Glad To Be

. . . her Mother.

She's got me wrapped around her little finger, and she knows it! I just wish I could catch a few zzzzzzz's when she does (23 hours a day) . . . but with three other kiddos to love that just doesn't happen.




. . . and this is some of what I did on Mother's Day:


{this chair was purchased mostly for DH as a "Sunday Nap Chair." I love to snuggle with the kids in it- and I would say I use it more than the Papa Bear. Perhaps it is "too soft" for his liking? Anyhow, it is great for a Sunday Snooze, because it is in our sunniest room in the house, and it reclines really far back so you can actually get some rest in it. Baby C. seems to like it too.}

I hope all of you Mothers and Mothers-to-be enjoyed a beautiful, sunny, snuggly Mother's Day on Sunday. I am so thankful for my own Mom and Mother-in-law who made me feel extra loved on Sunday too.

We're In Love . . .

. . . with our brand new baby girl! We're so glad to be home now and settling in to a new routine as a family of six. Baby C's arrival came late Saturday night following a swift and intense labor and delivery. She is 6 lbs. 13 oz. & 19.5" long. She's by far our tiniest baby yet she is healthy and robust and her proportions seem perfect. She's eating like a champ and working hard to add some chub onto her petite frame.

Our sweet babe has won us over with her beautiful eyes, heavenly scent and purely amazing spirit packaged in such a perfect little body. My recovery has been quite remarkable and there's no doubt we have been blessed to feel the concerns regarding the baby's growth quickly fade away. Her sisters and brother are smitten with her and I feel spoiled that being the mom I get to hold her the most!

I will post more details and pictures soon, but for now-- a quick sneak peak!

Still A Round . . .

. . . bellied, pregnant mama tonight. This week has been quite the whirlwind with one visit to the hospital on account of false labor, one non-stress test (just got home from this one tonight), one ultrasound (earlier today), two birthdays (DH and DD on the same day), a first ever soccer practice, and possibly a baby's arrival this weekend. If not, I'll likely be induced in the middle of next week. With all of the craziness, life is good and we are ready for our baby's arrival.

We've been on "high alert" for a couple of weeks now, as the babe has been measuring small in the tummy and femur but her head measurements are right on. There have been many NST's, a few ultrasounds, plenty of prayers, eating excessive amounts of protein and fat (thank you to my good friends who have supplied me with the most decadent foods known to woman-kind!), and lots of nesting going on. My wonderful DH even caulked the bathtub for me because for some reason it was high on the "must do before the baby arrives" list. We've been so blessed with help from neighbors tending kids and a brief stay from one of my sisters and her husband which really made a difference when we had to make a late night trip to the hospital. During all of this, our sweet little A. developed an abcess on one of her front teeth which affected the neighboring two teeth as well and so she had three extractions in one fell swoop. This was a hard one for me as a mom--and she is now finally getting used to having a window in her smile. The same day S. had one tooth extracted and we were confined to eating soft, squishy foods for a bit.

I share this because many of you are close friends and family and perhaps it is also my therapy-- I want to remember the craziness that surrounded to the miracle of our little girl's arrival. Even though things can seem difficult and overwhelming at times--there are SO many blessings squished in between everything. THREE of my best buddies from college have given birth this month. The very day I was "rejected" from being admitted to the hospital with false labor, a good friend was admitted and experienced the safe and healthy delivery of her baby. Miracles happen all around us--and many seem to go unnoticed. I hope to recognize each one.

Lest I go on and on, I've got to share a few images captured by my wonderful business partner Kimberly of Tilt Photography during a studio session last week. Kimberly captured some images that I will treasure always--especially that I feel they really show the connection I feel with my children. While I am shy about sharing my baby belly with you all, I am proud of the work my body has done to grow a baby, and I am thankful to have these pictures to remind me of the blessing of motherhood. Be forewarned, this belly hasn't seen the light of day, well, since I was a baby. ;)

A Case of Utah Springtime Weather

There's a lot of talk about today's "surprise" snow-pack. We always act surprised when it snows in April. Only after enjoying sunny days wearing short-sleeves, planting peas in the garden, watching the trees bud out do we get to experience a true Utah spring: ie. another snowstorm.

