Anticipation.

I love photographing maternity sessions. It's such a privilege for me to be able to be a tiny part of documenting this life that's forthcoming. And soon! Baby Carley should make her entrance into this world within a couple of weeks now! For now, here are some images of her beautiful mama....

...and daddy...

And I love this next one. :)

Can't wait to meet you, sweet baby Carley!

Before | After

Just four days before baby Soren made his entrance into the world.....

With soon-to-be Big Sister Sophia....

And, after Soren's arrival..... just look how much she adores her baby brother. Stole my heart, it was so sweet to watch!

"Delicious" is the word his Mama used to describe this little guy... and boy was she right. I just wanted to eat him up!

I admit, I was a little worried because he had passed the 2-week "curl-up-easy-and-sleep-a-lot" magic age, but I'm tellin' ya.... this little guy curled and slept like a champ. I had no reason to worry, that's for sure!!

Enjoy your delicious baby boy, Bethany. :)

Fresh.

One of my favorite things about this wonderful job of mine, is getting to photograph such sweet new life such as this. Meet baby Aidan, who was only 5 days old when I had the privilege of photographing him. He was actually over 8 lbs, but look how tiny he looks in his Daddy's hands!

Ohh and I have lots more.... ;)

I just love this one... pacifier and all.

And one of my favorites...

I have a ton more, as always... but I'll have to save some surprises for Aidan's Mommy and Daddy. ;) Hope you like your sneak peek, Steve and Amy!

Blessed beyond measure.

I have had the privilege of having Laura as a best friend for, oh, about 25 years! I really can't remember when we met, of course it was when we were little kids... but it just seems like I've known her since birth! I can't remember NOT knowing her. We have had SO much fun through the years. Our birthdays are on the same day, one year apart. So we had lots of birthday parties together. We've kept in touch no matter where life has taken us... my moving all over the country, our weddings, the birth of four (soon-to-be five!) babies, and everything that comes afterwards. We're really "kindred spirits", as Anne of Green Gables would say. :) I can remember hanging out in her bedroom drinking Coke from a glass bottle, calling up the local radio station to request our favorite New Kids On The Block hits (LOL!), dancing, teasing our bangs, and modeling for the camera like we were ready for the cover of Teen magazine. (Yep, I have a few early photos that I found at my Mom's house... my "budding photography career" at age 14! Remind me NEVER to share those embarrassing shots with you, by the way.) ;) Whew, the flashbacks! And the big hair!!

We still joke about all those summers we spent together... especially the bean patch. ;) Since she had a pool and we didn't, we'd get calls during late summer like this one... "Hi Stacey, do you and your sisters wanna come over and swim tomorrow? Good! Well, we gotta pick beans first....." :/ That stinker. She just wanted six extra hands to help her in the string bean patch!!! And I'm afraid we weren't very much help either.... bean-pickin' just wasn't my thing. Good thing there was a hammock about 10 feet from the edge of the garden.

Anyway, when I was in KY a few weeks ago, I got the chance to hang out with her family and photograph them again. All five of them this time, not just her three beautiful daughters! Take a look..... sort of a "day in the life." Without the bean patch. :)

Playin' on the bed.... what better way to spend the day?!

I loooove this one.......

Couldn't resist this one in her crib. She was a HOOT!

Then we headed out in the SNOW!

*sigh* They're growing up so fast on me. I remember when they were born, when they were babies, and when they were toddling around. Now it's swim meets (gold and silver medals for these girls, by the way!) and preteen stuff. I don't wanna even know about the boys. Don't even tell me!!

Yep, COLOR from me. I couldn't resist, what with all their gorgeous "bundled-up-ness" and all...

And what better way to warm up... than with a nice warm BUBBLE BATH?!

"Mommyyyyyy!!!" ;) The littlest one needed a towel every time bubbles got on her chin.... which was every 5 seconds, LOL!

This last one just tugs on my heart.... what sweet bliss.

I'm so proud of and happy for you, Laura, my sweet friend. Your life has been blessed so richly. I love you to pieces, and I hope you enjoy my little peek into your life... your fun, crazy-happy, laughter-filled morning with your family. XOXOXOX

Love, Stace

Loved.

Baby Aubrie is likely one of the most adored babies around. And what a good little girl she was for me!! I got so many good shots of her sleeping soundly that day....

Wonder what she was dreaming about? :)

And I couldn't resist a few sweet detail shots. Oh, it's these tiny details that I adore so much!!!

Okay, last but not least... this has become my latest FAVORITE image.... remember sweet Brynne? She's Aubrie's big sister!! And what a fabulous sister she is. Brynne was my assistant this particular day, and my heart just melted every time she would touch her sister sweetly and whisper, "I love you, Aubrie!!!"

If Mom and Dad don't order a big canvas of this, then I will. Ha ha!

The Village.

I have to tell you about this wonderful place I visited this morning... Yoga Village in Clearwater. Oh my goodness. I took Prenatal Yoga classes with Linda Wilkerson when I was expecting Parker, and it really made me feel calm, reduced my stress, helped me prepare my body for labor and delivery, and just made me feel like I had really done something GOOD for myself, since here I was "donating" my entire body to this growing child already anyhow. ;) Well, I finally signed up for Linda's Prenatal Yoga class with this pregnancy, and I am kicking myself for not having started sooner. What took me so long?!

The class was a relaxing 90 minutes, which was filled with warm conversation and get-to-know-you's at the beginning, while everyone (who really seemed to be a family) updated each other on how their pregnancies were progressing, how they were feeling, what they were afraid of. The practice itself was relaxing and energizing at the same time, and, as always, Linda has a way of making me (and I'm sure everyone else in that room) feel confident that YES, my body really does know how to handle this pregnancy and birthing business; what am I so worried about?! Let. Go.

