Oh my soul.

You knew it would come out again eventually :) Just sharing a few of sweet baby "A" who may have been my sleepiest, most agreeable newborn to date. She was also teeny tiny at under 6 lbs, and usually they are the fussy ones, so it was an extra special treat. Mama was also the most assured first time mom I have ever met(believe me I was a basket-case), and I truly felt blessed to work with this family. Really, I don't need to go on and on with words. You'll see what I mean.









I just love this little yawn/rooting thing. It makes me smile.



This makes me smile too.



When "A" was awake, she just stared at the camera...That's so rare for a 10 day old. This is one smart little girl.





Thanks for having me over C family. Get 10 comments on this post and you get a free 8x10, 20 comments upgrades to an 11x14. If you are commenting anonymously, please leave your first name in the comment.

eyes, bellybuttons, babies. Does it get any better?

I was so happy that this family came down to my in home studio for a session for their new addition. They were one of my first clients years ago and I am in love with their kids. Most of what I am sharing in this post is black and white, but I had to share one of the two oldest in color, because they both have these amazing eyes that I simply cannot get over.



And recently they welcomed their new little brother, who at about 4 weeks old was already chubby and oh so cute! I know his eyes will change a bit as he ages, but I can't wait to see him again to check them out. There's some seriously amazing eye color genes running through this baby.





Gotta love the lip bubbles





Ok, and now the cutest thing I have ever seen. Big brother's belly button. Mom said "hey, N, show Courtney your Cinnamon Bun" and he turned around, pulled up his shirt and revealed this...



I am really thinking Cinnabon could use him in an advertising campaign.

Thanks for coming down "D" family! Get 10 comments for a free 8x10, 20 upgrades to an 11x14. If you're leaving a comment anonymously, please leave your first name in the comment.

Rockstars

I have had 3 newborns in the past 7 days, and they have all been total rockstars. Even when they weren't sleeping, they were uber cooperative and soooooo squishy. First up, little "M". Mom was worried when I got there, because he'd been having a rough morning, but all he needed was my "womb simulation devices" and he was out like a light. Putty in my hands, I tell ya!



He kept making the cutest little fishy kiss faces. It was all I could do not to lean down and kiss those lips! I refrained, but you can feel free to kiss the computer screen if you want. I won't tell.





Oy I am a sucker for dramatic black and whites with newborns!




Hope you enjoy your little peek mom and dad, the rest will be up soon. Get 10 comments on this post and you'll earn a free 8x10. 20 comments upgrades to an 11x14. If you are commenting anonymously, please leave your first name in the comment.

Let the week begin!

I have so much to share this week. Thought I'd start with a couple of the kiddos who came out to my Mama Mia mini sessions. I have more to share from these, but thought I'd do it in a couple of parts. Also up on the blogenda (blog agenda) this week are some scrumptios newborns, so be sure to check back. Unless you're my friend Stacey. Stacey, the level of cuteness on the newborns may do you in, so just maybe steer clear. To the mamas of these 2cuties, your galleries will be live tomorrow :)

Alex

I wanted to share a little slideshow I put together for a friend of her son (and daughter). Normally I don't share a full session, but we did a little session for Alex recently, because he is on his way to St. Judes in Memphis for treatmet for some tumors he has on his kidneys. I know he's going to be a total rockstar and come through the treatments with flying colors, and I will be photographing him in the years to come. But I just couldn't resist that little bald head. ;) Please, if you pray, join me in prayer for this special little boy. They will be arriving there this weekend and will begin meetings with surgeons and doctors next week. I know his mom and dad are anxious, but feel very blessed that the best hospital in the country will be caring for little Mr. Man. As a sidenote, the cutie patootie little girl in the pictures (Alex's sister) holds my sons heart. He is completely enamored with her and tells me all the time that they are going to get married and live in a skyscraper in the big city. Ironically, he would also like to be a trolley car operator when he grows up. He may have to pick a dream and work with it...
Turn on your speakers :)

Sharing the party of the year!

Oh, you thought that was the Oscar after party? Well, think again. My dear friend Lindsey of Bella Grace Party Designs is a master party planner. Really. She comes up with stuff that I would never even dream about! Seriously, Finn's 2nd birthday was amazing. I chose the theme of a Dick and Jane inspired Vintage toy party and Lindsey and her partner in crime Kori (together they make up Paper and Pigtails, which is an etsy store where you can buy customizeable party printables and products) got to work. Within days I had the cutest invite on the planet, and a whole slew of matching stuff for Finn's party was showing up in my inbox for approval. These girls are TOPS! I highly recommend them to anyone! If you're in the bay area, Bella Grace party designs can even help plan your whole event for you. If you're not, you can still get in on the fun by ordering invites, cupcake toppers, water bottle labels and a lot of other fun stuff from paper and pigtails. They will even do a custom design for you to match your theme. Kori does all of this in illustrator, so you can rest assured you will have something totally unique and free of cheesy clip art. And because I just love them so much, I am giving away one of their party printables for FREE! If you've got a party coming up, this is the contest for you. AND, you don't have to live in Tampa to win it! The 20th person to leave a comment here wins. Only rule is you can't comment twice in a row, but just come back and comment again later! Need something to say? You can head over to Paper and Pigtails and tell me which design is your favorite. Of course, I am sure you can all figure out which one is MINE :)

The Dessert Buffet








We even had milk shots...


The kids table




And more of the amazing details that made my baby's party uber spectacular!











My favorite detail was the way Lindsey tied Jacks to the napkin rings. What an adorable touch!


The cute cake!


and the birthday boy loving it!


And after a long and glorious evening, Finn piled himself into the wagon with a bunch of toys for a little R&R.

:)

This big guy just had a birthday!



His 6th, and I have so loved watching him grow up. Mama owns Kidz club up in new tampa, and if you haven't gone you should! We love it there. It's always super clean and there are so many fun activities and classes to participate in. They also do some super fun birthday parties, which are perfect for the summer birthdays coming up. AC people!
Mom has been stalking the blog so I thought I'd better get a few up for her to see! I'll have the rest done soon...

Love this moment.

If I may be candid...

This family was SUCH fun! They came all the way from OH for their session. Ok, ok, they had other stuff to do in the area, but I was thrilled that they also booked a session while they were here. When I talked to mom the night before to confirm her session, she expressed that they were all a bit nervous. I told her what I tell everyone who says that to me. Just try to pretend I am not there. I will set the scene, and then you roll with it as you would if I hadn't. Well, they were pros! We got so many wonderful, candid shots of their happy little family. And I got a sneak preview of life in about 4 years, with two boys! I gotta say, that's gonna be a blast :) Thanks "M" family for a great morning. I hope you enjoy your sneak peek, and your gallery should be ready soon!

Also, I am still booking sessions for this weekend's mothers day minis! Please contact me if you are interested.





This little moment cracked me up. I wanted one of mom and dad alone, so I had them do this...



Then I asked the boys to join in the shot and they tried to pose the same way. We all died laughing!