I got to meet Miss Madden yesterday, a sweet and tiny little newborn! She was so good for me, sleeping for a good long while and only waking up for some lunch before passing out again. I had a terribly hard time narrowing down my favorites for the sneak peek, so I ended up just throwing in just about everything and the kitchen sink! I couldn’t help myself - I just love this session.

Faelen is the new kid on the block, all of thirteen days old today. He was such a trooper at this morning’s session, putting up with outfit changes, location changes and so on. He didn’t really want to sleep for me, but when he was awake he was pretty calm and alert.

Faelen’s mommy is a super talented artist specializing in hand-painted jewelry and oil paintings. Check her out at Allover Art! I may need to have a piece commissioned in celebration of my new name and brand!

I first met Alaya when she was still residing in her mama’s belly. Then again as a newborn. I hadn’t seen her since last summer, so when I first laid eyes on her this past weekend, I couldn’t believe what a little girl she had grown in to! She is celebrating her first birthday on Friday, complete with a ladybug theme, and her mom had the cutest ladybug outfits for Alaya that I had ever seen!

Alaya had a rough time letting go of her mom and dad during the shoot, so we ended up getting a lot of fun family shots!

I’ll be going to Alaya’s house soon to hopefully capture a few more individual shots, so I’ll have more of this little ladybug to share soon!

1. Hi, it’s me again. It’s been pretty quiet except for sneak peeks around here, hasn’t it? Lest you think I’ve run off to some deserted island with Jack from LOST my husband, I’ll share a little of what I’ve been up to.

2. I can’t quite remember if I’ve shared the news here, but I am doing a bit of rebranding. And when I say a bit, I mean the whole kit and kaboodle. New NAME, which means a new logo, new marketing materials, new everything! Including a new website, a new blog. New packaging. Oy, the list goes on and on.

3. I first started the rebranding process by meeting with my friend and business coach, Kathleen O’Grady. (I’ll be profiling her on the blog very soon!) Kathleen helped me to dig deep into who I am as an artist and how I want to define my business. She helped me brainstorm, she brought up fantastic points, she helped me muddle through the doldrums, and she cheered me on every step of the way. THANK YOU, Kathleen!

4. Geez, I love these two.

5. Macy has been quite the comedian lately. The other day, I got pretty stern with her about not listening to me, and she said “I don’t like you, and you don’t like me. Let’s talk about this.” Where oh where does she come up with this stuff?

6. Claire is at a stage that I think tortures a lot of parents. The stage where she pulls your hair or grabs your earrings and PULLS, or headbutts you. And then laughs and laughs when you correct her. Oh, it’s great fun, alright.

7. Why do I always get stuck on #7? I start off with furious typing, then always run out of steam by #7. Once I get to 8, the train usually starts off down the track again, but that elusive #7. Oh, and this totally counts as my #7!

8. We are heading to Georgia for a family reunion this weekend, and I’m excited. My grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary just this week, which simply amazes me. I hope Mike and I make it sixty years. Heck, I hope I make it to 60 years old!

9. As we celebrate love and family, two dear friends are grieving the tragic loss of loved ones…one a husband, the other a father. I hope they both know that they and their families are in our thoughts and prayers every day.

10. Are you signed up for my newsletter? If not, what are you waiting for?! This month we had a very fun contest with a super cool prize, and there’s more where that came from! Plus, you’ll be in the know about upcoming events, see extra sneak peeks and get a first glimpse at new products! Stop on over to the photography website and sign up at the bottom of the front page. I’ll wait here…oh, wait a sec, no I won’t. That’s ten and I’m outta here!

Smooches!

Almost three years.
Three miscarriages.
Seventeen weeks of bedrest.

And on January 14th, Rachael Lenore was born. Two months early. Three pounds, six ounces. Fifteen inches. She spent two months in the NICU at Duke, and finally made her way home on March 8th, into the loving arms of her mommy and daddy. Who, by the way, are absolutely over the moon thrilled with her.

Can you blame them? She’s a beauty!

Rachael is almost five months old now, and just thriving.

Sara and Mike, your perseverance and positive natures are just inspiring. Congratulations from the bottom of my heart on your beautiful daughter. You are such fantastic parents, and the joy just radiates from both of you. I only hope she’ll be a little less rascally when she becomes a teenager!