Pear Blossom

Sweet is the first word that comes to mind when I think of my cousin Megan.  She’s an awesome girl with a big heart and gorgeous smile.  My kids adore her, look forward to seeing her every time she comes down and even though she’s getting older, has a bigger social life then I ever had at her age and she’s got a million things going on she always makes time for us.  Joe and I love to affectionally call her our third child, she is a dream child … if Madison can grow to be as sweet, mature, kind and giving as she is I’ll be over the moon!   She’s the most indecisive person I know, I think it comes from her natural ability to put others first.  She is talented, gorgeous (she always has been!) and fun to be with.  As I do with my own kids, every year we take birthday pictures … this year it was number 15!  I wanted to capture her sweetness, her glowing personality along with her beautiful smile. 

Did you know that I almost named Madison, Brooklynn?  It was between Madison, Delaney and Brooklynn … I loved Brooklynn so much and Joe (my meany husband) wouldn’t let us name her it.  OK we might have had a puppy named Brooklynn for like a day or something, but that really shouldn’t ruin a name forever!  I guess in the end Mads is the perfect Madison.  Just so we don’t leave Anthony out, he was almost named Caleb James … looking at him, he would have made an adorable Caleb! 

I got to meet the cutest little Brooklyn ever!!!  She made the name even that much cuter!   OMG she smiled almost the entire time and she had a support group of aunties, grandmas and mommy to help keep her smiling and having a terrific time.  She also was a champ about having her clothes changed!  

While at Anthony’s last baseball practice Madison and I decided to  have some fun with a few clothing pieces that we grabbed as we ran out the door.  Madison enjoys “dressing” up for pictures, so as long as I have accessories and fun things to play with she’s always on board to take pictures.  She loves to pretend she’s super fancy.  If you know Madison then you  know she has her own distinctive way of styling her own shots, she loves to pose herself and act out things while you shoot her.  She’s comical and entertaining!!   

Always fun to shoot my baby

Apparently she has her own gangsta peace sign thing going on 

I’ve been going through all my stuff and getting rid of tons … I have an entire box of shoes to sell!  It feels so good to be letting stuff go, my house was starting to get uber cluttered! 

Instead of selling this on ebay I thought I’d offer it here on my blog. I love this dress!!!!!!!!   

H&M Grey Dress, only worn for three shoots.  Size 6 (but fits like a size 4).   $35  

This season brings school, fall, halloween and lots of family pictures.  As everyone get ready to ring in the new year many jump to get that last minute family portrait before they mark another year done.  I was at costco and couldn’t believe my eyes … christmas stuff!  What gives???  They make me feel so rushed from holiday to holiday.  It did make me realize I need to start working on my holiday portrait season.  I imagine I’ll have many more adorable families just like this … 

One of the exciting things about having children is experiencing all their firsts with them.  Watching them discover something they love can be magical and seeing big smiles on their faces make life seem blissful.  I treasure all the exciting things my kids experience and I’m so thankful everyday that I’m there to be apart of their exciting lives.  It’s one of the reasons I put my kids ahead of anything. 

Madison started soccer this weekend and OMG she was amazing!  Her coach called her a monster  She’s never really been the most athletic girl, she dies walking to school and the heat leaves her welted like a little tiny flower.  I wasn’t really sure how soccer was going to go, baseball was fun but she didn’t seem really into it and I found her excitement about it to be minimal.  She only had one practice before her game and wow did she do awesome.  She had so much fun, she was running ahead of the pack, her face as red as a raspberry and she looked so happy.  She made 7 goals!   

She also started Kindergarten this year!  Very exciting and fun for her, the only issue she has is waking up!  She was so used to going to school between 9 and 9:30 and we were never in a rush.  Having to be ready by 7:30 is killing both of us!  We’re getting better each day  Here she is today on her way to school 

I wish more women decided to do maternity shoots after their first baby.  It’s a great way to celebrate your baby, your body and the new beginning of your family.  By including your children into your maternity shoot you’re documenting it not only for yourself but for your children.  At my last shoot I had a perfectly adorable family of 3, Mom decided to bring her two kids along and I’m so glad she did! We had so much fun, they were adorable in every picture they took and they even assisted me when shooting their mom … it was a great way to include them and make them feel special.