I’ve been working on my website, all the live long day.
I’ve been working on the website and I need some more bell-ays.

Okay, sorry about that. I know, it was bad. But keep reading! What comes up is good!

I need to freshen up my maternity portfolio for the new website. I am looking for 2-3 ladies who are in their third trimester, somewhere between 30-36 weeks. I’m offering a complimentary maternity session and a free 8×10 in exchange for a model release allowing me to use the images on my site!

Please contact me at christy@christyjohnson ASAP so we can set up your session before baby arrives!

Happy 4th of July to all of my friends, family, clients and countrymen. I hope you have a super fun and safe celebration today!

I have opened up some mini session availability for July & August. Let’s face it…who wants to try and look pretty for the camera for an hour and a half while sweat is pouring down your face because the humidity is so high? Enter summer minis…a perfect way to get updated photos of your young ‘un in a quick 30 minute timeframe. Capture their latest milestone without melting into a puddle! Sounds good to me too.

Contact me at christy@christyjohnson.com to schedule your mini before they fill up!

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!

Just thought I’d pop on to give a few quick updates. I still have some spaces available for the Mommy & Me mini sessions on Tuesday, May 18th and Sunday, May 23rd. Just think…Dad would like nothing better than a few photos of his favorite people for Father’s Day! Contact me by email at christy@christyjohnson.com to reserve your spot!

Also, I have one more spot available for June, and am now booking for July and August! If you would like to book a custom photography session, let me know!

Smooches!

I thought I’d share a few new pics of my girls. Macy is turning into a strong-willed little independent lady who does NOT like being told No. (well, who does, actually?!) And Claire, my baby, is walking. Say it ain’t so! Just a couple of recent snaps:

These two can just look at each other and start giggling. I love that. *sigh*

*new prop alert!* (ask me about bringing this antique high chair for your session!)

Out of the full memory cards of tongues sticking out, rolled eyes, silly faces…came this gem. I’m gonna have to print this one BIG.

Don’t let that big smile fool you…this is a girl who knows what she wants, and will stop at nothing to get it!

**Reminder about the Mommy & Me Mini Sessions! Email me at christy@christyjohnson.com to reserve your spot before they are gone!**

Calling all moms! Do you have the “always-behind-the-camera” blues? Do you ever flip through your family’s photo albums and wish you were actually IN the pictures?

The time is NOW. Don’t worry about getting your hair did. Forget about those last 10-20-30 pounds you want to lose. Your relationship with your child is so special…it’s unique…it’s right now, ever fleeting. Put some photographs in that album that your child will cherish for a lifetime.

Mommy & Me Mini Sessions are limited, so make sure to get on the calendar soon. And Dads - can you think of a better Mother’s Day gift?!

A quick calendar note: April and May are fully booked, and I am beginning to book for June and July! Of course, I always try to leave room in the schedule for newborns - but make sure to contact me before baby arrives!

Sorry for the disappearing act on the blog lately…the Johnson household has been in such a whirlwind for the last couple of weeks…Claire turned a whole year old (sniff, sniff), my beloved also celebrated a birthday, and three-quarters of us were hit by a nasty stomach bug. Macy was the only one who escaped the bug, because as her PopPop puts it, she’s too fast for germs to catch her. Tis true.

Now that I’m feeling better, I’ve been a busy bee getting galleries and slideshows uploaded and orders packaged for delivery, as well as trying to straighten up our neglected house and tackle the mile-high piles of laundry. I also need to get packing! We leave after work tomorrow for my parents’ house in Virginia to drop off the kidlets while Mike and I head to Vegas, baby! We’re going to a big photography convention and are counting on some much needed away-time - away from work, the kids, the responsibilities, the obligations. I think we’re due for a little break.

But of course, not even a little vacation comes without its share of stress. It’s supposed to snow here overnight tonight, putting a big question mark on our planned drive to Richmond…it’s supposed to snow in Richmond, putting a big question mark on our early morning flight on Thursday. And then, just for fun, we’ll be taking the red-eye back Monday night/Tuesday morning, grab the kids and drive home, just in time for me to repack my bags and drive myself to Charlotte for a day of work training on Wednesday. Whew!

Since I will be out of town, I may be a little slow to respond to emails or voicemails. I will get back to everyone by Thursday or Friday next week. I also want to share some of Claire’s one-year photos as well, so stay tuned for those.

