KHP will be offering a fun new product just in time for fall sessions and the holiday gift-giving season!  Mini Accordion Albums are available in a wallet size (2.5 x 3.5) or a square  (3 x 3) size and are perfect to use as mini folios, brag books, and gifts for extended families.  The mini accordion albums come with a custom cover that is magnetized so it will stay closed.

For a limited time these albums are only $50 for two and $70 for three.  Hurry and book your fall session to qualify for this special promotion!

Just a quick update to tell you that I’m running a sweet deal on my Facebook Fan Page until Saturday, July 31st.  Head on over to check it out and become a fan of Kelly Holder Photography. 

If you scroll down the page, at the bottom left there is a blog counter.  Right now my blog has had over 48,800 visitors!  Once the blog reaches 50,000 hits, I’ll be offering a special blog promotion.

After 50,000 hits, the first 5 people to request a session will receive $50 off the session fee AND a $50 print credit!!  Act fast after the blog hits 50,000 because it’s only for the first 5 people!  Good luck and have a wonderful weekend!

I never knew what an impact this give-away would have on me.  It’s so ridiculous to call it a “contest” or award a “winner” when we’re talking about struggling families.  These stories have been heartbreaking and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wept in the past weeks over them.  I received the first nomination just a few hours after announcing the give-away and I spent the rest of the day with this family’s story heavy on my heart and mind.  It touched me deeply and I knew I would need help deciding who would be given the gift if I should receive any other nominations.  Well, three more came in, so I enlisted some friends and family to help me out. 

The holiday season is busy for all of us.  I’ve spent the past week in a tizzy, preparing for baking, cleaning, visiting family, gift-giving, and travel.  I’ve had one of the best Christmas Eve’s I’ve ever had.  We had wonderful food, visiting family that we’ve been longing to see, an amazing church service, and grateful and appreciative boys opening gifts tonight.  When I realized at 9:45 p.m. that I still needed to turn on my computer and blog about the winner, I was bummed–at first.  But now, I’m so grateful for this time to reflect on my blessings and be able to give back to others who may be struggling with some aspect of their lives. 

So now, I will announce the “winner”–but I will still be giving to all four nominated families.  I’ve decided that there was no way for me to say no to any one of these deserving families, so I will be offering a complimentary session and a $150 print credit to the other three families.  

The custom photography give-away will go to Andy and Suse.  They were nominated by Andy’s sister-in-law, Wendy, and this is a bit of what she writes about their story:

My brother-in-law, Andy, and his wife, Suse, pursued the avenue of foster care to adoption.  Their perspective was that they knew they’d be taking in a child who desperately needed a family, and that some of these might be children that others might not consider to be ideal.  They brought their first foster baby home straight from the hospital.  The mother’s rights were terminated due to her drug usage at the child’s birth.  He had some mild disabilities and they went above and beyond in caring for and loving him…all the while pursuing his adoption.  After a year of raising “their” baby…he was sent to live with his biological father and their hearts were broken.  Shortly after, they took in Izak at just a few weeks old.  He was a baby whose mother was a drug user and couldn’t identify the father.  Then, when Izak was just 8 months old, they were given the opportunity to take in Ellie (a newborn who was born to the first drug-addicted mother).  So, Andy and Suse were now raising two babies and giving them more love and affection than they would ever have known in their entire lives if they had remained in their biological homes.  After 2 years of battling for adoption rights for Izak, and one year plus of battling for adoption rights for Ellie…they were able to adopt Izak and Ellie “officially” into their family this summer.  What a huge relief for the entire extended family.  They made a decision for Suse to stay at home to care for the children while Andy worked full-time.  They could barely make ends meet, were getting behind in debt, and recently decided that Suse would begin working nights and weekends to help supplement the income (i.e., Andy and Suse would sacrifice pretty much any time together).  One week after she began her part-time work, Andy was laid off from his job as a call center trainer due to the economy.  Custom photography would never be an option for them – they’ve never even been able to afford a JCPenney/Target photography session for their 1 and 2 year-old beauties.  I don’t think they have any formal pictures of the children, just snapshots.  I can’t imagine a better gift to them than to be able to capture Izak and Ellie in their first adopted year in their family.  They are beautiful and loved children who are lucky enough to be adopted into a Christian family who has everything (except, of course…money).

This is just one of the many examples of adoption stories I’ve been served up in the past few weeks, which have done some serious yanking on my heart strings.  Tonight at the Christmas Eve service, the pastor listed three things to consider about Christmas:  Christmas is about adoption, Christmas is about remembering, and Christmas is about light.  When I saw that first point up on the screen, Jason and I just looked at each other, smiled and shook our heads.  The adoption messages have gotten seriously out of hand!  (Some of you may be wondering how Christmas is about adoption.  The pastor was talking about how Jesus “adopted” others and took them in and how Joseph essentially adopted Jesus even though he wasn’t his son–I promise you it made sense!) 

I’m wishing you all peace, love, and happiness this holiday season.  I’m on vacation for the next week or so, but I’ll be touch with the nominated families after the new year.

God bless,

Kelly