Our first christmas as a new family

Dearest Addison,

You are now 1 month old! It's amazing watching you grow and see you learning how to hold your head up and smile. It makes my heart melt every time you look at me =). You are such a good girl, you started sleeping through the night only after a couple of weeks from coming home from the hospital.

We celebrated your first christmas with us this past Tuesday. We almost didnt have a christmas this year because it was so hectic with our moving to a new apartment and your arrival. But your grandparents came through and sent you a whole bunch of christmas gifts... so we just had to get a tree to decorate. We bought our first fake tree this year... lol. It's actually really nice, although it just doesnt smell as good as a real tree. I promise next year when your older, we'll have a real tree to put up. And, you'll even be old enough to help us decorate it!

Anyhow, here are some pictures our family from this holiday season.

I love you Addy!

Love,
Daddy

Welcome home!

Dearest Addison,

Welcome home my dear! You arrived on November 27, 2007 at 11:02 am. Weighing in at 6 pounds 2 ounces, you were a tiny little thing but your cry more than made up for it! It's now been almost 3 weeks, I'm now back at work and today is the first day that your mom is home alone with you. Don't give her too much trouble ok? I've already gotten a call from her telling me about your hissyfit this morning. Anyhow, I've compiled some pictures of the first 2 and a half weeks of your life with us in a slideshow. I hope you enjoy it in the future as much as I enjoyed making it today.

Welcome to our little family... my sweet.

With Love,
Dad

Thanksgiving and black friday

Dear A.M.,

Good morning darling. This past weekend we celebrated Thanksgiving. We had a bunch of turkey, stuffing, and and all kinds of great food. You'll learn soon enough about the yummy food served on holidays like this. The next day your mom and I went out early in the morning to do some Black Friday shopping.... This is definitely something your mom wants you to get involved in when you are older. We waited in line at Staples and OfficeMax on a mission to find a GPS navigation system. We didn't get what we were looking for at Staples as we had gotten there late and the navigation systems were already sold out... but we did score some really cheap CF cards for Daddy's photography business! We were lucky enough to find arrive at Officemax 30 minutes prior to them opening. It was a cold cold morning but I was a trooper standing in line waiting to get my hands on that navigation system. As soon as the door opened... I made a mad dash to the aisles looking for what we were after... sadly... it was not in the aisles!!!!! But all was not lost since your mom, being so wise, went straight to the customer service counter where they were and got what we needed! We are now the proud owners of a Magellan Maestro 3200 navigation system!!! Woot! Now you and your mom will never get lost! LOL!

Anyhow, You are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday between the hours of 8am and 6pm. We found out that the doctors want to induce labor in your mom so that we can see you sooner. It's getting harder and harder for mom to carry you in her tummy. We are ready for you to arrive. We test fitted your car seat, and washed all your clothes and bedsheets. Sweetie, I can't wait to meet you.

Love always,
Daddy

Letters to my child #1

For some time now, I have wanted to find a way to give my child something that she can have with her the rest of her life, to give her guidance and hope when she's feeling down and out. Although she may not be here with us yet, (she's due to arrive at the end of the month) I feel that there is nothing more valuable in this world that can compare to the loving and encouraging words of a parent, be it written or spoken. From here on out, every "Personal" entry I make on this blog will be letter to my child, telling her of my life experiences, the laughs and the tears, the hardships the we go through with the hopes that one day she can read them and appreciate what life gives her be it good or bad.

So let's get started shall we? Since her name is yet a secret to the rest of the world my first few letters to her will be written to "A.M." Her initials. Guess all you like... the secret is mine and Audrey's to keep. =)

My Dearest A.M.,

We are so excited that in just a few days you'll finally be with us. We can't wait to be a part of your life. It has been a long 9 months for your mother and I. It's been a rollercoaster ride for sure! Between, your mom getting her Ph.D, getting a new job, finding a new home, preparing for your arrival and starting my photography business there were times when I just lost sight of it all. Your mother and I would get frustrated and argue over such menial things... at times like these, I just have to step back, take a deep breath and reflect. There are times in life when people forget how much they mean to each other. I am reminded today of the bible verse that was read to me and your mom on our wedding day.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves."
-- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Be kind to those you love, and when you get angry, do your best to try and understand what you are angry about and communicate those feelings. So many of us make the mistake of not communicating our thoughts, and that miscommunication alone can be the single biggest reason that people lash out at one another.... ask me how I know. =)

So, everything is set for your arrival. Your crib is assembled, we have your stroller and car seat, all your clothes are put away in your own drawer in your mom's beloved dresser. All we need now is you! We both hope to see you soon sweetie!

With Love,
Mom and Dad

Lauren and Keith

Lauren and Keith have been our good friends and neighbors for some years now, we were so excited to invited to their wedding, and even more excited that we werent shooting it. I did manage to get a few shots though and just thought I'd share a few. They were married on November 3rd. I would have posted pics sooner but have been catching up on album designs and fulfilling print orders and holiday cards! Their photographer was Josh Lynn a photographer based in central NJ. So if your getting married in that area and need a photographer... he's your man!

On with the photos!

Our last getaway!

Earlier this month, Audrey, JoJo and I went on a mini-vacation as a last minute getaway before the arrival of our baby. Audrey had wanted to take some maternity shots and I didn't want to disappoint her so I asked Autumn of Autumn Photography, a fellow wedding photographer based out of Fairfield, CT to come and do a shoot for us. We stayed at the Sheraton Stamford. We are big fans of starwood hotels and would highly recommend them! We've never been disappointed.
We arrived at the hotel around noon on Saturday and had some canolli's from Planet Pizza, a local joint we used to frequent quite a bit... by the way... their canolli's are to die for!!!! Autumn arrived at 2 and we began shooting. We had a blast spending time with Autumn and we spent much of the time making fun of Audrey =). (Cananda!)

