Merry Christmas!

From my family to yours...

The family Christmas card :)

We attempted a family photo...and we were successful! Thanks to my father in law for taking the photo, and luckily I was able to install my wonderful photoshop on my husband's computer. So if it looks wonky at all, blame it on my dumb computer that decided to die right during Christmas time!!!

Still no word on the house, every day we wake up and say "today would be a great day to buy a house!" But its not in our hands... Whatever the case, we know this will be the last Christmas we spend in our little duplex. I really do love living here, so I know God has something greater for us out there.

Our family of 5...last year there were just 4 of us :)

wk 25/52

This is a fun one, don't you think?! I didn't take this photo, and I don't remember which one of my 11 other family members who were on our Disney trip did...but whoever did, thank you for giving me a wonderful memory of Liliana's first trip to Disneyland!

what a let down...

...to come home to this boring ole' house after spending two awesome days in Disneyland!! We had so much fun!! I love Disneyland, as soon as I walk into the park I feel 5 years old again.

So after such a wonderful but very exhausting time, we're relaxing a lot around here. I mean, the most exciting thing to happen this morning was when Lily found a red crayon...


A rare moment between these two...

Happy December!!!

Just a note to say I'll be away from my computer and phone for the rest of the week. I'm heading south with my fam' to (....drum roll please....) none other than The Happiest Place On Earth!!! All emails and calls will be returned to when I get back. Until then...don't be jealous, I'll only ride on Space Mountain...oh...a couple times :)



psst...its a snowman! courtesy of Abby! I guess playdough is the closest thing to snow we're ever gonna get around here :)

wk 24/52

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving! Mine was full of family (and food of course!) Not seeing my Grandma at the table was very heart breaking, but it was Liliana's first Thanksgiving. Life comes and life goes, it was an important day.

So I had already chosen my photo for this week, an easy camera phone picture. But yesterday my sister took some photos of Lily and I and I thought it would be great to use one of those!

So here's Liliana (and me!) on her first Thanksgiving. She looks so chubby in this photo. Maybe it was the 2 rolls she ate or all the mashed potatoes :)

wk 23/52

In case you're wondering...I have intentionally skipped week 22. With my Grandma passing, I really want to take a photo that shows how I was feeling during that week. I haven't the energy to do it now. As you will see in the next two self pics...not much effort has gone into them, with both being shot from my camera phone :) Quite a bit has been happening in my house, with the past few weeks being some of the most busy and emotional weeks of the year. So later this week, I will try to take a photo that I should have taken during week 22...a week I will remember forever.

This photo should have been posted on Friday. I didn't cheat...it was taken last week! I included my other "baby" who deserves to be in a lot more pictures than I take. He's out of the country for a couple weeks and I'm holding down the fort! This was us in the car when the kids and I dropped him off at the airport :(

Just for some info, I just ran a quick black & white action with no tweaks on this photo from my camera phone.



ps. I'm going to do my best to getting back to posting Project 52 every Friday! Well...I hope so. LOL.

What am I supposed to do...

...with all that hair?? I need to take a trip to the store to buy some clips and bows! I'm just so used to Zach's spikey hair and Abby's long hair that I can curl and flat iron :) I've forgotten how to do baby girl hair!

Just wanna squeeze those cheeks!!!

My very good friend from Canada came to visit back in September. I'm finally getting around to finishing the photos that I took while she was here. I was so glad to see her & her husband, and meet their son for the first time! Liliana is just two days younger than little Nate. It's been a great experience going through all these baby stages at the same time with Kim, even though we're miles and miles apart.

Love you friend! And I love your family!


They're just chillen'...munching on corn and peas. :)





I can't resist the look on his face here!

Baby Cammie

What a sweetheart this little lady was. You remember her lovely Mommy and Daddy? They are being so patient with me as I am very behind in delivering prints, uploading galleries and returning emails because of what has transpired this week with my family. But the least I can do for them is post a sneak peek of some photos I have finished. Thanks for waiting you two and for being so understanding. I promise it will be worth the wait!

