got settled in we did all the tricks. Walking the halls, doing lunges on the stairs, using the ball, and even getting into the tub (which I was told was magic and would speed everything up). Well, it didn’t. So by 3am and only being at 3cm, they broke my water.

We thought this would really speed things up. But it didn’t. And from there is gets pretty blurry for me. I labored until around 5am when we thought I was displaying all the signs of transitioning! So, Jason called my sweet friend and birth photographer, Kristen Dyer (who took all these amazing images) to come to the hospital thinking we would be close. This was a false alarm too. I was at 7cm and would stay there until around 10:30 am. Around that time I finally got to 10cm! Fully dilated now and feeling every need and desire to push! So we tried a few times and I was told to stop!!

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After a quick check by the doctor it was determined that I needed to labor some more. The baby was not in the right position. So we waited. Which led to complete exhaustion on my part, my team’s part, and my uterus’s part. Did you know that your uterus could get tired and slow down? I didn’t. I have been in on a lot of births and never heard of this. So, the staff thought it would be best to start pitocin to help my tired uterus out. This sucked! A few hours later we tried pushing again with no luck. So then my doctor tried to go in and (stop reading here if your sqweemish) turn the baby to get it into the right position!!! I don’t know that I would wish that kind of pain on anyone… this also didn’t work. Since baby still looked good on the monitor we decided to try to labor a little longer and try a few more positions to get baby to move.

A few more hours later my sweet nurse returned to try pushing one more time. If it didn’t work this time the next step was to get an epidural and try turning the baby again!!!! Imagine the look on my face at that suggestion. I was like “where were you with that suggestion 3 hours ago?” I was so done!

So I gave it my all and, just like that, like it was no big deal at all, our sweet nurse Cristal says. “Stop pushing!!!!!!!!! The baby is coming”

Like a ninja Jason jumped on the bed behind me like he had done with Georgia’s birth and together we pushed. With my mom on my right and Sandy my birth coach on my left. 3 pushes later and we had a baby. Our reaction to the news of a boy is priceless. I was in total shock. And completely overwhelmed. A BOY!! A perfect, surprise, chubby, baby BOY!!!

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A total of 27 hours of natural labor to get one of the biggest and best surprises of our lives. He was born right on his due date. The craziest thing!

We loved introducing the girls to him and soaking in every little piece of newborn goodness. And now he is going to be 1 tomorrow! How is this possible? How has a year gone by so fast? A big shout out to the team I had there that day. Jason, my mom Karen, Sandy my birth coach, Cristal our nurse, Kristen for your support and amazing, priceless images, and Marv and Vicki for taking care of the girls.

I vividly remember the ride home from the hospital. I sobbed, full on hard to breathe crying. I was obviously tired and hormonal but on top of all that I was so thankful. Poor Jason kept trying to console me as I cried. How could I have ever been upset about being pregnant again? How could I have thought that my plans where better? I was so overwhelmed with the thought that I had made God so small, that I tried to tell Him what I thought was best for me. When all along He was preparing this little boy for us. This perfect little gift that we didn’t see coming. It’s so hard to see the big picture when you’re in it. Deep in your own selfish desires and thoughts about what you thought your life would or should look like. It’s like God reached down and shook His finger at me in that car. Like an earthy father saying “I told you so, why didn’t you trust me.”

Bowdy has made me a better mom. Maybe it’s because it’s my 3rd time around. But, I am so much calmer, so much more delighted in every little stage that he goes through. We obviously can’t imagine our life without him. We are so excited to celebrate his 1st birthday. It will be St. Patrick’s themed with Rubens and all.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. My hope is that it encourages you to look beyond what you think your plans might be to see the bigger picture. His plans for you are so much better than you can ever imagine.

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Happy Birthday Bo. You are so very loved.

Evan & Trisha

Published on March 15, 2017March 15, 2017 by Krista ReynoldsLeave a comment

A classic story of boy meets girl! Boy is with a group of friends and so is girl. Those friends all happen to be at the same place, Zorbas on the lake for the weekend. Boy and girl lock eyes and there starts a love story!

My favorite moment of Evan and Trisha’s wedding day was the look on Evan’s face when he saw her for the first time. Trisha looked stunning in her lace dress. It was the perfect dress for her. His eyes lit up and I have never seen a smile so big!

The day was cold and windy but everyone in the wedding party were troopers, braving the cold for pictures. I guess though here in Minnesota it could have been so much worse. The day was perfect and so well done by Trisha and Evan. I loved that both the ceremony and reception were held at Rockwoods in Otsego, MN. It made for an awesome guest experience, especially for those who had traveled a long distance to be there.

My favorite detail of the day was the penny that Trisha placed in her shoe. The note and penny holder where passed down from her grandmother, the penny was from the year that Evan and Trisha met. It stood for good luck, was her something blue, something old and something borrowed. Those kind of intimate details get me so fired up.

Congratulations Evan & Trisha and thank you for inviting me into your story.

Venue: Rockwoods

Bridal Gown: The Wedding Shoppe

Cake: Buttercream Creations

Tuxes: Savvi

Flowers: Love is Blooming

Hair: Libby K – Salons by JC

DJ: Midwest Sound

When the chickens need to go.

Published on March 13, 2017March 14, 2017 by Krista Reynolds6 Comments

Hi my name is Krista and I have a problem.