The Village also offers other classes...... Mommy and me, Storytime + Yoga with kids 3 and under (I'm totally taking Parker to this one!), Children, Teens, Babies, several different classes for Adults, Seniors and even those needing special assistance. I wholeheartedly recommend the Prenatal Session, which is offered on Tuesday mornings from 9:30-11am, and Thursday evenings from 7-8:30pm. Make sure you check out Linda's studio online here, or drop by for a class. She's located on 580 and McMullen Booth in Clearwater. Your first class is even FREE!

*While you're there, you can browse through an album of MY photographs that Linda is displaying out front! (And for those moms and soon-to-be-moms that I had the pleasure of meeting this morning.... when you call to book a session with me, mention this blog post!) ;)

Honestly, I can't wait to go back for my next yoga class! Hmm, maybe I'll try to take in the Thursday evening class as well. :)

"It's an honor."

Those were her words. We were shooting her maternity session, and talking about the miracle of carrying a life inside your body... And she said, "It's an honor." She's right. You know, those words have stuck with me ever since her session. And I think about them every day. Whenever my morning (ahem, all-day) sickness kicks in, I remember Amy's phrase and it helps me deal with it. She doesn't know this of course (well, until now!) but I just wanted to give you a little idea about the sweet spirit of the woman I just photographed. :)

Meet Amy. Soon-to-be mother of four. Beautiful, funny, cheerful, and warm. Loved. And blessed. Take a look at a few images from our session..... Hope you like them, Amy! xo

Definitely a worthy cause.

I thought this was worth blogging about!

I was recently informed about a charity fundraiser, happening at Somers Salon & Spa in Clearwater. Jill and her staff are hosting an "All you need is LOVE" Cut-a-thon from noon to 5pm on Sunday, Feb 10. They will be providing haircuts, express manicures and pedicures, chair massage, and waxing.... for ONLY $15!!! What a deal! All proceeds are going directly to benefit the Chaboudy Family, a local family who lost everything when their home burned in a recent fire. It could happen to anyone, even me... even you... Click on that link to read their story.

The Cut-a-thon is open to moms, dads, kids, you name it. There will be a raffle for Gift Baskets and Spa Packages as well! The salon itself is a wonderful place to be, and I think it's FANTASTIC that they are helping their community, and their clients, in this way!! Here's your chance to help a local family, and actually get some great services in the meantime: if you'd like to help, please call 726-8181 to book your appointment for Sunday, or you may also drop in during 12-5. (Oh, and ask for Jill, Patty, or Susan if you can!! They rock!) You may also make donations by cash or check at the Salon as well.

Thanks y'all. :)

Ding ding ding!! We have our winners!

I am thrilled to announce the winners of my first blog contest!!! And I'm so grateful to all of you who voted. I received nearly 150 votes since this contest began!! How awesome are y'all?? :) THANK YOU!!!

To those of you with whom I spoke about doing sessions out-of-state... let me know your details and dates as soon as you can. I can only fly for a few more months with this big belly of mine, ;) so if I get at least 2-4 families coordinated I will go ahead and make travel arrangements. Thanks again for all the wonderful compliments on my work. You really know how to make a girl blush. :)

OKAY! On to the winners!!

FIRST PLACE: Photograph #3 -- CONGRATULATIONS, Donna and Nathan!!!
I have to tell you, I'm so excited that Nathan won, because he really is an amazing kid. He's got a very special story too: shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and just recently type 1 diabetes in addition to that.

You would think that with all Life has handed him, he'd have a less-than-positive attitude, or he'd be spoiled rotten, or he'd complain, even a little... But you know what? He never complains a single bit! He is probably the bravest child I know, especially what with the constraints of his walker, his insulin pump and all the finger pricks on a daily basis. He plays baseball, is a video game SHARK, rides his 4-wheeler, pesters his older sister, and acts like a normal, grounded, 8-year old kid. He's UNBELIEVABLE!! A blessing to everyone who meets him. We just love him to pieces! I think I've said it before, but I know that Nathan is going to change the lives of all who come in contact with him.

SECOND PLACE: Photograph #2 -- CONGRATULATIONS, Trish and Macy!!!

And wouldn't you know it, but this sweetie has a special story too? Funny how life works, I'm so glad these two kids won!!! xoxo

Macy was born 7 weeks early with a congenital heart defect. She's had open-heart surgery, eye surgery, an operation on her tummy, a pacemaker, chest tubes, a collapsed lung.... you name it. And she's not even TWO yet! With all these setbacks, she has overcome every single one of them and is a sweetheart to boot. Macy is now undergoing therapy so she can catch up to other babies her age. With the help of her therapists and her sweet Mommy and Daddy, she's even learned how to pull herself up and is standing on her own! She adores her doggie, is a cartoon junkie, and loves to pop bubbles in the bathtub! With all she's been through, I thought this miracle baby certainly deserved to wear wings at her photo shoot!! ;) What a blessing she is. A real angel.

So, a big congrats to both my winners!! Thanks everyone for playing! And.... this one was so much fun, I'm gonna have another one!!!! :D Keep checking back in for details!!

Love her heart...

Ohh what a sweetie she was. Precious little Rainey Hunter, one of my baby planners, has made her entrance into the world! Take a peek.... :)

I can't tell you how much I adore this next photograph....

Nothing better in the world than a close snuggle with your Mama. :)

Oh my, how I looooove this one!!!

And WHO could look at this image and not melt into the floor?! My goodness.

Thank you, Kilty and Robert, for granting me such an honor.... to photograph the new little life you've helped to create!

xoxo, Stacey