What a gift right now...

If nothing else does...this photo puts a smile on my face. Thank you Jeanette. You're awesome. I can't even tell you how this photo makes me feel. I love that little baby girl so much, that face is one of the most important faces in my life. I could stare at it all day. Soon we're going to have a family photo session swap, Jeanette and I. I can't wait for that. We need to do it before more time passes...before Lily gets too big. Now more than ever I'm realizing how important photos are.

Wk 21/52

This was taken by my friend Jeanette in Chico last week (so even though it has my name on it...it was all Jeanette!!) Thanks for taking my weekly photo friend! I love what you captured.



And thank you to everyone for your condolences about my Grandma. They mean a lot to me and my family. Its been an extremely difficult week. Extremely. But God is so good and He's giving my family the grace that we need to get through it. I am diligently scanning photos and getting a slide show ready for her memorial on Friday. My husband is great too, he's trying to be the rock that I need. We actually were able to steal a date last night. Have you seen "Fireproof"? I think its almost out of the theaters, so when it comes out on DVD, BUY IT. It is absolutely awesome. I think the best thing was at the very end...a huge scripture verse spread out all over the huge screen.

So sad...

That is the only way I can express how I'm feeling right now. I am just so sad. My Grandma passed away last night. During her life she was a beautiful picture of love, grace and commitment. But a very short battle with cancer was lost, it was way too soon. I don't even have a picture of her and Lily together. Why don't I have that?? Lily is already almost 9 months old and I don't have a picture of them together?

Grandma is rejoicing with Jesus right now and I am genuinely excited and happy about that. She gets to see Jesus with her eyes where we only get to feel Him in our hearts. If you are reading this blog, and you are a stranger, or a lurker, or a friend, or whatever, and you don't know Jesus as your personal savior. What are you waiting for? I know how many people visit this blog, I can "see" you!!! Its my mission today to tell you that Jesus IS real, He died on the cross for you, He loves you, always loved you and will love you forever, no matter what mistakes or triumphs you've had in your life. I'm not talking about anything other than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. How do people who don't know Jesus cope with tragedy? I know I am not always this real on my blog. This is a public blog which I also direct my clients to go to. But you know what, being "unreal" is old. Jesus isn't out to stomp on your fun, He's out throw His arms around you have love you more than you've ever been loved before. If you would like to talk more about how to have a personal relationship with Jesus, please email me at amy@amyschuffphotography.com or call me at 916.420.8889. I will personally walk you through giving your heart to Christ. But You don't need me to make this decision, all you have to do is say you need Him and accept him as your Savior. No, things won't be all roses after that happens, and all your troubles won't automatically disappear, but you know what??? Now you'll have someone to turn to, to rely on, to talk to and to share your life with. This is the most important decision you will ever make. I do promise you though, that life will taken on a new meaning after you decide to follow Christ.

John 3:16...totally paraphrased :)

"For God so loved YOU, that He gave his only Son for YOU, that whosoever (which is YOU) believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting LIFE!!!" Whoooo hooo!! That is awesome!!! How can you not be excited about THAT???

Sooooo, I get to see my Grandma again one day. I'm not just saying that either. I absolutely will! Don't you want to have that assurance?? That hope? Hope is hard to come by these days, but I can definitely say I have it. My family does, you can too.

I will miss her very very much.


Click this link to be taken back to My Grandparent's photo session. I'm so thankful to have had that time with the both of them.

wk 20/52

I think this pic is so stinkin' hilarious! Sure, I think I look like a cheese ball but I just adore what the kids are doing in the shot. And yes...I AM at a red light, although I have been guilty of taking photos while driving in the past...tsk tsk.

ps. I'm all caught up now with my self pics! Lets see if I can STAY caught up :)

Wk 19/52

hee hee ... meet my new baby!!

Its much bigger than its older brother, but so far I haven't seen any sibling rivalry :)

She thinks she's hot stuff

Posing herself...she's such a big girl!!

