Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Stones!

Instead of sending something by snail-mail this year, we thought we'd make a blog entry and give y'all a few photos to look at (you may click each image for a larger view). We celebrate Christmas as a family of five this year. It's been a challenging year with Jeff making a minor job transition, and trudging through tough economic times. Money is tight but we feel SO rich with all that God has blessed us with. In addition to the Photography Business (http://www.jefferystone.com) and continuing to broker some cars, Jeff is working with the Youngstedt's group (http://www.youngstedts.com) as an account manager acquiring fleet business for the Goodyear stores around the Twin Cities and the Maaco store in Chanhassen. Alicia is a great mom and wife and keeps us all clean, fed, (relatively) organized and on schedule. What are we doing this weekend, honey? She is so thankful for the support (and cooking!) of neighbors, friends and family as we continue to transition into life with our "three ring circus".




Baby Nolan, born August 18th, has been such a wonderful and sweet baby. He is starting to find his voice and loves to smile and giggle with his sisters. He's been a very mellow baby (perhaps because his parents are a little more mellow this time?) and he is a great example for his big sisters (not one naughty word or whining yet!). Alicia and I can hardly hold him enough, and the girls... "Stop Smothering Him" is a common phrase around our home. Now that our "quiver" is officially full, we find ourselves wishing we could FREEZE time with Nolan. He certainly is not allowed to start crawling until he is at least 15 months old... :-)



Amelia, our second child is a little "fire-cracker". She is 3 and would like you to think she is a bit older. "I'm 3-and-a-half, you can come to my birthday party", she often says. Like her older sister, she is extremely verbal. If you ever call our home, be prepared for a conversation with a 3 or 5-year-old as they have taken over the "front desk". The other evening we found the phone buzzing in the kitchen. Amelia had answered the phone 45 minutes earlier and never bothered to give it to anyone. I hope it was one of those telemarketers calling during the dinner hour. "Is your mommy there... Hello... Hello....." If it was you... Sorry. She's never short on drama, and we love her dearly even if we need some "down time" to pull ourselves together after one of her outbreaks. Despite the drama, she always seems to know when to say: "I love you mommy and daddy" punctuated by her adorable dimples.





Anika, our oldest child started Kindergarten this fall. It's hard to believe it's been over 5 years since we became parents. Grandma and Grandpa... for what it's worth, we now believe you that it goes by quickly. Anika is an absolute joy to be around. She is learning to read, enjoying new friends and doing well in school, and is growing in faith and knowledge of God. She often prays that she would be a "light" to her friends at school and in our neighborhood. Anika loves to explore the outdoors and likes to exercise. She is grateful for her younger siblings... especially when she needs someone to enter a room and turn the light on before her. We're workin' on that whole bravery thing.




FOUR Generations. This photo was taken last month when we dedicated Nolan to the Lord. Pictured from left to right is: Howard Sutton (my mom's father - 81), Paul Stone (my father -56), Nolan J. Stone (my son - 4mo), Dr. Stanley Stone (my dad's father- 93), and me. We are grateful for every day we have with Godly men to influence us. Such an amazing heritage.

We know times are tough for so many. We've certainly experienced difficult times this year, yet we are confident that the God who made us is in control of all things. We don't claim to understand all that has happened among us this year, but we will keep looking up. This Christmas season serves as a great reminder to us that money and things make lousy "gods", and that the greatest gift of all is Jesus. May God bless you and your family in 2009. -The Stones

Samantha is Two!

Thanks Jennifer and Samantha for coming by the studio tonight! Samantha... you are SO cute! What a cute smile and dimple and such beautiful eyes you have. God sure made you special! You did such a good job. Thanks for playing with Anika and Amelia. They sure had fun. We hope you enjoy your pix. You did so well we had over 90 pictures to choose from! Here are some of my favorites. You can click them if you'd like to see a larger version.

You don't have to go to the studio for Christmas pix. The Studio can come to you

My niece made a great model... right in her own kitchen. I brought my lights, reflectors, camera, and Laptop to Thanksgiving dinner and Ivy was happy to pose in her new Christmas dress. There's still time to get family and children pictures done and have them printed before Christmas. Remember... the studio can come to you!

Nora Lundeen's 1-Year and family pix

How do you get a one-year-old to sit still? Lots of jumping, shouting, waving toys, wearing pop-poms as wigs, props, and mom and dad close by to help. You did great Nora! I think the pictures turned out cute! Thanks Max and Angie for the opportunity to photograph your beautiful family today. Happy Thanksgiving!!






OK Nora.... You can be done now. :-)

On the Road Again

I had the opportunity to take a small road trip last week. My father-in-law owns an Architectural firm in Menomonie, WI (adg-architects.com). "ADG" builds high-efficiency commercial buildings. Tim (my father-in-law) and his staff of 10, incorporate building orientation, shapes, light, windows, airflow methods, geothermal heating, materials, and nearly 30 years of experience to reduce the impact their buildings have on our environment and on their client's budgets. A few times a year I photograph buildings for them through out Eastern MN and Western WI. Here are a few shots from Thursday of last week. We even bumped into "Mater" on the road.

John McCain Sarah Palin Campaign Rally at Anoka Airport 09-19-08

I was able to obtain access to the media area during the campaign rally welcoming John McCain and Sarah Palin to the Anoka County Airport Friday September 19th, 2008. I was told John McCain had a knack for showing up on time. They were supposed to be there at noon. Their bus (The Straight Talk Express) arrived at 11:59am and they made their way on stage at 1200 hours on the nose. 10,000 people were expected at the rally and nearly 20,000 showed up. It seems Sarah Palin has truly energized the Republican party, and party faithful seem confident that they will "take Minnesota" in November. Others spoke before McCain and Palin arrived. Two pictured here are Minnesota 2nd Distict Congressman John Kline and State Senator Norm Coleman.

Here's a little Video of our hike by the MN River this morning with the Larson Girls

RNC - St. Paul - Thursday night 9-4-08 - Police Presence

My friend Adam and I went downtown St. Paul to take some pix during McCain's speech on Thursday evening. My brother-in-law, Kevin, is in the picture of the cops in riot gear. He's the guy on the left (S479). They arrested nearly 200 people on Thursday evening alone. We were there when they were cuffing people, booking them and putting them into prison buses. The group protesters had hoped to make it to the "X", but never made it out of the Sears parking lot across the Marion St. Bridge. Some of the other shots are taken in Rice Park where MSNBC was broadcasting live coverage. Things there were pretty civil until the convention let out. We left St. Paul as a number of officers were leaving the Marion Street Bridge for Rice Park. My understanding is that a number of other arrests were made there later in the evening. I've never seen such a stong police and military presence in the twin cities. A massive coordination of nearly 80 police departments, the National Guard, St. patrol SWAT, HASMAT, Secret Service and private security companies as well... pretty impressive. More than anything I came away thankful for a country that allows differing opinion, and offers a guy like me the freedom to walk the streets in safety.