Marvel.

One month ago I had the amazing privilege to document the arrival of my newest niece H, daughter of my older brother and his wife. Being able to document their experience reaffirmed to me that I am a photographer for the right reasons! I was at the hospital within 20 minutes of the phone call, and with only ONE MINUTE to spare before she arrived. Talk about timing. I think I could make a decent firefighter with speed and timing like that! ;)

{The most astounding thing to me was at how alert she was at only minutes old. All of these images were captured in H's first 27 minutes of life outside the whom. I have never witnessed such an alert, wide-eyed baby. Her eyes had the wisdom of a lifetime of experience!}

I just posted a studio session of baby H. on the Tilt Photography Studio Blog- you can see how much she changed in just a week. Those first few weeks can be such a blur for parents of new babies--so these photos take on a whole new level of significance for me, because it documents something that is so fleeting!

One Year Ago . . .

. . . we enjoyed our first family airplane flight and vacation at the beach. We took about a million photos between the beach and theme parks. Here's a digital scrapbook layout I designed back then but was asked to post it for a period of time because it was published in an online scrapbook mag. called Scrapbook News & Review. I've got several more layouts that I'll likely share over the next little while:

She'll Be Here . . .

We are gearing up for baby in "T minus two months." I'm due May 7th, but M. arrived a surprising two weeks early, so perhaps we'll have some baby news in a mere 6 weeks! We're so excited. . . and so far I've been feeling great and am still highly functioning. I haven't kept up with blogging the way I'd like to, but there's only so much of me to go around (and around).

I am on a "baby high" right now, as one week ago today I had the amazing privilege of being the birth photographer for my brother and his wife. Documenting the entrance into the world of a gorgeous baby girl (also my niece) was wonderful, and I will post some pictures soon. She was one of the most alert and wide-eyed newborns I've ever seen at just minutes old.

Also, I am planning to do hypno-birthing this time around. I am still convincing DH that he'll do just fine (though I think he should be the one assuring me, right?). With my first two babies I chose to go the natural (unmedicated) route and opted for an epidural with M. who happened to be posterior. For baby #4 I would love to go natural again, but with some implemented relaxation techniques that can help get me through it. So if you can't reach me, perhaps I am practicing my "deep relaxation" techniques and I am able to tune out the phone and computer. :)

For those who may be curious, we haven't settled on a name. Finding the perfect name for another girl is tricky . . . and I'd like her to have a unique letter of the alphabet from our other family initials: M, A, S, K. Any suggestions?

Right Back At Ya!

{this little guy knows who's boss around here--he's pointing at his reflection in my lens!}

Thanks people for continuing to check out this often neglected blog. I have about 100 posts lined up in my head--even with photos to illustrate them, but alas, my time is more limited than ever. I consider my blogging time a luxury, which follows family time, church time & work time. Interestingly enough, at the end of the day it comes down to two choices: sleep vs. updating my blog. You can see who the winner in the past couple of months. I feel blessed with friends and family members who have checked in to see how things are going on account of my blog absence. Thank you. I have been more diligent with updating my tilt photography blog, in case you want to see more photo sessions.

As you may have noticed our updated family tree (see previous post). We're so excited to be expecting a baby in the spring . . . May 7th is the due date. Almost half-way there and ever since Thanksgiving dinner my pregnant shape become more obvious! I guess my sister's coconut cream pie really did stick to my ribs!

We have our 20 week ultrasound scheduled for next Tuesday. I think I'd be up for a surprise in not finding out the baby's gender, but DH wants to know. We have our work cut out for us in naming this little one--A's suggestion was "Crayon" but I'm thinking something else would be more appropriate. (Today she made another crayon comment- asking for the "naked crayon" meaning the red one with out the wrapper. I thought it was quite funny.)

