Most newborns come to our studio but this year I am also offering in-home sessions too. Nicole wanted me to capture her sweet Elliana’s first days at their home and it was totally my pleasure! Luckily it was HOT that day so we even went outside for a few semi-posed shots (that is something I can’t promise for an in-home session but the stars aligned and she slept for us!). Their home was absolutely gorgeous, Elliana was a doll but the funniest part of the whole morning were the animals! They have two dogs and three cats who are VERY protective of their new baby! Most of the shots I can’t show you because they were taken when Nicole was nursing but the pets wouldn’t leave Nicole’s side! It was hysterical! And take a look at this shot I happened to catch when one of the cats was truly done with me being there…

Scary right? When I snapped it I couldn’t believe I’d caught him looking at me like that! Really the animals were super sweet which is what made this even more funny to me!

Ok, how about some cute baby girl photos instead of scary cat photos now? HA!

Even beautiful homes don’t always have the best light so if it’s warm enough I think going outside is a good back-up plan… especially if the house has a big front porch because that light is gorgeous!

Getting shots like these is really best done at the studio where Kim and I can both be there so that we’re making sure safety is first, but luckily I had the 30mm lens with me so I could be sitting close enough to Elliana that I was just inches away at all times. We also got lucky that the hot temps and her own little sound machine tucked in the basket with her kept her sleepy!

Thanks so much for sharing your baby girl with me Nicole! Her little grin in that first shot totally kills me!

Happy Thursday everyone!

Oh man do I have a sweet treat for you on this rainy Friday! Libby was so sweet and so pretty and so fun to work with this week! She’s is TEENY tiny at only 5lbs, she was hungry and really hated being moved/posed BUT in the midst of all of that we managed to get one of my favorite galleries! Her mom mentioned that when their son was a newborn they had photos done in all black and white and while they adore those images she wanted something a little brighter, girly and colorful! I love that! And I really hope we nailed it for this awesome family!

Ok, I have to start out with Brady! He was one of our favorite three year old kiddos ever! SO articulate and so funny and so cooperative! Most young siblings have just had their worlds rocked and aren’t so into getting their photos taken so we have to break out the big guns (bribes!) but not Brady! As long as I pushed him in the swing outside he was super happy! Seriously, I can’t say enough about how awesome this little guy was!

See? Even Libby loves him already! Look at that smile!

We were SO excited when we saw that Design Aglow had used some of our images on their new Baby Photo Overlays! HERE is the link so go check them out! They are AWESOME and so versatile!

{The crown is from Naptime Knittery}

Wondering where we got that cute hat? Oh, in all the free time Kim has now that she’s not working as much she’s taught herself to knit! And she’s become super awesome at it super fast! Do crazy talented people drive you crazy as much as they do me? HA!

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend! Chris has a big game tomorrow, I have two photo sessions and by the end of the day I think we’ll all be exhausted! I’m thinking pizza and game night ending with C and I watching a movie together! What’s on your list for the weekend?

Oh and remember that 15 comments gets these guys a free 8×10!

Yesterday Bailey came up with an idea that the rest of the kids (mine plus our neighbors) implemented with my help and it totally revolutionized our backyard play time! Seriously, if you have a trampoline that you’ve taken the net off of because you don’t truly care about your kids safety AND you’ve placed it next to your deck so that your small children can climb up, precariously balance on the railing before jumping all the way down this is the PERFECT game for you!

You know I’m kidding right?

I mean, we don’t have a net anymore b/c it broke and we never replaced it. Oh and it IS right next to our deck. Ok. AND we taught them that they can jump off the deck ONLY if one of us is with them. Chris and I both grew up with trampolines so I think we might be a little casual with our safety protocols but DAMN our kids have fun! HA!

Oh Parker. She was pouting because someone took the ball. This kid will be my undoing! She’s so darn cute and so so funny and OH SO dramatic! The teenage years will be tough!

Of course she was a crazy happy kid the second she got a ball!

Then it was dinner time, Bailey got to go to a friend’s first grade musical at a different school so I treated Gray and PJ to a popsicle outside for dessert.

This shot cracks me up because at first all I saw was the dirt on his cheek until WOAH is he sucking HARD on that thing! HA! Do you see his neck?

Then while we were sucking the life out of our popsicles Daddy got home. When I casually mentioned our awesome invention, well, take a look…

I mean, seriously! He was WAY more excited than the kids! Like REALLY REALLY excited! Do you love Gray’s little face back there? Oh my boys. They kill me!

Oh my gosh you guys. When you see the amount of photos I’m sharing I think you will understand how much I loved this session! I’ve known Kate for a few years because her oldest son was in the same preschool class with Bailey AND she lives across the street from our best friends so we see them occasionally now too even though the kids are at different schools. They are the kind of family you could hang out with all day and still want more, you know? So natural and fun and just awesome to be around. Seriously, this was just the easiest session ever. All I had to do was show up with my camera and capture them just being together! The love and laughter made my job so super simple it didn’t feel right!

Ok, enough chatter!

