I have already done age 11 with my oldest so it doesn’t jar me like before. 11 is nice.

Sophia was born when my oldest was only 18 months old. She was 10 days overdue & I was so very ready for her to just be born already. I had no idea that she was in fact, a she. I had hoped & prayed for another girl so that Anna could have a sister. I imagined it would be a fun thing to have two little ladies so close together. Her labor was textbook & although I was initially scared of going through the  pain of birth again, I soon caught my stride & was a real champ at breathing & getting through those contractions. Like with Anna, I had a midwife attended homebirth. I spent most of my time sitting in the bathtub & zoning out a little when I could manage it. I had pushed for hours with Anna but Sophia came out in just 4 pushes. She came out easily & has remained a laid back, easy going girl ever since.

She had tiny black curls all over her head & her skin was very dark. She seemed to be exotic & we thought maybe those Italian genes had overcome the Irish ones & the reddish hair & freckles of her fair skinned sister. What better name than Sophia for such a gorgeous dark haired child? 11 years later she is as blond, blue eyed & freckled as she can be…

Sophia (aka Fifi, Sophia, Fia, Fluffy) was an easy baby. She slept for me. She napped for me. She nursed well & she took her place sitting next to the throne of Queen Anna. Anna pretty much directed her play, her work, her speech & most everything else right from the start & Sophia didn’t seem to mind one bit.

“Anna. Please stop telling Fifi what to say all the time when you are playing house. Let her be her own girl & say what she would like!”

(Sophia, taking her thumb from her mouth), “It’s OK. I don’t care.”

Ah my little Sophia…always with a little blond bob, hair matted up in the back…always with food on her face NO MATTER WHAT & in the warmer months, always naked in the yard no matter how many times I dressed her. Whenever Christmas would roll around, I would ask what she wanted to get & she would always say, “whatever Santa is making for the kids is fine with me”. While Anna jumped into whatever situation lay in front her of her, Sophia always sat back, took it all in & then decided her next move.

She is at heart, her fathers child. She has gorgeous long lean limbs like him. She is quite literally good at just about everything she does (my hubby is irritatingly good at everything….seriously.) She has his quiet spirit & wonderful way of making everyone she meets fall in love with her. She is amazing with her little brother & sister. She is always at the ready to lend me a hand when I am cleaning out a closet or putting the groceries away. She is my go to kid when something is lost~she will find whatever it is, everytime.

She is mad funny & can lip synch a song in a way that leaves me doubled over in laughter & begging her to do it one more time for me. She shares my love of all things girlie & is my stylist each morning as we decide which piece of jewelry to wear, which shoe goes best with what or if I should go curly or straight.

I adore my girl.  She is more tricky than my other children because unlike the other three, she does not wear her heart on her sleeve. Her sorrows need to be coaxed out~her joys are more reserved. Sometimes I have to catch my breath when I look at her~her beauty still catches me off guard sometimes & I sit and marvel at her. To say I have been blessed to have her as my own would be an understatement & other words fail me.

She is quite simply, more than I ever could have hoped for.

I have been neglectful of posting new stuff & I am not sure why. I think of things to post. I take a gazillion  photos & then…..well….then, nothing much happens.

Life is dishing up a heck of a lot of fun for me lately. A lot of work & a lot of play & a lot of good stuff in between.  I know there are still 2 or 3 people who read this blog & like to look at new photos from time to time so for those dedicated family members  fans, here is something fun I worked on this spring.

Photographing beautiful little people in gorgeous little clothes. I shot many, many days for a NY based kids catalog & website. It was loads of fun & I even got to drag my baby Grace along since she was a sample size this season. 

I had a SUPER Mini Session event at Monkey Busines last month & really need to share those images as well but for now I leave you with lovely ladies making pretty pictures:)

I am always torn on this one. Photographing people you have never met is scary. You have to connect with them & get to know them on a level that will allow you to capture them as they are. It’s an intimate thing & a sometimes daunting task. Photographing people you know & love is a differernt kind if anxiety. It is I guess, a tall order. You don’t want to disappoint. You hope they like they way you see them & you want to capture them in the best way because hey, you want them to keep liking you.

I have known the O family for longer than my husband. I met her when she had just a little toddler girl & she walked into the office where I worked. Over the years we forged a bond she & I. She made my wedding dress, we had babies together, we hung out at the pool with the kids….she taught me how to make Cuban black beans & I made her laugh on the porch while we drank a beer & pondered the difficulties of marriage & motherhood.

We had hard times when we disagreed over the paths we took. We cried. Alot. And all these many years later, we are still standing. Still laughing & still holding each other up when we need it. Still pondering & climbing back up from the valleys when we fall. 