Maybe it’s not so much a problem as it is my own little secret. A secret that I walk around with daily and yearly holding really tightly to. I am about to tell you my secret because frankly, I just don’t care what you think of me, or at least I’m trying to get batter at not caring. Plus, if I’m looking to ya’ll for approval, my priorities are way out of line.

So here it is…

I am a people pleaser and I care a lot about what others think.

UGH!!!!!

Well now that I have that out of the way… My hands are actually sweating as I write this. I’m not kidding it’s gross.

For years I have worried about my presence, both in person and online. When you’re in the line of work that I am in it’s very important that people like you and the work you do, otherwise you will not be successful. At least that has been the lie that I have been believing: that I should have it all together…

The pretty home, pretty well behaved kids wearing the newest trendiest clothing (that is always posted), awesome clothing myslef, great Instagram-worthy pictures everyday, the perfect meal plans (obviously gluten, meat and dairy free), pretty hair, makeup, pastors wife presence, books, captions, attitude, animals, rocking body, schedule, etc, etc, etc…. fill in your own.

But guess what???? I can’t do it all and I am so not perfect, ask the guy I take it all out on the most! My sweet husband who is just trying to help when I snap at him.

It all hit me one morning a few months ago. My morning routine looks like this most days: I wake up at 5am, I start a load of laundry, make coffee and get in a half hour or so of time with the Lord, switch the laundry load to the dryer, let the dogs out, feed the dogs (at this time we had 2 dogs), start breakfast when the rest of the family is waking up, fold laundry, unload dishwasher from night before, get everyone eating breakfast, get dressed, me + 3 kids and get our oldest Paisley ready to get to the bus, oh crap…. I need to feed the chickens. Go downstairs put on all my snow gear, fill water and food pails, and march my way out to the chicken coop and do that whole dance. Come back in get everyone ready and out the door we go!

Now on this particular day I happened to look at my Fitbit while I was on the way to the gym at 8:45am for my morning work out. My step count was already over 4,000!!!! WHAT?!

That’s when I realized that something had to go and when I thought about getting rid of the chickens my first worry was, “what will everyone else think of me”?

You see for the last 4 years, since we have lived in the country, I have wanted to have this beautiful picture of what our lives look like here. I imagined gardening with my kids while they ran around with chickens and dogs and I taught them about green beans and where they come from, then we would go to the front yard and swing on the tree swing and blow bubbles and watch the chickens, dogs, and cats, and play all day. Well guess what… I suck at gardening. No really, I am so bad at it. I killed things for 2 years and didn’t know the first thing about it at all. The kids stressed me out every time they would “help” me by picking things that were not ready that ACTUALLY did grow by accident. Or they would be off where I couldn’t see them getting into trouble, or I didn’t even get outside to do it all because my job requires me to be at my computer most days and that time is spent working while my kids nap (or let’s just be real… watch their tablets).

So I quit gardening and built a studio over the garden and when it was all finished I stood there in a super man pose and said, “yep, now THIS I know how to do”! I didn’t feel like a failure when I gave up on the garden- I just knew my limits. I admire those who can grow food and plants with ease and who love it, I just don’t. And that’s OK.

My fear in getting rid of the chickens though came from what I thought, or maybe still think, you would think of me. Haven’t I painted this cute picture of a rocking mom boss who lives in the county with her 3 perfect kids, husband, and animals and we all live in namaste harmony together while I delight you with with pretty images of my beautiful clients and my dreams all come true?! GROSS, I am so sorry if that’s how you feel about me.

I want you to know that letting it go is OK. I would hope that you don’t think any less of me that I no longer have chickens to take care of. And if you do, I ask you to check yourself. It takes a strong realization to understand that all this pressure we put on ourselves actually comes from us. You are the one who fills the calendar, who makes the play dates, who says “yes” to more and who is doing this to yourself. Essentially, you are making the choice to be crazy and to keep taking care of the chickens.

Don’t worry- they went to loving homes and maybe someday I will get more chickens because I do have this super cute coop in the backyard! But for now, while my babies are young, I would rather take care of them and take the unnecessary things off of my plate. So that I can be a better wife, mama, friend, business owner and woman.

What in your life is equivalent to my chickens? Something that needs to go so that by 8:45am your Fitbit doesn’t read 4,000 steps? I am still in the process of taking things off of our plate. Most that know me well know that I say “no” to a lot more. So, let’s work on this together and it will all start with you.

I wanted to leave you with some unedited goodness! Some images that sum up a little bit of reality for us.

Steven & Hope

Published on March 8, 2017January 9, 2018 by Krista ReynoldsLeave a comment

What better way to start your marriage than to be surrounded by your closest family and friends on a beautiful gulf coast beach in Florida?!

The first time I met with Steven and Hope was for their engagement session. It was a very HOT evening in September with crazy mosquitoes that seemed to come out of no where!!! During that session is when I truly got an idea for who they were as a couple.

The first thing to understand about them is that they are crazy about one another. They make each other light up and it overflows onto everyone around them. They first met at North Central college in Minneapolis. That’s when Steven said “I couldn’t take my eyes off of her”

Steven and Hope wanted to have an intimate beach wedding on the gulf shores of Florida where Steven’s family has been spending their winters for the past few years.

It was the perfect setting for this couple. I’m not sure I have ever seen a more emotional groom before. His love and Joy for his bride could not be contained. Isn’t that the love that we all want to have? What a beautiful image.

The perfect sunset beach wedding followed by a sweet and intimate dinner at The Club at Barefoot Beach. What an incredible way to start your marriage.