The festival.

A couple of weekends ago, the kiddos and I hit up the local Pumpkin Festival at Hunsader Farms in Bradenton.  We went with some great friends, and met a few more awesome friends there, and we ALL had such a fantastic time!  Even on my day off, I couldn't resist bringing along the camera for a few snapshots.  ;)   (And, well, I knew that if I didn't hurry and blog these, that they wouldn't see the light of day until after Christmas!!  LOL!)

Parker and Hunter figuring out the hay maze.  (Hunter's little cap pulled way down just makes me smile!)

We checked out the fresh produce stands, and bought some apple butter, pumpkin butter, strawberry preserves, and of course... pumpkin bread.  (Which I happily ate for breakfast the next morning, lol!)

One of the kids opened up an ear of corn... and guess who had gotten there first?  (Eww....)

Of course we had to stop sliding and bouncing and hay-mazing long enough to grab some lemonade, pumpkin pie, and good old-fashioned funnel cake... you know, just for sustenance.  ;)  I think Lila desperately wanted some, what do you think?!

Then the face-painting began......

Parker and his pal Tyler. (Chris and I have been friends with Hunter and Tyler's parents for about 10 years.... Tyler was born in FL but they all moved away a few years ago, before Hunter was born... and now they're all back in FL again!  It's so sweet to see our kids having the chance to grow up together and be such great friends.)  :)

Fresh country air, crafts, yummy fair food, carnival games, lots of friends...  and finally, a nap.  What a perfect day!

Two lovelies.

I had the pleasure of meeting these two beautiful girls a few weeks ago.  They were so much fun!  And sacrificed themselves to a "sticker bush" (because I can't think of the proper name for those awful prickly things), all for the sake of art.  THANK YOU, GIRLS.  :)

These next two shots just blew me away.  I think I audibly gasped when my finger pressed the shutter.

Sometimes you just *know* you're going to love a particular shot.  And oh my my, how I love these two.  Truly I do.

It's not every day that I'm serenaded by a budding pianist at a photo session.  :)

Aren't they gorgeous?!  And sweet as can be.

Loved the lighting here on their balcony...

Loved this shot of the V-ball star.  :)

I can't tell you how much I love this next shot.....  oh, how I am a total sucker for dramatic lighting... add that to the arched lines of the door, those wonderful tiles, and two amazing girls soaking up all that sunset light.....  this is pure bliss for me and my camera!

I have soooooo many more to show (I know their Mom is patiently waiting for her sneak peek!), but I have an appointment in a few minutes... so I'll come back and add more later on this evening.  Stay tuned!!  :)

**ETA:  I added a few more up there.  Mom, I hope your girls are the envy of the yearbook committee this year!!  ;)

Umm, wow. Thank you!!

I just took a quick look at my calendar and I can't believe how blessed I am.  I've been booked solid for October, and only have about three dates open in November.  Three!  My goodness.  THANK YOU ALL, so very very much, for entrusting your memories to me and this eye of mine.... and for BOOKING EARLY THIS YEAR!!  :)  It has been a very hectic couple of months, I have to admit, as I've come back from maternity leave to a jam-packed calendar.  Christmas sessions, maternity and family sessions, and fresh newborns... I can't even begin to thank you all for your business and for your patience as I continue to crank out galleries as fast as possible.  I've got several orders which have arrived this week that I will be shipping right back out, and lots of orders recently placed which should be back in a couple of weeks as well.  And just as many proofing galleries out, which are hopefully being salivated over by those clients.  ;)   That said, if you wish to book a session with me in November, please remember I have only 3 spots left.  First-come, first-served!  Also remember that THE LAST DAY TO ORDER FOR *GUARANTEED* CHRISTMAS DELIVERY IS NOVEMBER 1.  Orders placed after that date will be processed as quickly as possible, of course, but pre-Christmas delivery cannot be guaranteed at that point.

Okay... enough jabbering.  Now on to some photos!!  

This is one of my favorite families, and I've seen them three times this year already.  They get even more gorgeous each and every time I see them.....

Love the red cast on Brynne's arm....  good thing Daddy's a surgeon and fixed her right up!

I always love the soft pinkish light in her room.  And her sweet expressions do not disappoint!

This next one is a heart-melter...  just love the proud look on big sister's face.  :)  Guess who is 6 months old now?  Gosh how time flies....

Of course I had to grab some detail shots.... you know me and my penchant for photographing baby-toes.  :)

I just loooved all of that chub.......

Some well-deserved snuggle time with Mommy....  who, I just realized while proofing, reminds me a little bit of Carrie Underwood!  (Can you believe this beautiful woman just had a baby 6 months ago?!  Doesn't she look fabulous?)