We decorated our Christmas tree tonight, mostly following the lead of the kids who were so excited to pull ornaments out and string beads and hang anything with a string. It is amazing how many ornaments they remember from last year. They are sure growing up!

I hope to add more pictures soon of our latest adventures. Thanks for checking in!!
~Amy

Thankful for . . .

In the Spotlight

Just got home from S's school. Today she was in the spotlight and we were able to prepare a brief presentation all about her to share with the class. The two of us stayed up late last night going through pictures, reminiscing about different activities, discussing favorites, and sharing some sweet mother-daughter time. I love this girl!! A few things we documented about S:

{I'm Daddy's girl. I was a special birthday present for my Dad.}

{A. is my little sister.}

{M. is my little brother.}

{My Dad is an engineer. My Mom is a photographer and artist.}

{"Andy" is my pet bunny. We let him out in our backyard sometimes.}

{A. has a bird named "Sparky" and he is a cockatiel with rosy cheeks.}

{My favorite foods.}

{I love to find bugs and play with friends.}

{I like to ride my bike with out training wheels and go on hikes.}

{I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Maybe a doctor, or firefighter, or a storekeeper, or maybe a photographer or an artist, or a librarian.}

{My favorite thing about first grade is math and recess. I love my teacher!}

{this one is from Mom. Love you, girl!}

Cheerio Popsicle Recipe

My creative children often surprise me by leaving culinary (experiments) creations in the freezer. One day I was getting some homemade popsicles out for the kids and I came across a unique concoction of cheerios and ice carefully disguised as a popsicle. I questioned the kids as to how it got there, and my sweet A. quickly claimed it as her own and proceeded to eat it.

So proud of her cheerio pop- A's recipe: simply fill popsicle container 1/3 of the way with cheerios. Add water from the refrigerator dispenser and cheerios will float to the top. Insert handle and freeze until set. Enjoy. You may want to make more than one in case your family wants to sample one. I personally wouldn't take one bite~ though the frozen cheerios probably taste better than soggy cheerios! Perhaps you could try filling up the holder with milk instead of water and enjoy breakfast on a stick in the morning!!

Adventures With a Family of 6

This shoot was a blast-- when I saw the family pull up, I was truly giddy with excitement. They looked great and their darling daughters arrived ready for a fun family session with a side order of fashion photography. Their clothing choices were fun, spunky yet conservative and worked out great with our rustic location. I have to admit being hung up on this one--it was so hard to not post the whole bunch here-- so I'll just save some surprises for later!! Enjoy~

{my favorite wall in the entire planet! ;) }

{she makes my job easy-- natural beauty, I tell you!}

{blue eyes & beautiful smile . . . she's stunning!}

{she has an awesome laugh and the most darling dimples!!}

{baby sis was so sweet and fun I had to post an extra for her!}

{a little urban texture action here-- so FUN!}

{gorgeous mom with the most sparkly eyes ever!!}

{dad couldn't escape the fun--I really like the GQ look here juxtaposed to the old shed door.}

{the girls with my "aged pecan" processing in adobe lightroom. This could also be an advertisement for studiocharm steaks, but many of you know that I'm a vegetarian, so they'd likely be tofu steaks and not very tasty. SO no steaks as part of your photo session, sorry folks!}

{I literally got goosebumps on my arms when I snapped this family shot in front of the red wall--even before I had seen the results. Something just "clicked" and it felt like an authentic moment was captured and preserved for this family. This is the high that photographers get once in a while--WAHOO!!}

{Last shot of the shoot- COWABUNGA! We all got a good laugh looking at the facial expressions on my viewfinder}.

Thanks H fam for such an adventurous, non-stressful shoot!! I am so excited to present your images to you!!