RACHAEL EARL » PHOTOGRAPHY: Lifestyle Portraiture and Wedding Photography

Okay, so maybe it’s more like boy of style. Either way, this little guy is pretty stinkin’ cute!

I love boys with dogs and girls with cats. Weird, I know. Just go with it.

Jasper is a Dapper Dan Man.

I can’t tell you how often I watch the news and see a story about a child drowning. I would guess nearly one every single day. I’m not kidding. You’ll notice when you go to view the video that there are about 12 stories on the same page of drownings or near drownings of young children. It’s the tragic statistic in Arizona, where so many families and neighborhoods have pools and other water sources that children can easily fall into, struggling to survive.

Brooklyn was on the news last night showing off her skills in the ISR program (www.infantswim.com), which teaches children as young as 6 months survival swim techniques that could save their life. We are huge advocates of this program, as Abbie also went through it when she was young. We first learned about it from a friend of ours when we saw their 18 month old swim like a fish across their entire pool. While we were excited about the potential of having a fun day of swimming without having to hold Abbie the entire time, we were also intrigued by the lifesaving skills she could learn in the program. Young children first learn to roll to their back if they are ever caught in the water, and later learn the swim-float-swim technique to safely bring them to the side of the pool or the steps to safety.

As you heard on the TV, the cost is quite pricey, but we feel that it is the best investment we have ever made for our children. I have never seen a swimming program that has so quickly and so efficiently taught a young child the skills they need to survive in this situation. Not only do they learn to swim in their suits, but during the last week of lessons, they swim in summer clothes, pajamas, and full winter clothes with shoes, simulating the situations that they could ACTUALLY get into in the real world. The peace of mind of this program makes it worth every single penny. For more information, please email Darla Sandy at d.sandy@infantswim.com. Darla teaches lessons in Gilbert, Arizona, but could recommend an instructor in your area. She teaches ISR instructors around the world as well if you are interested in becoming an instructor.

Looking for something fun to give as a gift, but have no ideas? How about a portrait session? I just got my brand new shipment of gift certificates in, which are redeemable for a free portrait session of your recipient’s choice. Give that special someone something they will remember!

Email me for more info!

* LABOR DAY SPECIAL: THIS weekend, gift certificates can be purchased at $25 off the regular price, which makes them $125!