New House Update {Lake County IL, Photographer}

So we’ve been in the new house for two and a half weeks and I thought it would be fun to share a little update on how things are going, what I’m learning about, and what I’m struggling with…

What I’m struggling with:

1. I live in Sherwood forest! It’s official…nature and I need to become one with each other. In the short time period we’ve been at the new house I’ve experienced two deer in my backyard, Steve the snake in the front yard, and was introduced to Moochie the muskrat when he got stuck in our egress window. I’m not really a nature person so getting to experience these lovely creatures has been quite the treat.
2. Unpacking boxes is a never ending struggle and if I never see another piece of cardboard in my life it would be amazing. I never realized how much two people can have until faced with the daunting task of opening millions of boxes just to find that one power cord we tossed in a box marked “Office”. Ok, so maybe I’m exaggerating a bit…but trust me, the boxes are still all over with no end in sight.
3. Silence, they say it’s a golden thing but I’m struggling with embracing the silence of our new house. We are located on the outskirts of town with a beautiful little wooded area directly behind our house so quietness is ever present and with a house that doesn’t have much furniture, I can hear the cat’s claws click on the wood floor when they walk by. I’m sure there will be a time I miss this silence, at least that’s what I tell myself to keep my sanity.

What I’ve learned:

1. My husband and I make a pretty good team.
Example 1: We went shopping for the first new piece of furniture for the house and the clerk was impressed with how efficiently we are able to make a decision. Little does she know we spent 10 hours prior looking everything over before going into the store…but that tiny detail doesn’t matter.
Example 2: We managed to save Moochie the muskrat from dying with a little 5 foot piece of wood, a chunk of carpeting, a few screws, and a couple tablespoons of peanut butter. He ran the drill and I ran the peanut butter knife. It was a rough 48 hours that also included a broken broom, packing tape, a bucket, and numerous carrots but those were just casualties of the expedition.
2. 5 extra stairs really start to add up when you constantly forget things upstairs. Opps, my glasses are in the bathroom…opps, my shoes are in the closet…opps, my phone is charging on my nightstand. At the rate I’m going, I will have buns of steel just from doing a thousand trips up and down the stairs every day.
3. Planting roots feels pretty amazing. I never realized that buying a house would bring with it so many wonderful feelings. I have waves of calmness flood over me when I realize this is where our future children will grow up, this is where my husband and I will grow old together, this is where so many memories are going to be made…the feeling of uncertainty is gone and instead a feeling of peace and excitement for what our future holds.

Sweet Baby S {Lake County IL, Newborn Photographer}

Being a big sibling comes with responsibility. You have to look out over your little sibling, spend time reading to your little sibling, and tell them it will be ok when they cry. Sweet Baby S’s big brother also added being 100% smitten with your new little sister to the list. Just saying his little sister’s name brought out the most adorable crinkly nose smile I’ve ever seen. This entire family was so smitten with baby S and after meeting her it was hard to resist her charm!

The minute I saw sweet little S’s creamy skin and light hair I knew just what colors would be perfect on her. She also just loved being all curled up by tucking her little feet up tight and scrunching up on her tummy showing off her most adorable little baby rolls. In truth, every baby has the most adorable little baby rolls that I just can’t resist! Baby rolls just scream squishy baby goodness.

Now that summer is upon us I loved capturing a few family outdoor photos. We only get a few beautiful months of outdoor worthy weather and I’m in love with bringing in some beautiful sunshine and greenery to an already gorgeous little family.

Take a little peek at our time together…can you guess what football team Dad loves?

Interested in seeing more?  Checkout my newborn portfolio!

Want to book your own personalized newborn session?  Checkout my newborn session information!

The Perfect Little Book {Lake County IL, Newborn Photographer}

I love seeing your images captured forever in print…whether that be a matted photo in a beautiful frame, a canvas hanging on the wall, or a perfect little 8×8 book sitting on the table or in the nursery for everyone to enjoy.  Photos are meant to be cherished memories that you can share with others and look at years later with a little smile on your face as you remember how tiny Stacey was as a newborn.