You might have seen some of their images when I announced the Momma Mini Sessions! I love them so much I’m sharing them again!

Thank you so much for such a sweet time at the park last week! I’m not usually a “park” kind of girl but this session might have converted me! HA!

Happy Hump Day! Halfway through this crazy week and looking forward to the weekend! And a new Grey’s tomorrow night!

As promised here are some of our recent everyday moments…

We had an awesome trip to the zoo last month with our best friends (the MacBrydes), our favorites neighbors (the Storck’s), my parents and my sister+nieces! I think we had nine kids with us maybe? It was supposed to rain so we had the place to ourselves! It was perfection.

For about a week all Parker would wear was white. It was hysterical. And SO frustrating from a laundry perspective! Luckily the phase didn’t last long!

Gray was so proud this winter that he could put his coat on all by himself! His teachers at school taught him the “preschool flip”!

It’s been beautiful lately but in early March we had temps in the 80′s so we broke out the hose early…. hose+trampoline is the best!

This still makes me laugh! My kids get up early (because they go to bed early) and usually I stay in bed until about 7am but when Parker came into my room all dressed and playing the guitar it forced me to get up to grab the camera. When I found her again she was standing in the kitchen in a patch of light from the back door just staring out at the rising sun. I love this shot of her.

There were so many others fun shots from our night at Bailey’s First Grade Musical but this one is SO my kids right now! Gray being mad, Bailey smiling like I asked and Parker being, well, Parker, and totally cracking me up. Kelly was outside so I asked her to come help get smiles out of grumpy Gray and he would NOT break! So she tried tickling him and it might be hard to tell but he’s trying hard to still be mad! Ugh! Three can be such a frustrating age! I swear that kid has more mood swings than any woman I know!

I now swear by the Listerine technique! Douse hair in the hard core orange Listerine and put on a shower cap for 2 hours. Pretend like your house doesn’t smell as if someone has a nasty mouth disease. Douse hair in vinegar, wrap hair in saran wrap, put back on shower cap and leave on for 30 minutes. Comb out hair and then shower. You can even put the Listerine in a spray bottle to spray couches, carpet, etc. It really works!

I never got a good shot of my own kids at one of C’s first home games but I love this shot of Kelsey! One of my favorite spring activities is meeting Angie and the kids up at the field to eat dinner and watch the Daddies coach!

The week of Easter brought LOTS and LOTS of talk at home about Jesus. It was the first year we really dove into the true meaning of the week. Every night we would read from multiple Bibles about what exactly was happening on “this” day so long ago. On Good Friday, before school, we read the story of Jesus being crucified from our two favorite children’s Bibles and talked a lot about how He died for our sins. Then I remembered the idea my friend Adriane had… to use a permanent marker and put a little cross on our hands to remind us all day what Good Friday is all about. Parker asked to add in a little heart which was actually totally perfect! Bailey was upset the next day that hers was faded and I think the idea really did work to remind ALL of us about what was so important!

Have you guys seen the new girl legos? I know there is some controversy about them but my kids, all three of them, love them. They play Legos almost every morning before school. When I came in that morning and saw that Parker had her girl taking photos of animals I totally cracked up!

Parker leaves toys doing random things all over the house. I should make an album of all the shots like this I have!

Not the best photo… I ran out of the house as they were leaving because I forgot to get a shot of them so they just turned around for me… and that soda can makes me want to scream… BUT… look at Chris and Grayson. Don’t they look exactly alike? I love that!

I’ve been taking a photo ALMOST every day since January and I am LOVING this project still. One day I’m going to be SO glad I did this… more than I already am!

Last week I taught Bailey a new-to-her hand clap. I’m sure you’ve all heard it and I think it actually came from Sesame Street, at least that’s where I remember learning it as a kid.

“Down down baby, down by the roller coaster. Sweet sweet baby, momma never let you go. Shimmy shimmy cocoa pop, shimmy shimmy pow! Shimmy shimmy cocoa pop, shimmy shimmy pow! Grandma grandma, sick in bed, called the doctor and the doctor said… let’s get the rhythm of the head, ding dong. Let’s get the rhythm of the head, ding dong….”

Am I the only one that remembers this?

Anyway, there is a part that goes, “Let’s get the rhythm of the HOT DOG…” and you’re supposed to put your hands on your hips and swivel them around in a circle. As I was teaching Bailey I was laughing so hard watching her move her hips! But THEN it got even funnier when we taught Parker! And then our neighbors, Emma and Riley! And actually you can do this in a big circle all clapping hands together but the girls don’t totally get the hand clapping part, they just like all the moves and the song.

SO yesterday when they were singing it OVER and OVER and OVER in our backyard I went out to snap some shots and hands down the ones that make me smile the most are the HOTDOG ones (you have to say it like HOOOOOOOOTDOG)! They just crack me up!

Oh it’s the little things right? HA!

I love having such good friends right across the street!

KELLY… when did Emma get so dang tall? And God? When is Bailey going to GROW? She is the shortest kid in her grade I think!

