First of many...

Ben came to the studio last week for the first time. He was 7 days old. He was an angel...slept the entire time. He made this very easy.

As you can see...we did a lot of things to him. He didn't care. In fact, I think he liked it! I think he was dreaming about all the fun times he will have in Gigi's studio.

Mama was there to cuddle Ben after all the excitement.

Did you happen to notice the cute brown and blue banner in one of the above shots. If not...go back and look. ;)  I got crafty and made it for Ben's shoot.

My scissors are very special to me. They belonged to my grandma. They are hidden from the family because they are only to be used on fabric. That's what she used them for, and she was diligent about keeping them sharpened. They are still sharp...because I don't do much with fabric. ;)  They were perfect for this project.

I know I haven't been posting my 365 pictures, but I promise I'm keeping up with this and Project Life. I really am putting it first this year. That was my epiphany over my Christmas break. No matter how busy I get, my family pictures and memories will come first. I haven't been marking my 365 shots like I did in January and February. That got to be a big hassle. Now I'm designing my PL pages digitally and printing out the pieces. I'm glad to have the digital versions for safe keeping in case anything happens to the album.

I baked for St. Pat's Day this week. I also surprised Jake on Thursday with green milk and Lucky Charms...a cereal I never buy. He celebrated St. Pat's at school on Thursday, so I decided to start our celebration then, too.  Jake wasn't too sure about that first sip.

The studio has been a very busy place. In addition to the private shoot I had, these two guys came by this week. They drove about an hour to visit my studio! I was so touched by that. What an honor.  It was fun spending time with them.

I mentioned a few entries ago that I would post some before and after shots. Here are a few examples of how pictures look SOOC (straight out of camera) and how they look after I finish working on them in my programs.

Here are two shots of Ben and the after picture once they are merged. These were a bit dark since I was using natural light by my basement door instead of studio light.

Here is a before shot of Mason and then the after. I had to add on to my back drop a bit.

I forgot...

In all the excitement of the past week, I kind of forgot that I had a blog.

What do I even say? How can I put into words how special it was to be in the delivery room with my sister when she gave birth to my nephew?  I can't. Trust me...it was wonderful.  I was so worried prior to the big day. I was worried about the baby and about my sister. All the worries went out the window. Our doctor brings with her a sense of calm and peace when she enters the room. I knew she had everything under control. I felt the same way when she delivered Jake.

I took over 300 pictures. My favorites were made into a video that I want to keep personal. It's not graphic. I'm not about that. It's just not for a public blog. If you are a friend of mine and you want to see it, shoot me an email. I will link you up.

Here are some of my most favorite pictures from Ben's birthday.

I took Jake to the hospital the next day for a visit. I never got a picture with Ben the day he was born, so I made sure we took care of that.

Welcome to the family Bennett Donald. I love you.

I had a shoot on Monday with the sweetest family. Because of the nature of their business, I am not able to post any of their pictures publicly. I understand that. I've had a couple of shoots like this. The client had legitimate reasons why they needed their shots to remain private. I respect that. Believe me...their little one is such a cutie!

My brother in law, Eric, came by for a few head shots and help with an ad for a bridal magazine. This was fun, and we both were super happy with the results.  Keep Eric in mind if you have an event to plan. He's very talented.

I'm looking forward to a future shoot with Kate and her boyfriend, Rick. I got to know him a little better this weekend, and I was really impressed. The best part is that he makes my daughter very happy. :)  They came to Jake's game this weekend along with Grandma, Grandpa, and my niece and nephew.

 

The show off...

Who knew? Jake is such a show off! After that first basketball game, he has not exactly been kicking it on the court. He's having fun, but that's about it. The game this past weekend was a different story. He was so assertive/aggressive! I even saw him try to steal the ball from his own teammate! He ran around that court like he meant it. He had three shots and scored once.

Guess why. Guess who was there to watch.

He was showing off for Izzy!!!  She now must attend the last two games of the season. I told him that he rocked it! He said, "I rocked it for Izzy." I told him I expected him to rock it at every game. He said, "I'll only rock it for Izzy. I get too tired."  I'm trying not to take it too personally that he won't rock it for me!

I must admit I've been stretching a bit with Project 365 these first days of March. I'm struggling with the project right now, but I was expecting this. I've done the project before, so I know how hard it is to stay motivated.  I'm no longer marking the pictures until they digitally become part of my Project Life.

Here is March 1. Jake brought this picture home from school. He said he made polka dots because he knows I love them. This boy makes my heart sing. He even included my name at the bottom!

March 2 was a stretch. Here is the basket of bath toys. It makes me crabby. Maybe if all the toys fit in it, I would be happier. This shot doesn't include all the extra toys thrown into the tub.

March 3...already posted above.

March 4. Jake had a jammie day. We stayed in and rested today. I've been feeling very run down and needed a slow day at home. Jake spent a lot of time in Kate's room during the afternoon. They watched a movie together, and he played on her phone.

I hope to get some new pictures of Kate soon. She has a new boyfriend, so you know I'll hit them up for a photo shoot before too long. She's so happy and having so much fun at school. I've been so excited for her and can't wait to get to know Rick a little better.

Mason came to the studio on Saturday. I think 6 months is just the sweetest age. I remember trying to soak up every minute of that month with Jake and memorize everything about him.

Mason is the most darling little baby. He was full of smiles and never shed a tear.  Here are a few of my favorites.  I think it might be fun to show a couple of examples of what the pictures look like SOOC (straight out of the camera) and then show you my edit. I'll try to get a post up tomorrow with a few from this shoot.

Thanks for the boost, Mom! ;)