Aaaaand then it was naptime.  :)  

such a beautiful family, inside and out

I met this super-sweet family a few weeks back at Honeymoon Island, and we had such a fun time together!  

I loved how relaxed these two were the whole session.  I tell ya, it makes my job soooo much easier! 

These beautiful parents have five gorgeous kids.  Who were just about the funniest, most playful, and most well-mannered kids I'd ever seen.  Well, even if a few of them are practically grown-ups themselves.  ;)

1...

2...

3...

4...

5...

The girls...

Absolutely loved this one.....

And the boys...

And I just loved this one among the sea grapes....  :)

Thanks, guys, for such a fun evening at the beach!  And for playing along with all of my wacky ideas.  :)  I hope you enjoy these!

Henry.

So I promised big brother Henry his own blog post.  Did you see his face?!  It's no wonder.  He stole my heart from the moment I walked in the door!  Maybe my heart is a little on the soft side when it comes to big brothers these days.... what do you think?  ;)  That's okay though!  Regardless, I just cannot wait to show Mom and Dad this little sampling, before their gallery is ready. 

With Daddy here.....  melts your heart, doesn't it??

And one that his Mama never knew I caught......  This little hand-snuggling is just precious to me.

Last one..... 

 

What a sweetie.  Thanks Little Man, for a fun morning.  :)

I'm officially too pregnant for this gig....

Yep. I scared Grandma half to death when I climbed to the second floor of the kids' fort, trying to "get the shot". Now photographers, tell me, was this sibling image not worth it?! YOU would have climbed the fort too, right?? ;)

I admit, I'm a very "physical" shooter, as my clients have witnessed.... they've seen me climbing walls, perching tiptoe on chairs and ladders, lying on my tummy in the middle of the street (well, not in the last nine months or so!) sitting down in fire-ant infested grassy fields, straddling a bathtub or two (or three), the list goes on and on. Given my history, I didn't even question climbing the stairs to sit in the fort with these three kiddos. (And oh my goodness, they certainly kept me laughing!!) The only downer was when the girls ran off to change clothes, and little Jack here ran off behind them.... I'm standing at the top of the fort yelling, "Um, Jack! Hey buddy, can you come help me down from here???" LOL! So, yeah, I've officially reached my limitations while shooting client sessions. Not bad though, for 8-1/2 months pregnant, eh? ;)

Even the dogs were fun, jumping into the pond and everything. As soon as I opened the door and walked into the Kennedys' home, this sweet St. Bernard lay right down on my feet. What a lover.

I can't even TELL YOU how much I ADORE this next shot of all the kids together.... The girls' sweet giggle and their brother's "bleh, GIRLS!"-face just melt my heart!! (Yeah, this shot was taken in the fort too!)

And one with Mom. Can you see where these gorgeous kids get their looks? They also inherited her totally relaxed attitude. (Which I definitely appreciated, lol!) It was so refreshing!

Loved this swing shot for some reason....

And possibly my favorite...... a perfect way to end a photo session, right? :)

Did I mention how RELAXED this family was?? :) I LOVED that Mom let the kids jump into the pool, clothes and all! Look what sweet faces I got after the girls jumped out..... priceless, I tell ya.

Thanks, Wendy and Company, for the super-fun, awesome evening!!! I feel like I went out with a bang!!

I'll be taking off the rest of June and most or all of July (except for some last-minute editing, placing a few orders, and delivering clients' prints, etc.).

Keep your eyes on the blog for announcements of when my little girl makes her grand entrance, and when I'll be back to shooting! It won't be long, I promise!! :) By the way, I'm already booking for August, September, and Christmas sessions for October! Shoot me an email (stacey@staceywoodsphoto.com), or drop me a line (727.698.0344), and I'll put you down in my schedule!

Cookie monster.

A bit of business before I post these next shots...

If you would like a photo session with me before I give birth (!) and go on maternity leave, PLEASE, schedule it NOW! :) I'm currently booking for mid-May with a few early June dates still open. To book your photo session, you can contact me via my website which is www.staceywoodsphoto.com, or by emailing me at stacey@staceywoodsphoto.com, or simply by calling me at 727.698.0344. I can't wait to hear from ya!

Now.... on to the photos!! :)

This is Hailey. Her mama owns a local coffee shop in Dunedin, with whom I'm working on a project at the moment. We went out and had a little session a few Saturdays ago, and brought some yummy snacks along with us! And YES, can you believe MORE COLOR from me?! But these photos just *screamed* COLOR to me.... and, like I tell my clients, I don't have the heart to convert to black-and-white in some instances! I hope you'll understand once you see these. ;)

last one.... i love it.

And there you have it. The explanation for zero black-and-white images in a post. :) Can ya blame me?

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. :)