Christmas Mini-Sessions

Okay, several of you have asked me about Christmas Mini-Sessions this year. If I can get enough interest, I will schedule a day for Mini-Sessions, offering a great deal on packages, prints, and Christmas Cards. This year, though, I want to do something a LITTLE different! I'm going to do more of an urban Christmas. Now don't confuse "urban" with "gothic". It WILL be outdoor sessions - no real props, except your kid and whatever outfit you come up with. It could be formal Christmas attire, or even just cute winter clothes - coats, hats, etc. Email me RIGHT AWAY if you're interested. The proposed date will be Saturday, November 14; and the proposed location will be in Stevenson, Alabama.

Happy Birthday, Alvie...

I wanted to just take a moment to honor my late father-in-law, Alvie McKenzie, whose 50th birthday would have been this past Saturday. Friday afternoon as we were travelling to visit the Kelly's in Pensacola, I couldn't help but think had Alvie been alive, we would have probably been doing some big extravaganza to celebrate this milestone birthday. But as it is, we just somberly remembered this special day for this special man. On the flip side of missing him so badly though, we must consider that he'll never have another birthday... he will NEVER grow old. He was forty-eight when he passed away, which for me is looking younger and younger every year. He was mostly bald on top, had a lot of gray hair, some wrinkles, and probably felt older than he actually was most of the time (for it's not truly the years, but the miles that get you - right?). But in our memories, he'll never be any older than forty-eight. It's bittersweet.

At any rate, Alvie, we still miss you so bad and not a day goes by that we don't think about you. We love you very much; and while you'll never hear from this sorrowful world again, we wish you a very Happy Birthday in Heaven.

-BYRD

Konner & Kensley

On Friday afternoon, Kellie and I left for Pensacola, Florida, to go visit with our friends, Dustin & Melissa Kelly, and to check out their precious baby girl, Kensley. We got to the hotel late Friday night and the spent all of Saturday at the hospital with our friends. Probably about seven or eight more couples our age were there too - and for me, it almost seemed as a reunion of sorts as it was a lot of my friends from when I lived in the Huntsville area.

Kensley is doing "good", per se; but she still has some recovery ahead. She's still sleeping; but all of her tubes and the resperator are out (with the exception of the feeding tube). The doctors are still giving her small doses of sedatives to keep her from having withdrawals from the high doses of sedatives she had been on for the past week and a half. Hopefully soon, she'll be able to rouse up and talk to her mom and dad!

We found Konner to be... well, just plain old Konner! You'd have to know this kid - he's absolutely hilarious! He reminds me so much of Dustin & Justin back when we were that age! He's got some road rash on his side; but overall, he seems to be doing very well.

Saturday morning, he got to go back and see his little sister for the first time in a few days; and Dustin captured this shot with his CELL PHONE! Folks, I didn't know a cell phone could capture this kind of image - I couldn't have done much better with my Canon 5D! It's a beautiful picture; and one I'm sure they'll cherish for many years to come!

Anyhow, we had a good time visiting with our close friends - even under the circumstances; and I hope our presence there (along with all of our other friends), was a comfort to them.

We left the hosptial yesterday morning and drove over to Gulf Shores to make sure the beach was still there (it was). We stayed for probably 20-30 minutes, walking out on the pier and down to the surf; and then headed home. Oh, and I have to mention, it was FREEZING down there!!! We got home last night around 9:30; and loved-up our own daughters - all the while thinking of how Dustin and Melissa have had to leave their baby in the care of basic strangers (who, by the way are doing FANTASTIC taking care of Kensley) for so long. My prayers are that they're all home together very soon.

-BYRD

Praying for Kensley

Hello Friends,

Tragedy struck our extended family last week. Dustin & Melissa Kelly, along with their two children, Konnor and Kensley, were involved in a horrifying traffic accident in Florida. Everyone was injured; however, Kensley has suffered the most and remains in a north Florida hospital PICU. The family has not asked for any help; but I know the need is great and so I'd love to point each of you to a Blog that explains the details of the situation and ask that you all prayerfully consider making a donation of any amount to help this family - I know them very personally and they are not only in need of the money; but I feel like their lives cause them to also be well deserving of our help! Remember, no amount is too small!

The link is http://www.prayingforkensley.blogspot.com/; and you can make a donation through PayPal directly from that site.

If any of you have questions, please let me know!