"bump" is three :: birthday photography

little "bump" is 3... can you believe it?  as i love to do, he woke up the morning of his birthday to a little 'party' that just so happened to also serve as a backdrop for photos!  there i go being sneaky again.

i stacked up all of his presents facing the rocking chair, so he naturally sat in it to open them.  this put him in perfect position for photos!  the cute #3 came from his grandma - she wrapped his gift and stuck it on top like a bow.  what a wonderful prop it turned out to be!

besides fringing the paper streamers (which took longer than i thought) this may have been the easiest photo set-up yet!  now if only i can get him to actually give me a real smile while looking at the camera.

happy birthday to "bump"!

wish number :: birthday photography

for "the monster's" birthday, i asked friends and family to send me a little birthday wish that i could share with him.  a lot of people wrote about how brave, fun, & loving he is.  i then arranged each note in fun envelopes and displayed on the wall in the shape of a 7.  this was a great backdrop for some birthday photos, and he felt super special when he read through them!

two! :: family photography

"bump" is two today! he's so stinkin' cute i can't stand it. yesterday morning we did a little photo shoot in the kitchen... yes, the kitchen. i wanted to share a little secret with you: the backdrop is wrapping paper! i just found a clear spot on the wall and taped it up. "bump" loved having his own little special spot for the day and he was happy to oblige me when i wanted to snap a few photos.

now, we're off to celebrate... xoxo

six years old :: birthday photography

"the monster" turned six last week and i surprised him with a little party first thing in the morning.  always the multi-tasker, i actually did this for two reasons.  i, of course, wanted to do something special for him on his special day, but i also wanted to get in a few fun pictures of my growing boy!  i hung balloons over the entire fireplace wall and then strung a few streamers from the ceiling... a perfect backdrop.  i then strategically placed his wrapped presents directly in front, and facing the balloon wall so that he would voluntarily position himself front and center.  i'm so sneaky...

as he proceeded to tear into his gifts, i snapped a few photos and we completely avoided the fake and forced smiles that he usually gives me.  ha!

p.s.  as you'll notice, one thing i did not think of was "the monster's" attire first thing in the morning.  had i planned a bit better, i would have dressed him in some cute pj's the night before...  some that included a shirt.  of course, then he would have known something was up.

10 not-so-great things about being a mom :: personal story

today is "the monster's" 6th birthday!  he's very excited... we woke up early this morning and had a little family party {pictures coming soon} and then tonight we'll go to a special dinner with grandparents.

as i put him to bed last night, i rubbed his back and told him the story of his actual birth day.  after kissing him goodnight, i walked out into the hall and thought about how much my life has changed over the last 6 years.  i had no idea that my heart could be so full.  i love love love being a mom.

i know i know... that's what every mom says.  it's really very true.  i thought, though, in the spirit of honesty on the anniversary of my sincerly honest {sometimes to an embarrassing fault} son's birthday i would share a few things about what i don't love as a mother:

1. loading pez dispensers.  i really hate it.
2. i'm a walking garbage can.  both of my children give me all of their trash without even a glance towards the cylindrical shaped can in the corner.
3. the constant worrying if my boys are happy/safe/smart/kind/well-mannered... the list goes on and on.
4. when they throw back their little hard heads into my nose while we are playing.   it hurts like hell.  and inside i get really pissed.
5. potty training.   there is absolutely nothing fun about this.
6. they are slowly but surely destroying every nice thing i own. {furniture, clothing, cars, walls...}
7. let's face it. kids are expensive.   do you know how many spa days i could enjoy if i wasn't contributing to their college funds?!
8. the ridiculously secure packaging on all toys.  even the sharpest of scissors are left feeling useless against a packaged fisher-price farm set.
9. the candor of my oldest son.  even the rudest of adults wouldn't tell me that my tummy looks big like i have a baby in it {when i certainly don't}.   yes, that did happen last week.
10. dinner every night. {even if i just made it last night!?}

so there you go.  it's pretty bad that i'm sharing this on my son's birthday, isn't it?  as my friend "ak" would say... 'you should be mother of the year'.  but i do love my children.  more than anything, i promise.  and i wouldn't trade any of the above for a day without them.  they are the reason i get up each morning {literally} and if i'm absolutely, totally, 100% honest... i even love the all the things above too {except for the head smacked into nose thing}.

picture above by black willow photography

little p :: family photography :: birthday photography

"little p" turned 1 last week and her fun mom asked me to take pictures of her birthday party!   i really enjoyed meeting all of the people that love this little girl and celebrating such a big event with them.  after the party, "little p" hung in there for a quick family photo session before crashing into a well over-due afternoon slumber.