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This post is long over due.  My sweet baby has turned 2.  Can you believe it?!  I certainly can’t.  I knew that time would go fast but it has really gone faster than I have wanted.  I have and still continue to LOVE and CHERISH every stage my girls are in.  It’s not always easy, but that’s ok.  I feel so lucky to be a Mom and I try really hard to not take it for granted.  Lately I’ve been thinking about how short of time we really get to have with our kids.  They grow up on us and then this wonderful and oh so perfect stage of my life will be over.   I know that there are still good things to come, but right here and right now I choose to live in this moment.  I LOVE being a Mom!

Am I way behind on blogging??  Um….yes!  I’m so far behind that I’m not even sure people remember that I have a blog.   I do however post more regularly on Facebook so, if you haven’t already, come and “like” me and you can see more of my recent work.

It’s always so special to me to capture a young family, who clearly adores their first baby!  This family was no exception.  Little guy was full of energy and he was all boy.  I just loved it.

It was a bittersweet day a few weeks ago.  My baby turned one!  I have to say that this has been the fastest year of my life.  I have tried to make sure and savor every moment with my children.  I definitely don’t take for granted the miracle it is to have a baby.  This past year has been a tender mercy for me.  I can’t put to words how much I have adored being a Mom to two sweet girls and our angel son and to finally have another baby in our home.  I knew the time would go quickly so I savored it as much as I could.  I would pull her out of her crib while she was sleeping just so I could hold her.  I made sure that my days weren’t too busy so that I would have no regrets and wishing for that time back.  I even went as far as not asking for too many babysitting requests, because I didn’t want to miss anything.  As I’ve watched my oldest grow into a beautiful young lady, I now know how fast it goes and I will never wish it away.  I will take the millions of diaper changes, teething, late nights, and toddler tantrums because it is all worth it!  Thank you Ashlee, Cade and Ila…you’ve changed my life.

Here are some from Ila’s one year session……….

What an absolute joy it was to photograph this family.  The kids were amazing and were so much fun to photograph!  The littlest one is about the same age as my little Ila and it was a treat for me to see their similarities at that age.  She was all smiles until the camera came out, but in the end we were able to grab a few of her beautiful smile and one of those cute baby crying moments that I personally love so much.  They only have that cute baby cry for so long.  Enjoy their feature!

So, here is part 2 like I promised!  Ila is now almost 11 months and as I’m looking at these it makes me sad to see how much she’s changed even in 2 short months.  I know I’m way behind on blogging, but I made it a personal goal to document Ila’s first year so, I would be kicking my self if I didn’t post this and have it to look back on.  Can I just say though, how much I LOVE being a mom to 2 beautiful girls.  I know I post a lot of pictures of them, but they are the reason I started this all and they continue to be my inspiration.  I know how lucky I am to have this gift of being able to capture all of their cuteness!

I just LOVE and ADORE this family!  I’ve been able to be their photographer for the past 3 years and it’s so fun to see the kids change and watch their personalities blossom! Their Mom always has the best style and I know that even before I get there, their session is going to be beautiful.  How can it not though with such a cute family!!  Here is a peek at their session!

Yes this is very late………. and it’s a HUGE post, but I’ve been really bad at posting and it’s been eating at me.  I took Brent and the girls out for Ila’s 9 month pictures because I wanted some more pictures with Brent in them with the same outfits from our family pictures.  I had the focus be on me during our family session because I’m NEVER in any, but when I was choosing what pictures to hang I realized I needed some without me too. HA!  I can’t believe how fast this year is flying!  I will post a few more from her 9 month session that we did impromptu in her room.  So keep checking back…..

By the way, Ila is now determined to have NO bows on her head so I just went with it until the very end when I asked Brent to try one more time to put it on.  Well I should have known that men aren’t good at placing bows on. So, there it is, right smack in the middle of her head and awkward looking. I LOVE it.  It’s special to me for many reasons, but mostly because it reminds me what a sweet Daddy he is!

It’s always so much fun to photograph families that I know personally!  I’ve known and have been friends with the Mom for 20 years!  We met in 4th grade and have been friends ever since.  I’ve also known her sweet husband since High school. (Yes, they are high school sweethearts!) They have 2 beautiful girls and you can see how much they all adore each other.  What a gift it is to be able to capture such a special bond.  I love you Guys!  Let’s not let it be so long in between seeing each other next time!

I was so excited when this client asked me for a desert look!  For most of my clients, living in Arizona and being in the desert scene all the time, this is the one location that is rarely used.  This cute family was visiting from Canada and when they contacted me to photograph their family they said the really wanted to make sure to have cactus in their pictures.  I LOVE how these turned out.  Maybe because it was something new and exciting, but I also think it’s  because there is so much beauty in the desert that is taken for granted.  I just may have my own family pictures taken here next time.  The light seems to be even more dreamy here than usual.

So, it’s been 3 years since I’ve had a real family session done for myself.  Yes, I know shocking right!!!  We’ve just had so many unexpected trials pop up that has prevented us from having our pictures done, so this year was going to be my year!  My friend Sara and I traded sessions this year.  I LOVE how they turned out and can’t wait to hang them all over my home.  I am going huge!  Like 30×40 huge over my living room couch.  I will have to post a picture when it’s all done.  I hope all of you have a Merry Christmas! It’s been such a blessed year for our family.  It’s going to be so fun having our little one celebrating her first Christmas.  We’ve waited so long for this!  A day never goes by when I don’t feel so lucky to have my 2 girls.  How wonderful it is to have these family pictures to capture our family.  Thank you Sara!