Happy Monday!

ps… I’m still keeping up with my “everyday” project! I need to blog some recent ones soon!

When is the last time you got on the other side of the camera? Just you and your kids. Cuddling, playing, tickling, laughing… all the things you do throughout your day and all the things that rarely are captured. Treat yourself for Mother’s Day and book one of these sessions! You will not regret it!

We had the best day! Sugar highs, extended family, good friends, a beautiful church service and our awesome kids. Sometimes I’m not sure why God has blessed us with so much!

Alleluia Christ is Risen!

The Lord is Risen Indeed!

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Before spring break I had the awesome opportunity to hang out with my sweet friend, Tricia, and her baby girl. After two boys she was thrilled to have a girl so we decided to capture some of their special moments together. Mostly that’s nursing right now, so a lot of her session I won’t share on this bog ole internet, but the others we shot are so precious too! We’ve seen a lot of 6-12 month babies lately and every one reiterates that they are my favorite age. Still a little baby but starting to bubble with personality! Oh man!

Tricia has been instrumental in my being able to become full time. She’s my new business consultant, manager, BOSS, you name it and she’s running it! I trust her immensely and if we survive this financial change it will be so much because of her! THANK YOU friend for helping to bring my dream a reality! And thank you for letting my into your beautiful home to help capture your sweet baby girl who you know I adore!

Happy Wednesday friends!

Slowly I will be sharing all of our staycation adventures because while Chris was out of town I kind of rocked it with the kids! We did SO many fun things, hung out with friends, enjoyed new adventures and explored new areas of our town. Chris comes home tomorrow, school starts Monday and while I’m ready for both of those, if we had a few more days of this break I wouldn’t be sad. I had one pretty rough day emotionally and a few hard mom moments but overall, and especially when we’ve been outside, I’ve loved my one-on-one time with the kids.

Speaking of outside I realized one major thing about myself this week. If you give me the choice I will ALWAYS choose to be outside and exploring/hiking with my kids. Inside spaces, any really, but mostly ones filled with lots of other people, give me anxiety and this is a new development the older I get. The Science Center, for example, where we went one morning with some great friends, was fun but there was a part of me just screaming to get the hell out of there. It kind of started my roughest day but then by the late afternoon when we were outside playing in a new park (photos to come soon) I was peaceful, happy and truly enjoying my time with my kids. Same day, very different space and very different reaction to my kids. When I’m at peace outside I’m a calmer person and overall better mom.

The downside to my wide-open-happy-spaces are the bugs. Which I hate. Like the tick that crawled down my arm tonight as I was eating dinner. UGH!

Anyway, I have tons of photos from the last five days and I can’t wait to document it all here!

These images are from our 3+ hour hike at Rockwoods Reservation with my parents. We had a BLAST! My mom has memories of going out there as a child and playing in big caverns. So for the first hour we walked on different trails trying to find them, asked strangers (who all had NO idea what she was talking about), drove around and finally just tried the “Quarry Trail” hoping it would turn out right. The bad part was that the trail was over 2 miles and I really didn’t think Gray could do that. But we set off and at the VERY end we found what my mom remembered… totally fenced off and not allowed anymore! HA!

Those are their grumpy faces! HA! The funniest part is that I took this photo after we walked OUT of that closed trail and climbed through the fence to get out! We saw the fenced off caves/caverns from where we were, hiked over there, saw the barbed wire, heard stories from my mom’s childhood and then hiked down the paved/closed trail. It might not be funny to anyone else but I couldn’t stop laughing!

This shot cracks me up because while my dad was showing Gray some neat snails stuck to the submerged rocks he tooted (Gray not my dad) and totally cracked himself up! HA! Such a boy!

At the start of the trail before we had to walk up some HUGE hills! Or before Gray fell and I had to CARRY him up the HUGE hills.

For the first mile or so Gray and I held up the rear, by quite a lot actually. He was just SLOW and it was ok. For once my phone wasn’t on me and I had not a care in the world but hanging with my little man and enjoying the beautiful day with him. He gathered “gum balls” (acorns), we counted, he did some math (he loves figuring out addition), we looked at ant hills and flowers and talked about what kind of animals live out there. When we finally caught up to my parents he ran ahead and said, “Mommy is a slow walker!” HA! I guess he thought he was hanging back to support ME!

When we did catch up the last mile or so was all about catching bugs. I mentioned that Parker was supposed to have been searching and catching bugs to bring to school next week so my dad started teaching the kids about what’s underneath rotten logs. I am NOT a bug person but I love that my kids are! Bailey is by far the bravest of all of us!

She even caught a salamander!

My only photo with the kids this week! I hate that I spend so much time with them and am so rarely on that end of the lens!

The one and only cavern we were able to explore. The kids thought it was pretty cool even though it was barely anything (and totally filled with junk!).

It was so great watching them search for bugs and try walking sticks and find new treasures (we found lots of old snail shells and one awesome heart shaped rock to add to our growing collection of heart shaped rocks) and hear my mom’s stories and just BE with them all. My kids and my parents. Couldn’t have picked a better way to spend the afternoon!