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this one’s just for you, sweet gretchen – [St. Louis Newborn Photographers]
Posted on November 12, 2009
After what still feels like such an emotionally raw week, it’s great to take the time to revisit sweet little Gretchen’s session. And we had a beautifully WARM day that day. Never in our wildest dreams would we think we’d be able to comfortably take a newborn outside in November! Little Miss Gretchen is a teeny little thing and oh so sweet… I don’t think we ever heard her fuss much! It was just great to hang out with her fabulous family! Her mom, Maggie, feels like an old friend that Jodie & I could sit and talk to for hours… and I guess we did! 
So here are a few more fun images from that day!
and one just for the super proud Grandpa!
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the lucky ones.
Posted on November 12, 2009
Kim and I have had a hard week. Our hearts are still breaking for Pamela and Nolan. Every time we talk about it one or both of us starts tearing up. It’s hard. And we’re just outsiders. So you can imagine, or maybe you can’t, what they’re going through.
So last night Kim sent me this song to cheer us both up. She said everything in her playlist was depressing her.
This song is perfect.
And late late late last night I grabbed random videos from our Flip Video Camera dated April-Nov 09 and threw this video together…
I love our Flip but I HATE HATE HATE the movie making program and I can’t, for the life of me, figure out how to get those videos into iMovie! So anyway, this is not timed right AT ALL but you get the point.
Be thankful.
And keep praying for Pamela and Nolan.
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Lila – {St. Louis Newborn Photography}
Posted on November 12, 2009
This morning Kim and I met the chunkiest 12 day old baby ever! Oh the rolls! And the cheeks! Loved her!
Her big sister is pretty cute too! And SO sweet!
She loved holding her and mom wanted a few in their Christmas outfits…
And then Rowan got to go play with Grandma and it was all Lila again!
AND DONE! HA! Love it!
Thanks Ulvsted family!
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Thanx Christina – you save my life almost every day!
Posted on November 11, 2009
I’ve known the owners and employees at Imo’s in Kirkwood since I was in high school and my friend started working there. And thank goodness because that 10+ year relationship allows me to get Mnt Dew’s delivered to my doorstep on days when I REALLY need the caffeine and REALLY don’t want to drag three kids in the car to a gas station.
But until recently when I was in the area and ran INSIDE Imo’s to get my soda I just thought ANYONE could order JUST a soda and get it delivered.
And then I saw this:
So I guess it really is just ME in ALL of Kirkwood with this special privilege! HA!
THANX CHRISTINA!!!
And in honor of my special privilege, I am drinking one now! And it’s awesome!
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The Lopez Family – {St. Louis Family Photographers}
Posted on November 11, 2009
Kim and I got to hang out with this adorable family last weekend and had so much fun! Their kids are adorable and OH MY look at Sam’s lips! He is going to have so many girls crushing on him with those eyes and lips!
Thanks guys! If we weren’t so behind I’d show you more!!! There are SO many great shots from your session!
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It’s funny how I feel the day after being in the hospital. You would think I would want to spend quality time with my kids but instead all I want to do it have alone time. I want to sit at my desk all day and just work. Or fold laundry. Or something away from the whining and neediness of my children. It’s just so opposite of what I think I should want.
And if I had a sitter available I would be getting my kids dressed right now.
But instead I will take Bailey and Parker to school in a few hours, run an errand with Gray, come home to play, pick the girls up, feed them lunch and pray for time to speed by until naptime. Isn’t that terrible?
And when I come away from a super emotional day like that I also get hermit-like. Wanting to talk to no one, ignoring my phone, barely answering emails, etc. Because I guess what I really want to do is just lay in bed and sleep it off, or lay on the couch and watch a movie, or something else sloth-like.
I’ve been doing NILMDTS for over a year now and I still can’t figure out why I get to feeling this way.
But I do feel blessed to have Kim as my friend, who was there (more than me even yesterday) and just gets it. And I have crazy awesome support from my friends and family. Which is awesome.
But what I really want today is a babysitter and no todo list staring at me!
Oh to dream.
So on that super-happy-let’s-get-this-day-started attitude… GO!