I got a new present today, I'm so excited!! I'm finally moving up in the world!! Pictures to follow :) :) :)

Wk 18/52

Ok, I'm cheating on this one, I'll take two pics this week...but really, its my challenge so I'm making up the rules as I go. LOL. I think if I end up with 52 pictures...no matter when they were taken, I'll be happy!



I'm so mad I cut off her hand here! It couldn't be helped, it was a perfect and quick moment, the wind blew suddenly and she looked up to see what was happening. I love this stage...everything is exciting to her.

Miss Jasmine

We got a visit from some great friends of ours this week. Their daughter is Zach's age. I couldn't wait to take some pictures of her, she's such a beauty, inside & out.

wk 17/52 and my 3 year old :)

We went out of town last week, back to the city we lived in before we moved here. It was so relaxing, it still feels like home even though we haven't lived there in 1 1/2 years. Its one of my favorite places to take pictures too. The scenery, the light, full trees, tons of captivating backgrounds...so much fun. We're going back in 3 weeks, I'm looking forward to it.

Here's my week 17, thanks to dh for taking it!




Here's my big boy...these will be his official 3 year old pics.

wk 16/52

looking up at me
big eyes full of love and wonder
chubby hand reaching
tiny fingers exploring my face

our routine we know so well
a special rocking chair just for us
no one but you and me
peace and quiet but for a moment

your tummy full of love
sleepy eyes say you're full
these moments carved in my heart forever
these days I'll know so well

time to move on now
the last drink comes too swiftly
heart aching for yesterday's baby
you'll need me in other ways for sure

Mother & Daughter

What a lovely, challenging, different but wonderful session this was!! We went to downtown's Sterling Hotel and the managers were so nice to us, let us have our session in the bridal suite and the ceiling to floor marble bathroom! It was a very different place to have a mother/daughter session, but quite honestly, I had a blast and thought it worked beautifully! This relationship is so lovely, so elegant. They obviously care for each other greatly and their bond has stood the test of time.

Thank you so much for allowing me to photograph you together!

Wk 15/52

Wk 14/52

So I know I'm playing catch up with my self pics! I've been super busy over here as well as the kids sick and me sick as well. Jeremy even took a whole day off for me the other day so I could rest, I don't think I've slept 11 hours in one night in literally 5 years!!! It was awesome.

So this was from a couple weeks ago...a sweet snapshot by my wonderful husband. My boy turned 3 that day and got breakfast in bed :) This was the one pic Mommy got in on! Sure its not my normal style...but just a word of advice, make sure you're taking those snapshots!! We get so caught up in capturing the "moment" that the real moments pass us by. Well not that morning...his face was golden as we served him cocoa puffs and he opened his gift. What a sweet baby boy.

Take those family photos!!! :)

I just love when clients contact me for family photos, or when I get an impromptu session with friends or my own extended family. I truly put great value in photographing those who we call "family". It convicts me though! I really need to get to taking some pics of my little family of 5. You would never think that I love taking pictures if you saw my walls...they're bare!! Nope, that is not good at all!

Here is a special family, they're a young couple with their 4 month old baby boy. This little one was just absolutely adorable! His eyes were so dark he had no pupils! Those eyes were very inspiring....

wk 13/52

I'm late in posting this, but I actually had it done last week, just no time to post it! Life is going at a crazy pace...and I'm shocked I can keep up with this project, but I am!

So in this pic...Zach is actually the one taking the photo (see the little remote in his hand?)

Love & Laughter...

I had so much fun with this couple. They made me laugh so hard, was up for anything I asked them to do, and were just all around beautiful people. You could truly see how much they love each other, and how excited they are to meet their new baby daughter (who should be making her appearance any day now!)

12/52

Her first tooth broke through just two days ago...such a big girl!

I couldn't choose between these photos this week. I just love when she gives me sloppy kisses and looks up at me with those big expressive eyes. I'm now so thankful I have photos of both :)

A new friend...

What a sweetie this one is :) She's a new friend of the family, only 6 weeks older than Lily! I'm going to have so much fun photographing her!! She is such a doll.