Lucy, via iPhone

I have been so awful about posting Lucy pics here lately . . .

I'm feeling extra Lucy-lovie-dovie today because it was five years ago today that I discovered she was on the way!
How is that possible?
Wasn't I still in high school 5 years ago..?
No? That was 15+ years ago?
Dang.

Anyway.
I was looking through my iPhone photo roll the other day . . . and smiling. :-)

At her first rodeo . . .

Jamba Juice on her 2nd birthday . . .

Her first dentist appointment . . .

Helping Mama make cupcakes . . .

Snuggling with her favorites . . .

Caught white-handed in the pantry! (powdered sugar!) . . .

One sock on, one sock off, shoes on hands . . . ?

Princess Lucy . . . 

Helping Mama clean stalls . . .

First day of dance class . . .

Looking through Mama's favorite (Pioneer Woman) cookbook . . .

Her favorite TV-watching spot -- the inverted bench lounge . . . 

She's soooo fashionable . . . :-)

Riding with Collin . . . 

Chillin' on the back deck . . .

Swimming at Eagle Crest . . .

So excited to be a big sister . . . 

Playing with Mama's phone camera . . .

First trip to the aquarium . . .

Pretty proud of her very own Nordstrom shopping bag . . .

Playing in the sand at the beach . . .

Practicing for her wedding day . . .

I love my beautiful . . .

goofy . . .

entertaining . . .

joy-filled, precious girl . . .

Five years ago today was most definitely the beginning of the BEST days of my life . . . the days that included my Lucy girl!

Little did I know then just how much I would love her. 

Max = 3 Months!

My little miracle man hit the big 3 MONTH mark yesterday!

He is getting sweeter and more entertaining every day ... I could stare at his adorable smile and listen to his little voice "talking" to me all day long.
Oh right.  I kinda do ... 

Looking at these pictures, I realized, he really hasn't changed much since last month!
Thank GOODNESS every month he doesn't grow as much as he did from month #1 to month #2!
It's bad enough the way it is, after all!

Here's Max @ 3 months!
(He wasn't feeling so smiley today ... )

There's not a whole lot of new milestones this month .... 

 

His most impressive talents these days are stuffing his fists in his mouth, blowing spit bubbles, and "running" while laying down! (Seriously, if he was upright, he'd be running laps around the house!  His little feet and arms just go a mile a minute!:)~

He only gained a little over a pound this month, but he moved up 2% . . . to the 49th percentile.  And he grew 3/4 of a inch in length, too ... he's right at the 50th percentile for height.

Finally captured ONE little smile on camera . . . .

..... annnnnnd, let's not forget the laundry basket photo.

Already getting a tad-bit squishy at the bottom of the basket ... no room for his legs!

Here are the first three months!

Even though he looks bigger last month, he's wearing the same jeans . . . and you can see they were rolled twice @ 2 months and only once this month -- (and actually, one leg wasn't even rolled because he was kicking like crazy and unrolled it!:)~

I love my little man!
I just wish he could stay like this forever -- there's nothing better than snuggling with your baby!
I'm off to do that now, in fact . . .
:-)

Newborn Photography: A Sneak Peek Behind the Scenes

That pretty well describes what I'm about to show you . . .
A look inside a newborn photo session.
The photo session that produced Max's newborn shots that I showed you yesterday.  (Look HERE if you missed them!)

To back up a little ... when I contacted Lacey Meyers to inquire about her taking Max's newborn photos, I chose the "in HER home studio" option.
I didn't feel like my house had good enough lighting inside, nor any great backdrops or spaces that would be sufficient for a professional photo shoot!

Well . . . when Max was born a little ahead of schedule . . . and Lacey had out-of-town guests staying with her, she suggested we do the photo shoot in OUR house instead.

Ummmm . . . dang.
(That's what I thought about that.)

Not gonna lie, I was a little hesitant about how these pictures would turn out . . . but Lacey assured me that she does MOST of her newborn shoots this way . . . and that all she needed was a big window or sliding glass door and a warm house!

Well . . . I guess I could provide those things . . . so, I went with it.

Boy, was I ever pleasantly surprised when, not only did we end up with beautiful photos, but the entire process was SO easy and relaxed and enjoyable!

So, I thought I'd show you. :-)
Just in case you ever have a baby and want to try it out. :)~

First of all, Lacey brought EVERYTHING that was needed for the shoot.  (You'll see what all that includes in the following pictures!)

She set it all up very quickly and got started within about ten minutes.

We used two places in our house ... downstairs in front of a big window and sliding glass door (okay, okay . . . so I guess maybe there is plenty of light in here).

 And upstairs in Max's room.  With her space heater, cranked up to about 90 degrees!  (seriously!)

I didn't realize before that HEAT is a key factor in keeping those sleeping babes . . . ASLEEP!

And who knew a backdrop was as simple as a roll of paper on a stand -- or blankets clamped to a crib!?

The big, awesome beanbag (above) was also a MUST . . . it made the snuggle "nest" for Max in the shots like this . . .

And made a good resting spot for Lucy, while she watched patiently . . .

For the shots with the lights in the background . . . 

Lacey and Scott strung up some white Christmas lights over the backdrop. :-)

You can see from these next photos just how much Lacey LOVES her job . . . 

Lacey just has love in her eyes while she's "working" . . . and I had no doubt that Max was in capable and loving hands.  

She did a great job of keeping Max sleepy and happy, too . . . 

with his binkie. . .

his nice, warm blankie. . .

and very loud sssshhhing!

Max didn't seem to mind any of it a bit!  He was the perfect little model. :-)

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, you can find Lacey's business page AND her awesome blog HERE.  You can also find (and like!) Lacey's business facebook page HERE.

And most importantly, if you live in the area and are in search of a great newborn photographer . . . look no further!  I can't imagine a better experience.

Thank you, Lacey! :-)
We will treasure these photos forever!