Anyhow, enough rambling... here are some pics.

By the way... Autumns pics will be up as soon as she gets back from her vacation!

Autumns impersonation of Spiderman!


I took this shot with an off camera flash and it seems that Audrey and JoJo were amazed at how the flash can be triggered wirelessly... ah the joys of technology! =)


Autumn, Audrey, JoJo and Me!


This was taken in the town of Wesport, CT. I love, love, love this little town.


And of course... our family. Thanks to the stranger enjoying his Starbucksfor taking the time to snap this for us!

Kelly and Tamer's wedding album

Kelly and Tamer were such a blast to work with and I was so floored that they requested to add an album to their package after seeing their photo's. Here is the proof of the album they will be recieving. Our albums are made by KISS Wedding Books. They are leather bound flush mount albums that come in 8x8, 10x10, and 12x12 sizes. Talk about classy! These things are amazing! Check them out at KISS Wedding Books To all my past and future clients, I am currently offering these albums at the same price as the coffee table albums we currently offer in our packages. To receive more information, send us an email at jayc@jcastrophotography.com

Enjoy the show!

More of Kelly and Tamer's wedding!

As promised here are a few more images from Kelly and Tamer's wedding from this past weekend.

Their reception was held at the Grandview in Poughkeepsie, NY. Lemme just say that this place is amazing. Right on the Hudson River with beautiful view of the Mid-Hudson bridge. The service staff was outstanding and catered to the needs of not only the bride and groom but the vendors as well!

Kelly and Tamer's wedding

Kelly and Tamer were wed on October 26, 2007 at the Grandview in Poughkeepsie. You can catch the slideshow at Kelly and Tamers wedding photo website



Here's a teaser image to hold you all over while I finish processing. =)

Jean and Josh's Wedding Slideshow!

Jean Cann of Wishimay Photography asked me a couple of months ago to shoot her wedding for her. I was floored when she asked me. How can I possibly refuse THE photographer that got me interested in wedding photography? I quickly said yes and the day couldn't come soon enough. I didn't get to meet the Groom, Josh, until the day of, but had heard such great things about him. Apart from the tough exterior, he's a real teddy bear of a guy and is so very sweet to Jean.

The day started out at the Holiday Inn Express in Poughkeepsie, from there we traveled to the ceremony site, The Innisfree Garden. What an awesome place! We did have a bit of a scare as it started to rain just after we finished the bridals and formals, but sun decided to show up just in time for the ceremony.

The reception was held at the The Italian Center. What a cool venue! Check out their website by clicking on the link. I just have to say... the food there is AMAZING! Music was by John Martin of Superior Sounds.

Anyhow, enough rambling... the pictures should do the talking! The full size slideshow can be seen at www.jeanandjosh.jcastrophotography.com

Cheers!
-J

Jean and Josh's Wedding

Here's some teasers of Jean and Josh's wedding! More to follow... stay tuned.

Meghan and Gary's Wedding

We had the pleasure and honor of shooting Meghan and Gary's wedding this weekend at the Harness Racing Museum in Goshen, NY. These two are absolutely smitten with one another and are an absolute blast to photograph. Congrats you two!

Preparing for Baby begins!

Audrey had her baby shower this past weekend, and after conducting an inventory of all the wonderful presents we received, we suddenly came to realize that... ohmahgosh! Baby will be here in month and we haven't prepared for anything. So Monday night while I was driving home from my day job, Audrey calls me and says... we need to clean house... specifically, the 3rd bedroom which we have been using as a walk in closet since 2002. (I swear my wife is next Imelda Marcos with all her shoes!)

Anyhoo... now that the room is somewhat decent, we are going shopping for a crib and stroller today. I never realized how much of a pain in the rear this is. The options are endless, to make matters worse, crib mattresses are not created equal, so depending on the crib, the mattress you purchase may or may not fit... furthermore, too soft of a mattress, and baby can suffocate when she rolls over, too stiff and she can roll to either side and hit her head on the railings. My head hurts.... Don't even get me started on strollers!

Don't get me wrong, I am excited to be a new father, I just never thought it would be this complicated!

Cheers!

-J

Marc's Navy bootcamp graduation

My brother Marc graduated from Navy bootcamp today. I flew into Chicago Thursday morning and met the rest of my Family as we reunited to celebrated my brothers completion of bootcamp at the Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Il. Being a Navy veteran myself, I was so proud to see my baby brother standing tall and proud in his service dress blues!

Here are some pics from today...

The Grand Entrance!

Mom and her baby boy.

The Family

The two sailors!

Brothers!

Audrey got her PhD today!!!

I couldnt be prouder. Today, my wife Audrey defended her thesis before a committee to receive her PhD in Genetic Toxicology. Here are a few pics!




The Cheer section!

Kelly and Tamer's E-session

Kelly and Tamer are another awesome couple I had the honor of shooting recently. We had tons of fun being chased by bugs, and park rangers! We are honored that they chose us to photograph their wedding at the end of October.

Sandra and Johns Wedding

We had the honor of shooting Sandra and Johns wedding this labor day weekend. We had such a blast! These two are the absolute cutest couple in the world! =) They are so much fun to work with, and I am honored that they chose us to be their wedding photographer. Enjoy the slide show! To order prints please go to Sandra and Johns proofing website
Please email a jayc@jcastrophotography.com for the password.


Here's the slide show!




Here are some of our favorite shots!

Ryan's portfolio shoot

My coworker Ryan is trying to break into the modeling world and asked me to do a portfolio session for him. How could I possibly turn it down? Watch out ladies... he's a heartbreaker! LOL! Just kidding Ryan.... not! =P