Personal Post: Danielle’s Baby Shower

Last weekend, my family and I threw my cousin Danielle a baby shower for what will be the first great-grandchild in the family. We didn’t know the baby’s gender, so we decided on a soft pastel, handmade theme (with plenty of inspiration from Pinterest of course!).  Weeks ahead Danielle’s dad brought over fresh fish for a little family dinner, and as we finished eating, we all gathered around for baby shower crafting.  Everyone got into it: grandpa, and fathers, and husbands all making pom-pons and tag banners - their hardworking precision applied to something so sweet and feminine.

We wanted the decorations to be a surprise for Danielle, but little did we know she had a surprise for us.  For months she had been so sneaky, keeping the baby’s gender an absolute secret - it was all we could do to keep from gossiping wildly about what we thought it would be.  As we set up for the shower, Danielle pulled out a beautiful cake made by the same bakery who did her wedding three years ago. The cake was to be a gender reveal!  After patiently waiting through games, gifts and food, I had the honor of cutting the cake and announcing to all the guests that there would be a baby Hazel entering our family in May.  Many congratulations to Danielle and Reggie!  We are looking forward to your maternity photos this weekend and baby Hazel’s arrival in a few months! :)

Welcome, New Baby Ryan!

Tomorrow is a day of Thanksgiving - a day to count our blessings, and nothing can quite get you in the mood for that as well as a newborn baby. Tiny toes, tiny fingers and a sweet little sleeping smile... there is just nothing like it. :)  Baby Ryan was a little older for his session than most of our newborns, but because he was an early arrival, it was just like photographing a week old baby. He was flexible, tiny and spent his entire session in a deep slumber.

 It is amazing to me how much he already looks like mom and dad; he spared no time in telling everyone that he is a part of the family.  Baby Ryan is lucky enough to come into this world with a brother and sister so excited to have him.  He arrived just in time to celebrate all the holidays with them and to be passed around the family so everyone can soak up the warmth and remember when their babies were that small.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, and congratulations to the {L} Family!

Welcome, New Baby Madelyn!

There is nothing so precious as a newborn baby, and such is the case with new baby Madelyn!  At two weeks she was just over five pounds so we had to be patient and wait until she was big enough for some of the beautiful clothes that mommy picked out for her.  Some people are just born to be parents - they have that nurturing spirit and are just waiting for the day when their little one arrives.  Madelyn was lucky enough to be adopted by two such people.  She is perfect with her big brown eyes and little pink lips and the three of them are just so happy that this little girl was destined to be a part of their family.  Congratulations {S} family on your little girl!

David Turns Two Years!

David is a child so full of joy that it is absolutely contagious.  He is always smiling and on the go, ready for his next big adventure!  It was so fun getting to know he and his family for two year and family photos.  We chose a natural setting that would offer us beautiful backgrounds, and him a safe and fun place to run about.  Melissa brought along David’s cowboy gear and tractor - our favorite part being the little red cowboy boots grandma chose for him (aren’t they adorable?!)  Happy 2nd Birthday, David!

{ Carter Turns Two Years! }

Carter is such a funny little guy - he is smart and talkative and spends his sessions making us laugh out loud.  Two year sessions are usually spent chasing our little subjects around and trying to keep their attention for that fraction of a second that creates a beautiful photograph.  With Carter it was nothing like that.  He watched the people around us with rapt attention, he followed all our posing directions exactly, and he found a way to be a part of each game we started.  Even with catching a little bug at daycare, he found a way to tough it out and be a perfect little model.  Happy two year Birthday, Carter!

Welcome, New Baby Morgan!

I can't even explain how much I love newborn photos.  There is such a sweetness to being one of the first people to see this brand new life, so tiny and perfect.  Morgan Jean was seven days old for her session, and spent the whole time in a deep slumber letting us wiggle, pose and wrap her any way we needed.  She did such a good job for us, as did big brother, Carter who joined us for the beginning of the session.  So many congratulations to the {K} Family on the arrival of their little girl!

Hudson Turns 18 Months!

Hudson is such a character.  He is so full of personality and expression that he just cracks us up at every photo session.  For his 18 month session, we pulled out our many toys to get him to smile, but he found our lint roller to be most enthralling.  I think he wanted to jump in and help out instead of getting his photo taken. He was busying himself lint rolling the floor and putting away our stools and chairs each time we brought out a new one for a photo.  He wanted to be a helper and couldn't figure out why we wanted him to sit still when there was so much work to be done!  We love that about him! Happy 18 Months, Hudson; you are growing up into such a little man!

{ Introducing New Baby Ariella! }

We love finding families who are looking for exactly what like best: babies who are only days old, handmade outfits and hairpieces, and sweet, sleepy images.  The beauty is in combining these details in a way that shows all the precious, little expressions and tiny little lips, toes and fingers.  Tamra brought along such beautiful outfits for her new baby Ariella, as well as the cutest matching set for her other three children.  My very favorite is the feathered diaper cover and hairpiece - this little girl is a 1920s movie star!

Ariella did such a good job - she wanted to be wrapped up tight and kept warm, and each time she fell asleep, it was a deep and peaceful sleep (which made posing that much easier for us).  We also got a chance to play with Avery, Aiden and Alexis for awhile, which was fun for us.  We brought out the simplest block set and they were thoroughly entertained - coming up with new ways to put them together, and new rules to make the game more complicated.  I love how children really show their personalities as they interact.  Congratulations to Tamra and Chad on their beautiful little girl and growing family!