When she asked if I might photograph her family, I was thrilled. It seemed a fitting time to capture this little clan & the love they share. We had a lot of fun spending an hour or so together…..I hope she still likes me:)

Wow. I am such a slacker. I mean to write something or share something…it enters into my head & then just as soon as it arrives it is gone again. I am finally surrendering to the chaos & the unexpected. Once you lower your standards & expectations, the days go much more smoothly!

I think the key to being a happy Mom is this; for each new baby you have, let something go. After #1 I stopped experimenting in the kitchen. I was nursing or napping all the time it seemed so I stuck to the basics & donated all those weird cookbooks I had collected to the library book sale. #2 brought the end of ever being caught up on laundry (unless my mom took pity on me & came over to help). #3 brought the end of running the vacuum on any sort of a regular basis. Unless there are smashed up chips all over the floor or an entire container of pink glitter, it ain’t happening. #4 brought complete & utter defeat. It had to. I had to be humbled & realize that I am no longer in control & I don’t have to be.

At a newborn session last week, I was reminded of how things change with each new addition. My client K is ON THE BALL! She has a beautiful home & gorgeous boys. She & I always share some laughs & some frank and honest talk about being moms & wives. I just love her honesty & her wit & hope that she will remember to let something go now that she is mom to 2.

She will definately need more time to soak up all this cuteness.

You can send email to my regular account but I cannot reply to you. Go figure! Until I can get it fixed I set up a temporary account with Yahoo. There may be delays but I will get back to you as soon as I can.

It creeps up on us.

Today I took a long drive north to see the M. Family. The whole way there twere gray & I was convinced that it would be cool & dreary forever.

Winter is a slower time for me since I prefer shooting outside. This was the kick off to spring sessions & I had to gather all my scattered gear, clean off all my lenses & check & recheck my bag to make sure I had everything I would need. I got lost of course. Despite advances with simple things like Mapquest or more complicated things like my phone which has a navigation system (and a strange confusion of left & right), I had to call. (I always have to call….)

But I made it! I got there to meet Little K. & his pretty mama right on time. (Big brother & sister joined us later) I made a HUGE impression on K. I overheard him tell mom that he “didn’t like Stacey”. Amateur. You all know my Gracie hits way below the belt on a daily basis. I simply statement of dislike cannot disuade me.

And really, I think he was lying.

Thanks lovely people! You made some sunshine on me today & were worth that drive!

I need 3 or 4 little lovely girls who wear a size 4T/4 . I am going to be shooting a line of clothing during the week of April 13th & need some models. If you have interest, please email me a current photo of your sweetie. Thanks!

 And I cannot post without a photo. Here is lovely Miss A. who turned 1 this week. I got to share in her utter & complete cuteness. Happy Birthday love!

or something like that…

My hubby is a carpenter & my house is in dire need of repair, rennovation & all manner of well…carpentry. Not gonna happen. So I take photographs for a living & yes, you guessed it! I am very bad at actually looking at & printing out the photos of my own children. It is not a widespread disease. Most of my favorite photogs post loads of images of their children on their blogs. I think it is just me being a slacker.

Tonight I was taking all of my personal photographs off of my old computer & putting them onto my new computer. As I was scrolling through them I was reliving my year~the birthday parties, the holidays, playing in the yard, jumping on the beds & more than a few trips to the ocean. I sat for hours pouring over the photos that I had taken & then forgotten. What a gift! Each little folder labeled only by date. Opening each one was like Christmas….or a day at the beach.

For those of us who do not live in warm climates, February is a test of  one’s soul. Really. I am not being dramatic. This is the month where we are completely lacking in Vitamin D. There is simply no sun, or at least not enough to refresh us & make us feel warm & content. Grey skies mix in with grey buildings, sidewalks & bare trees.

If youe children are like mine, they have started to sqaubble & fuss. My son runs around aimlessly making car & machine gun noises. Everyone wants to sleep a lot & eat even more than that. We have stopped “bundling up” because we just cannot be bothered to track down all of the hats, mittens & scarves we need to do that. We just simply freeze!

Oh please oh please let it be Spring soon!

My girl needs more space to spread out all of this attitude!

Big congrats to Baby A. who won my Cutest Baby Contest on Valentine’s Day!

Just a reminder that anyone who enters can enjoy my 50/50 plan; 50 dollars off of a session fee  & a 50.00 credit to use towards prints & products. Just call for details or shoot me an email.

Winter seems to wearing on & wearing us out. My kids & I have been sick with 2 (yes 2 ) rounds of the stomach flu this winter & those one or two days of Spring preview we had last week did not help the doldrums since it only left us wishing for more. That & the fact that the whole world seems to have gone mad is leaving this gal feeling like she needs to get back to work & focus her mind on something else!

I leave you with another Baby A. that I adore. More to come soon as I shake off the winter blues & think of green spring!