And just because I can’t post without a photo, here’s several. I’ve been playing around with the ShakeIt photo app on my iphone…it’s so much fun! And free! So some random happenings from around our parts…

I did my first twin newborn session last month, and I wanted to come back and share a few more of my favorites with you. It took two tries to get these shots, but it was definitely time well spent!

If you or someone you know is expecting a new baby (or babies!), you have to check out my winter newborn special!

Valentine’s Day, the day to celebrate love of all kinds. It’s this weekend, by the way! Do you and your honey do anything special for each other? Mike and I have never really been that into it, but we’ll get each other a card, maybe a little candy or something small. But we really like doing a little something for the kidlets. I found these CUTE personalized fabric mail pouches at Pottery Barn Kids, and I can’t wait to stuff them full of some goodies! (I was going to link them here, but it looks like they have sold out! Never fear, I promise I’ll take some pics this weekend to share.)

I have been poking around one of my favorite sites Etsy looking for some unique ideas for the mail pouches, and I have found the most fun little gifts for little ones! I thought I’d share some here…follow the links to buy these sweets for your sweets!

This hat has got to be the most darling thing I’ve seen!

And look at this sweet outfit…couldn’t you imagine your little girl wearing this for a photo session?

This little sheep has stolen my heart! And it would be great for any occasion, not just V-day!

I can’t forget the little men out there…Valentine’s Day gifts are harder to find for boys, I guess. But check out this adorable Robot Love onesie! Be still my heart!

If you’ve never visited etsy.com, I highly recommend it. It’s become my go-to place for any kind of gift, and the best part is (if you’re short on time like me) you can shop from your couch!

So last week I went on and on about my dear hubby. It wasn’t too much, was it? I worried a little that he’d be walking around here all big-headed, but I needn’t have. He’s got his head on straight. He’s a good guy.

So I may have mentioned here that my schedule is, to put it mildly, OVERLOADED. I thought I’d share some ideas that help keep me sane and in the right place at the right time (most of the time.)

1. Write -or type- it down. I have a million things running through my head at any one time, so I have to write down everything. I have written to-do lists, 2 Outlook calendars and a Google calendar. I keep a notebook in my purse for jotting down things I need to buy or research, or notes on a vision I’d like to create with my camera, or a recipe I’d like to try. I even cut out pictures from magazines or catalogs and tape them in there, as inspiration.

2. Ask for help. Take help when it’s offered. My parents and Mike’s mom and stepdad each come to our house one Saturday a month to watch the girls while we work. Mike’s parents drive almost an hour and a half to get here, and my parents drive three. Three hours down in the morning, to arrive by 9:15am. And then after a day of chaos violence fun, they drive the three hours back that night.

That’s big-time to me. I always feel guilty for asking them to do this for us…I’ve always been very independent, very “I can take care of myself.” And it’s a lot to ask. But honestly, I can’t imagine our lives being lived in any other way. The best part is watching my girls develop strong relationships with their grandparents. It’s simply priceless.

3. Meal plan, meal plan, meal plan. I’m a planner by nature, and typically very organized, so this comes somewhat easily for me. I actually created a chart containing meals, ingredients and instructions for 6 meals for the week. We have 6 of these meal plans, so we rotate through the whole batch of meals every 6 weeks. It took some work to create, but the payoff is great. I pull out that week’s mealplan, create my grocery list from it and go!

I’d be happy to email my meal plan chart to you! Why re-create the wheel and all that, right? Just email me christy@christyjohnson.com!

4. Schedule everything. I know I’m starting to sound reeeaalllly nerdy, but I swear by schedules. I have a Bookeeping Day, a Bill-Paying Day, a Grocery Store Day, a Laundry Day, and so on. There’s always room to move these things around as need be, but just knowing what I have on deck for the day is super helpful. It helps me to be less stressed and feel less overwhelmed, which is important to me. When I get too overwhelmed, I literally shut down and can’t accomplish anything at all. Less stress means I’m more effective and productive, which means I’m done with my tasks quickly and can spend more time with my family!

After all, they are my #1 priority. Every day.

I hope this helps someone out there in interwebland. And please leave a comment about how YOU keep from going crazy in your own fast-paced, out of control life!

And just for fun, a photograph from our snow day weekend! And look, I’m actually in it!