So close...

Nickie and Brian wanted maternity pictures but we kept having scheduling conflicts.
Finally!
At 39 weeks and 1 day we had our maternity shoot. Nickie's dog, "Little" is in for quite the shock... but don't tell Nickie. She loves Little so much and is nervous about the changes the baby will bring to her relationship with Little. Considering how important Little is to Nickie it seemed appropriate that this big eared cutie be included in some pictures.

When I showed Nickie the LCD display on the back of the camera after getting some belly shots she was amazed at the size of her belly. She explained that she often doesn't see herself in the mirror so it is a shock every time she sees just how big her belly is. For the record- it was incredibly cute!

Nickie and Brian are incredibly adorable and I know they are going to be very sweet, involved, and loving parents.

Looking forward to seeing you guys again soon... real soon! Thanks for a great morning of pictures and pregnancy/birth/baby talk.

Still cold

On my way to the second shoot of the day (Saturday) I'm pretty certain I saw some teeny tiny snow flakes falling.
Shocking.
Even so... I was nice and toasty in my car so convinced that it was too too cold to do pictures outside if everyone just wore sweaters. Well, remember this sweet mommy and baby? I was back to get pictures of the whole family! Everyone was just as sweet as mom, Rebecca and baby Laila. They even braved the freezing cold for a few minutes of picture taking.

Aren't these girls adorable? And so loving towards each other... well, Laila hasn't quite learned that pulling her sisters hair is no way to show sisterly affection... but she'll learn:)

Having family pictures done can be so stressful but it didn't seem to phase these parents at all. It probably helped that we were at their home but it was also just their laid back attitude. Their mutual respect for each other was also evident. It was very cool to see the whole family interacting having only met Rebecca and Laila previously.

Thank you everyone for being such a happy bunch. I love loved the matching outfits.

A meat locker

On the way home from this shoot I heard a dj on the radio say: "have you ever been stuck inside a meat locker? Yeah, that's what it feels like outside. With the wind chill factor it feels like it's in the teens."

It was beyond cold.
And windy.
Even so- pregnancies continue and Jenn is getting closer and closer to the end of hers.

Her eyes are crazy blue. I'm curious to see if this baby inherits mom's bright blue eyes or not.

This sweet couple was so adorable with each other. I can't wait to see them when their baby arrives and the start down the path of parenting.

Thank you so much for a fun- if not cold- shoot. I'm looking forward to seeing you again after your precious bundle arrives.

Fantastic Fall

It's getting colder and colder each day and that means Baby Cassidy will be here very soon! Fortunately it was still warm enough (although Brian might disagree) to get some outdoor belly shots. This couple is so excited about their new baby- it was start to rub off on me!

Brian and AJ had these adorable magnetic letters hung up on their oven hood and I thought they would be perfect to shoot. I thought perhaps we could find a better place than the oven hood for the picture. We asked Brian to come up with something while we worked on other pictures. His idea was a golf club. It was perfect... but the back yard fence ended up doing the job.

But really you came to see the belly, right? I love this portrait of AJ. She and Brian seem so prepared and confident in their pregnancy and birth choices. All they need to do now is wait for their baby to make its appearance.... oh and also figure out what to pack in their hospital bag.

Thank you both for letting me come to do this very fun maternity shoot. I can't wait for you to see the pictures! They will be on their way as soon as possible.

He's here!

Remember this adorable couple?
Well, they are now officially the proud parents of this equally adorable peanut!

This tiny Peanut is not so tiny. His mom proudly informed me that he recently (yesterday?) weighed in at 11lbs something!!! He's 10 days old, for the record. But when he's holding his Daddy's finger it's easy to remember that he's still a brand new baby.

Mom called this next pose their exhausted pose. I thought she was referring to Peanut- but no, no- she was talking about the adults in the family. And that makes sense. Everyone is still getting to know each other and while I think Mom and Dad have this sleep thing down- Peanut is not so well practiced. Despite all this everyone was cheerful and glowing.

Congratulations again you two on a very beautiful baby. Hope tonight you get a little more sleep. Thanks so much for having me over to create some images of this moment- because like you said- baby's change so quickly!

Tall as a tree!

Emma wasn't feeling well, it was drizzling and we were quickly losing our natural light but despite all this Emma remained smiley and willing to sit on whatever minimally wet patch of ground I suggested. Under these huge trees worked well because the ground was minimally damp.

We found a dry porch to use for some dry portraits. I was so impressed with Emma's smiley-ness knowing she was still running a mild fever.

And just for fun I created this image to show Emma's l-o-n-g legs. She is one tall girl and I'm sure she's not done growing yet!

Thank you Emma for a fun quick photo shoot on a drizzly yucky day.

Enthusiasm

Taylor was so enthusiastic about her mini photo shoot at her grandparents house. It was raining and we were a little short on light but she was still excited about doing portraits.

It's easy to see why when you see how photogenic she is. Her enthusiasm and desire to please made this shoot a breeze.

I love her sparkling green eyes and her big smile. I tried to distract her by asking about the animals on her family's farm. She would say one or two words and then smile big when she thought I was about to click the shutter button. Too funny.

Thank you Taylor for a very fun shoot- despite the rain!