In my house I can remember that the front hall closet housed albums upon albums of our pictures.  With having two siblings we had our fair share of photos. I can also remember sitting down with my sister and brother for hours looking over the photos inside the albums. We would laugh at how dad looked with a beard, or how chubby Kim’s little face cheeks were when she was a baby…we still tease her about how she didn’t quite look like my brother or I as infants. These albums brought back so many memories for us as we grew up. Did you have any albums in your house that you would look over?  I bet you all had the picture with the washcloth strategically placed on top of you in the bath.  Whoever started that photo trend likely never realized the embarrassment it would bring as parents felt the need to share that photo with significant others years down the road!

I want your little one to have the same experience I did when I grew up of being able to look back at photos of them as a little one. Today we have gotten so hooked on sharing photos online, and while that’s fun and easy…what happens if the computer crashes? Or you forget to sync your cell phone before your little one gets ahold of it and accidentally erases photos? We all have those toddlers that have erased that one app that you can’t remember what it was!

The great thing about this book is that you can use it for more than just newborn memories…you can use is as the perfect gift for Grandma & Grandpa or the start of a milestone collection (newborn, pushing-up, sitting-up, kneeling, standing) with your little one as the star.  I love being able to customize the cover to match the nursery or color scheme of the session and it allows me to include all the great photos from your session as a beautiful story, the story of your new little one.

Here are some of the details on this little book:

  • Customizable cover
  • 20 pages – 10 spreads
  • Holds 20-30 photos
  • 8×8 in size
  • Magazine style pages
  • Discount with purchase of a digital package

I would love to put together your little one’s first memory book!

Interested in seeing more?  Checkout my newborn portfolio!

Want to book your own personalized newborn session?  Checkout my newborn session information!

Cozy Indoor Baby Bump {Lake County IL, Maternity Photographer}

Sometimes things don’t always go as planned…it rains the day of your BBQ or you get sick right before a big vacation. I know the last thing you want to hear are the words “Life happens”…but it does. The only way to not let these ruined plans ruin your experience is to realize that what you have is often times just as perfect and maybe even better!  Maybe having an outdoor BBQ would limit how much engagement you had with your guests and being inside was a more intimate experience?  Maybe getting sick before vacation meant that you would force yourself to rest and relax more than what you would normally do and come back more rejuvenated and refreshed? Sometimes things don’t always go as planned with photo sessions…but part of my job is to make you realize that that tiny change doesn’t matter!

This mommy and daddy had a few changes with their maternity photo session. First we had some rainy weekends, then we had an almost birthday come sooner than anticipated…but in the end we managed to capture some very precious memories.  Sometimes Mommy’s and Daddy’s are nervous that their house isn’t pretty enough or clean enough for photos indoors and I always reassure them that things will be just fine. You never realized how much light you get in your bedroom when you open the curtain a bit or how dramatic and attractive the light can be coming from your living room windows, with the help of a little strategic chaise placement.

Being inside for this maternity session helped mommy and daddy feel cozy and relaxed with each other…they were able to snuggle up with ease and we even got to include their first fur baby in a photo. Sometimes, these cozy, at home sessions can be a favorite of mine…

Take a peek at what I mean…

Want to see more?  Checkout my Maternity Portfolio!

Are you expecting and interested in booking a session?  Checkout my Maternity Session Information!

Macro Monday ~ Tiny Toes {Lake County IL, Newborn Photographer}

I love how itty bitty toes and feet can be.  They are all pink and rosy, no imperfections to see, no miles yet put on their soles. Looking at little feet always makes me wonder, where will these little feet take this little one?  Will they experience sandy beaches, soft green grass, squishy carpets or even the coolness of ocean water? Will they carry them for miles running through the trails or down snowy slopes? I love remembering what it was like running through the grass in the summer and dipping my toes in the ocean for the first time. I’m pretty sure we’ve all experienced stepping on the thorn bushes before we realized what those prickly little plants were or dipping our toes in the cold salty ocean water for the first time. I image these little toes having that first wave of water rush over them and followed by shrills and giggles as they quickly run back before experiencing the next wave.  These little toes have so many experiences to encounter!

What is the biggest memory you have with your toes?  Were you like my husband and tried walking across newly laid asphalt barefoot in the summer and burned your feet? Or were you like me and kept your feet tucked away in socks and shoes afraid to get a scratch on your toes?

Interested in seeing more?  Checkout my newborn portfolio!

Want to book your own personalized newborn session?  Checkout my newborn session information!