A lot of “things” might be tight for people around this time of year.  After just celebrating Christmas and New Years with family and friends, if you’re anything like me, perhaps your pants are fitting a little tight.   In my case, I guess I have a little excuse seeing that I’m post-delivery, but still…I’m right there with ya’ on the holiday snacking.  Perhaps with the New Year, you have recommitted yourself to a tighter budget.  You know, the budget you were suppose to keep when buying presents for your family and friends, and found yourself exceeding.  Try being a medical family like ourselves and reinventing the word “tight” every month or so.  We just try and not think about the student loans that await us come graduating. 

And what about those schedules we promised ourselves to thin out, and get rid of the things that don’t really matter?  I’m still on that course of weeding things out, but lets be honest..everybody’s schedules are…well…tight.   I made myself  take some time off from photography in order to prepare for our baby, and then to enjoy the first few months without having to be doing 10 tasks at once.  I’m proud to say that I stuck to that promise, and I enjoyed every minute I had being a full-time, hands-on, extremely sleep-deprived, happier-than-a peach mom.  I needed that time to regroup, think of my goals for this upcoming year in my own personal life, as well as my professional career.  2009 was an incredible year for me, and I hope you have turned the page with me feeling the same way. 

So here’s to me dusting off the ole’ website, setting my goals in front of me (and achieving them!), getting back into the swing of things.  

On that note, I need to brag a little bit about my perfectly beautiful baby girl, Eliza.  Isn’t she delicious?   (You really didn’t think I’d do a post without showing her off, did you??)  And I’d like to share a few photos from two sessions I had just recently.

Eliza, 5 days

Eliza, 9 weeks

While in New York, one of my dear friends from High School waaaaaay back in the day contacted me about doing family pictures.  Of course I would!  Especially for such an amazing family who really sets the standard high for being so kind and caring.   I love their love for the arts, for nature, for all things unique and simple.  It was a sinch to do their pictures, because we were literally laughing and smiling the entire time, despite the frigid NY air. 

Also during Christmas break I got an e-mail from a dear friend that we met our first year in Michigan.   She and her husband had just brought home their beautiful baby girl from Utah and all I can say is…GORGEOUS.  Seriously, I could have sat there and looked at her lips all day long.  I was so thrilled to do pictures for them and I look forward to their family pictures when the weather warms up.  It might be awhile before that happens due to the Michigan winters we manage to live through each and every year!

Take a look at the fabulous, and oh so stylish Hazel.  Welcome home baby girl!  You have the most fabulous parents, and big brother!

When my sister called me up with an idea of photographing her kids with their best friends (which happen to all be from the same adorable family) I was all for it!  Ideas started swirling around in my head, and before we knew it, we were heading to a park in NY with 8 kids in tow.  Veronica, my sister, and Jamie were so patient and kept the other kids busy while I was focusing on some of the other ones. 

I know how very special it is to have good friends, especially for children.  It makes the biggest difference!  I hope that they can look back on these pictures with big smiles on their faces!

Can it get ANY cuter than these two little sweet peas??  During a visit home to NY to attend a few family events, I had the chance to snuggle with each of these adorable newborns; my two new nieces born just days apart!  To say I was in heaven holding them would be an understatement.  Unfortunately my pregnant brain got to me while I was there, and nearly forgot to do pictures of both of them!  We took a few frames and hoped it would suffice.  Don’t you just want to kiss their little mouths!?

Little Penelope, 20 days old

…and Lilah, 10 days old

And with our little girl coming shortly, that will be THREE girls all within 3 months of each other.  How fun will that be for them as they grow!!

It’s easy to see how this family was so fun to photograph.  Talk about photogenic!  Lisa is a dear friend, and I was totally excited to do their first family photos.   I just loved this location, and I hope to go back for future shoots in the upcoming year.  Little “C” was such a good boy, smiling for the camera, and telling me all about his red fire truck, which he gladly rode up and down this hill.  Coming down was more fun than going up :) 

Okay, so I love these next two pictures.  Once you see the second of the two, you’ll know why…

This was ALL spontaneous.  Dad was such a good sport! Ha!

Pure joy.

Thanks for a wonderful session, Stewart Family!!

Little “T”

LOVE this.  Why?  Because of the drama!  She was so hilarious…giving me the cutest “poses.”

Little 2-1/2 yr old “W” thrives off of sports.  It was evident within the first few minutes of chasing him around and watching him swing his bat, and then run as if there were bases set up in the grass.  To top it off, he slid into “home plate.”  So adorable.  By the end of the shoot, his face was turning pink from all of his exertion:) 

“W” was one of my first toddler shoots when I started up last year, so it was a true pleasure to see him again, all “grown up” and yet still so very attentive to the camera.  I wish he could give my own son some pointers about how to look at a camera! 

Where’s that gorgeous smile???

There it is!!

Someone is going to be a big brother!  Another adorable boy!

major yummy

Look how hard he is concentrating!  Love it!

I know I say it all the time, but really…families are really so cute and fun to take pictures of in so many different ways.  What I loved about these two little kiddos was their energy.  Mom and Dad were such troopers with their daughter running in one direction, with their toddler son running in another.    Look at big bro squeezing baby sis to pieces on the bench! :)  That was a cute spontaneous moment between the two of them! 

What an adorable little family!  It was so much fun to shoot at this location because their oldest son is in love with barns.  It worked out perfectly!!  Mom and I are part of a wonderful playgroup that we do on a weekly basis, so when I was editing these pictures, my son was literally jumping out of his skin, screaming their names at the computer!  So cute. 

I knew this would be my *last* senior session of the year before I “hung up my camera” so to speak, until the start of the new year.   Baby numero dos is well on its way, and it was beginning to get tricky finding ways to help myself up from all of the contorted positions I put myself in to get different perspectives and looks for my clients:)  So, with that in mind, and also the knowlege that our little family might not be here next summer due to my husband’s residency program had me pulling out all the stops.  I’ve been eyeing ALL of these places, or cars for that matter, for a long time now just waiting for the perfect shoot.   I seriously considered trading in one of my arms so I can buy this truck off of the man who graciously let us borrow it for the shoot.  I was in love with it that much.  

So after getting permission (always a GREAT idea) from the people who owned the land (or the vehicle) I headed downtown with Shelby to do her senior pictures.  My goodness, is she not beautiful?!  To say the camera loved her would be an understatement.  I had such a blast on this shoot!!

This place brings back great, but frigid memories of when we got our own family pictures taken at this wonderful location by my friend Kelli Bramble.  It was December, raining, and freezing, but I was determined to get family pictures from someone with as much skill as her before she decided to leave us all in Michigan, and head back to Utah;)  Can you tell I kind of miss my dear bud?

Anyway, it was a treat to revisit this place, and to have a session with a beautiful family such as the Grants.  Some of these shots are up there for favorites of mine!  Just look how adorable their kids are!  Thanks for a great session!