Meet Nicole and her soon to be featured little guy Nathan.  As a mother to two precious little ladies, adding an Y chromosome is going to make life interesting to say the least.     I have known (and loved) Nicole since she was a young teenager and was honored to be able to capture this moment in her life for her.  I remember clearly a conversation I had with her about a decade ago about babies…and here she is a mama to THREE.   In addition to growing her family with children, she has grown her little horse family as well.  She now owns and shows horses (I think she has 20 right now).  I am so happy to see her living her dream with her kiddos, her sweet hubby, and her horse ranch.  I get a real kick out of reading her facebook posts because I would swear she is speaking a foreign language.  Here is an example:

FB Quote:

I am looking for a nice 2010 overo hunt seat baby to longe line next year. I am willing to trade my grey Luke At Me daughter in foal to World & Res World Champion “The Gift of Midas” and her 2010 grey All Time Fancy filly. Or if I sell them out right I will be looking to buy one. Just in case anyone knows of one!

Anyone have any idea what she just said?

Nicole runs a horse and dog business and shows her APHA and AQHA horses as well as NSDR, ASDR, MASCA and NAMASCUSA Mini and Toy Aussies.

Her life keeps getting fuller by the minute doesn’t it?

I am no longer using my home studio for pregnancy shoots but I made an exception for Nicole due to the extreme heat.  I will still do draping shots in clients homes though.

Darling daughters Hope and Grace.  Hope actually picked out her baby brother’s name.

What personality huh?  Such a doll.  Will be anxious to present Nathan sometime in the next month or so.  Nicole has been cleaning high and low today with a crazy burst of energy so I expect he might have an early date in mind.  She posted this on facebook this morning – made me tired just to read it!  LOL.

FB Quote:

NESTING? This morning I fed and watered the horses, cats, dogs & chickens, cleaned stalls, cleaned the feed room, organized the barn totes, raked the barn and around the outside, lounged Chloe (yes she is FINALLY sound and it was her first time on the line in 6 weeks!) and then when my husband and kids woke up we bedded all the stalls, cleaned the waters, played in the rain and then made breakfast and baked a cake.

You know what this means don’t you?  Another newborn shoot coming up for me!  Wooohooo!  Little Charlie will likely arrive in Sept (though brother was early so we’ll see).  His mama Amber has that pregnancy glow about her for sure.  I was delighted that Amber allowed me to come do this shoot in their home.  In July, it is way too hot for pregnant mama’s to be outside in Phoenix, but the backdrop of Charlie’s nursery, their bedroom, staircase, and even their kitchen, was perfect for this shoot.  In fact, I like to encourage people to use their homes because it adds another dimension to the nostalgia.  Capturing the nursery and the first home baby ever lived in – sweet memories.

This is big brother Jackson.  Jackson is a riot.  Bundle of energy he is.  I know all about rambunctious little boys so Jackson and I became fast friends.  When I first arrived I asked Jackson his middle name and like a well trained young man he said “I can’t tell you that.  You are a stranger”.  Hee hee.  Touche.

By the end of the shoot when I was getting into my car though, Jackson yelled out “I love you”.  Jackson and I have something in common.  Strangers don’t last but five minutes in our lives.

A lot of hard work is put into preparing a nursery for baby.  What better way to celebrate the grand design than to use the finished product as a backdrop for pictures.  Didn’t they do a grand job on Charlie’s room?  I wish their AMAZING dresser would have been in these pictures but I didn’t catch the room from the opposite angle.

And mama’s bedroom is ready for baby too.  See the cradle?

Another benefit to using your home for pregnancy pictures is that it allows the opportunity for some draping.

And one more fun thing…

One of Amber’s passions is healthy cooking.  She has a cooking blog called The Mommy Chef with some fun healthy recipes for kids (and adults).  For fun, we decided to shoot a few of Amber and Jackson in the kitchen – another place where mommy and son spend some quality time. 

Anxious to see you all again when Charlie arrives!

I love facebook.  I really do.

Recently a client posted images of her daughter on facebook.  A friend of hers contacted me for pictures.  The name sounded familiar so I looked up her profile on facebook.  I wracked my brain until I figured it out but it finally came to me.  I met Amber over 20 years ago.  I liked her then and I like her now.  A lot.    I was in “love my job” mode as I took pictures of  little Charlie still hidden in mama’s womb.   More from this session next week…

Get ready folks for a plethora (plethora:  ) of pictures from Jodi’s pregnancy shoot.   Today I am shooting Cooper’s newborn pictures so I had to get this finished.    Wish us luck!!!

I am afraid to ask what Darin was whispering in her ear. 

Love Jodi’s laugh.   Notice two little munchkins in the fountain behind her?

My friend Erin (ErinMcFarlindPhotography.com) did a pregnancy shoot awhile back ago at this location and I was ooohiiing and aaaahing over it thinking it such a beautiful spot for pregnancy pictures.  Thankfully, Jodi agreed.  And while I am listing what I am grateful for, I am also very appreciative to my wonderful photog friends such as Liza and Erin who lovingly share what they know. 

I couldn’t resist one more.      We had big ideas with that balloon but the area we were in didn’t give us enough of an open landscape to use it the way we wanted to.  I love this capture though.  Looks dreamy to me – expectant wouldn’t you say?. 

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This afternoon I had a very validating parenting moment.  For quite some time I have been trying to use the word “choice” frequently with my children.  I am striving to ingrain into their little hearts that life has many options for them but that all choices are not equal.   Tanner is not a boundary pusher so he is likely to weigh consequence out of fear inspired control issues (just like his mama).   Ty is the ying to Tanner’s yang in nearly every way.  Yesterday I told him he couldn’t do something and in a sweet little voice he said “what will you do if I do it?”.  I smiled – got real close to his little face – and said “want to try me and see?”  He opted not to open pandora’s box.  Good decision.  The fact that he was even considering it though tells me that he and Tanner are polar opposites and that my middle child is bound and determined to give me a run for my money (cute as he is).

Today I asked Ty to pick up all the GI Joe guys that had been scattered across my bedroom floor.   “MOOOOOMMMMMYYYYYY…that is going to take FOOOOOORRRRREEEEVVVEEER!”  You should know – that is Tanner’s line and Ty was giving it a shot.  Before I could say a word, Tanner steps up to bat and calmly says “Yes Ty.  That will take forever.  If that is your choice.”

Woooohooooo!!!!!!  I have been giving that line (or a rendition of it) to Tanner for “fooooorrreeeeevvveeerrr” and to hear him pay it forward made me feel all warm and giddy inside.  Aaahhhhhh – that was a moment to revel in.   Without saying a word, Ty picked up the rest of the GI Joe’s.  SWEEEEEEETTTT!

P.S.  My right arm is itching me like crazy.  I told Jim it is reminiscent of PUPPS.  What in the world!