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Baby Gretchen 4 days new – {St. Louis Newborn Photographers}
Posted on November 10, 2009
We have so many other images to share from this session, but today (when we were due to have their sneak peek done) was a whirlwind. To say the least. The very least.
The least important of the happenings (in the grand scheme) was a conference call I had with the president and director of marketing at Molten USA. You know, the company that makes THESE balls? We are in negotiations with them to buy the rights to those images for use in their 2010 national ad campaign. Pretty major stuff that we’re super excited about! That call happened at 1:30pm today. Thank goodness Angie was there to do all the talking b/c I was officially brain dead.
And I was brain dead because truly my heart and mind were with Kim, Pamela and Nolan as they welcomed sweet baby Elijah into the world at St. John’s. Elijah lived long enough for his mommy to hold him, sing to him, read to him and he even got to meet his big brother. He was born at 1:23pm.
We’re not sure why God had two major things going on for us today. We’re not sure why they both happened simultaneously either. Thankfully I was able to get back to the hospital to help Kim finish up the photos.
It has been a hard day. To say the least. The very least. But like all of our work for NILMDTS, today was not about us. It was about Elijah. And his mom and dad. And his sweet family. And Kim and I were blessed beyond measure to be there. And as I was driving away from the hospital to get to my house for the conference call I was thanking God that he put both of us together. So she could take care of one thing while I did the other. It truly cemented in me that we were meant to join forces with Fresh Art.
Like my good friend Sharon says, it wasn’t a coincidence today that Elijah was born at the same time I was getting the call, it was a God-incidence. God ordained today and someday He might reveal more of His reasons to us. But tonight, I am just thankful for Him. For Him that had counted the hairs on Elijah’s head and holds him close as I type this. And I’m thankful for my healthy babies. Who I hugged a little tighter and a lot longer than normal tonight.
So sweet baby Gretchen… you will get another blog post soon. One that is just about YOU sweet girl!
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Normandy High School – {St. Louis Sports Photographers}
Posted on November 10, 2009
Kim and I have had some photo shoots recently with a local high school… they just redid an old gym and created the MOST amazing athletic center! We went out, photographed it and then created some marketing materials for them. Our true passion is with newborns, we adore families and love seniors but it is really fun every once in a while to jump out of your comfort zone and photograph something different… like a BIG GIANT workout center!
Did you see that BEFORE and AFTER? I mean seriously! Awesome.
So the CFO of Normandy School District called me today to see if we could come out last minute to their BIG football game tonight…
Now, I do not know a heck of a lot about football. And what I know is from Chris telling me when we were sophomores in college and would hang out on Sunday’s in my dorm watching football. Which I only did b/c I was madly in love with him and would have done ANYTHING to hang out with him! Because football totally and completely bores me actually.
But NOT last night.
Not when you’re standing on the sidelines watching these kids work their hardest to win.
Not when it could be these seniors last game.
It was exciting. And emotional. And I got completely lost in the moment.
Even though I had to ask Leon if they had switched sides and other questions that made me look like a total idiot!
And then at the very end of the game, when Normandy was down 7-14 they got a touchdown. And then they scored those 2 extra points (whatever they are called!) and this is that moment when they took the lead…
Awesome.
It was so awesome.
After the game, when they’d won, Kim and I were giving each other high fives all over the place! We’re such nerds but it was SO great!
According to Chris, who is my personal sport expert, Normandy will now advance to the State Quarter Finals this Saturday… which is a HUGE deal for this school!
GO NORMANDY!
(Well, AND Webster since they won last night too and that’s where C teaches and I think he’d be mad if I didn’t at least cheer them on too! HA! So… GO WEBSTER!)
And if you want to see some highlights from this game go HERE!
Kim and I love our newborns. For sure. But this was REALLY a fun change for us!
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We have two sneak peeks to get up this week (thanks for being patient Lopez family and Golterman family!) but we have a big day today! A newborn session this morning and then something kind of exciting! I’ll share here if it all works out! But if you can, say a prayer for me around 1:30pm please!!! THANKS!
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