to my little guy! : )

I was out the door to a photo shoot tonight, but had to force Mike and Will into the backyard for just a couple photos for his three month birthday. I was literally given 5 minutes (by Mike … and by Will spitting up all over the front of himself). It’s always the Dads that I “lose” first at my shoots. I want a full half hour when he’s 6 months!

And, Liz, I can’t get over this hat. LOVE. Thanks again!

Happy 3 Months little buddy. Please start sleeping longer tonight : )

St. Louis Children’s Photography.

of FUN things to come!

Holiday Card Mini Sessions are coming THIS FALL. And how fun are these holiday cards we’re going to offer!

Stay tuned…

My little guy is 7 weeks old… and oh so cute.

Love.

So my maternity leave is ending soon and it’s back to shooting. This is going to get interesting! If only I’ve slept longer than 3 straight hours in 7 weeks … I guess there’s always hope for next week…

St. Louis Children’s Photography

Trying to come up with something I enjoy about summer while my skin melts from my body is kind of tough. The crusty, dried layer of sweat on my epidermis at most of my beautiful clients wedding receptions this time of year is embarrassing but completely unavoidable. Even though I’m working, it still feels wrong to show up at such a fancy party looking like I ran a marathon dressed head to toe in black while carrying a small elephant through the Sahara Desert. Hot and sexy…check.

But seriously, ONE thing I love about summer – tomatoes are in season! My love for tomatoes only dates back a few years. I never really liked raw tomatoes, just things made out of tomatoes like ketchup or marinara sauce. I still don’t think those things actually have tomatoes in them – one certainly tastes nothing like the other. But now I love the real thing and look forward to them every year!

So recently I made this panzanella with from scratch french bread croutons and thought I would share a quick photo. Incredibly easy, refreshing and quick with basil from our own little pots on our deck!

Panzanella a la liz

Since Will is too young to make his own Father’s Day card this year … I thought I could help him out. With some help from Aunt Becky (thanks!) … and the face paint that I usually draw on pregnant bellies with …

This post is for Mike, our new favorite Daddy!
Love, Will and Kristie

Hope all the Dad’s out there have a great day!

Well, it looks like we’ve survived the past four weeks with our new little guy. (or should I say he’s survived!) Sleep deprivation doesn’t begin to cover it, and I didn’t think I would be excited to find time to do things like shower and brush my teeth, but every second of the day counts now! I find myself literally running around the house to do chores when he is sleeping, so I can try and get a nap in too before he wakes up. The quicker I run around, the quicker I can hit the pillow! (He eats every hour and a half – what’s that about!?) But even though I’m SO tired and a little stressed, I look at how stinking cute he is and my heart melts. So here is a quick, slapped together collage of what we’ve been up to at the Cromie household. And now I better go sleep, because he is sleeping! That’s all people keep telling me ; )

St. Louis Children’s Photography.

I’m one of those crazy nuts that looks forward the holiday season all year long.  I love it.  It was engrained in me by my nutty father who STILL dresses up as santa clause every year on Christmas Eve and makes all of us sit on his lap no matter how old we get (or how many pounds we weigh!)  So I had a meeting with another one of my favorite things tonight, which just so happens to be a person named Shelli Alred.  Not only is she one of the best wedding planners in St. Louis, but she is a really good person.  I always feel lucky when I get to spend some time with her.

Anyway, got me thinking about a wedding I did with her a few years ago in St. Charles and a neat little board I made.  Just thought I would share these shimmers of gold and twinkling lights! Christmas is only…counting…six months away!  Time to start planning the holiday dinner party.  Never can start too early you know.

L Photographie St. Louis wedding photography by Liz Sloan

I’m excited to finally share a few photos of my cute little boy, Will. He got his photos taken by the lovely ladies at Fresh Art Photography on Tuesday at their new in-home studio.

It was SO NICE to sit back on the couch with Mike and just watch our little guy be a model. He was fighting the sleepiness of their warm studio the whole time, but Kim and Jodie did an AWESOME job calming him into all these cute poses. They truly are some “newborn whispers” and I am so thankful for these shots they captured of my little man. (with my lack of sleep lately I can barely operate my own camera… but don’t worry… that will soon change and you’ll be seeing lots of this little guy out here!)

So, on with the photos … pulled from the Fresh Art Photography blog. Be sure to go check them out! Again, and again, thanks Kim & Jodie!

I brought along these two little owls from his nursery for this shot… this is going to have to be a HUGE canvas in there : )

Proud Mom and Dad : ) 

I know, I know, I won’t breathe on you. But I love it! I could pile garlic on just about anything. Whenever we make anything that calls for garlic Steve automatically knows to double the amount of garlic just for me (such a loving husband!) And then we figure that we both ate it and smell the same so at least we’re not offending anyone else. And the dogs think our breath is delicious. And there is such a big difference between using actual cloves and mincing or slicing yourself vs. using the stuff in a jar. I’m not saying don’t ever use it. It is totally necessary in a pinch or when you’re in a hurry and I’ve gone through more jars than I can count in my lifetime. But now the grocery stores are selling pre-peeled cloves so all you have to do is pull out the mincer and wah-lah! They are vacuum sealed and can stay in the fridge for months (a little tip my mother in law shared with me a few months back!)

I’ve been experimenting more with food lately so I’ve decided to start taking some photos of the creations. Why not?! This week – Garlicky Shrimp. A divine mixture of lemon, butter, white wine, Panko bread crumbs, a few other little things and a TON of garlic. I think it was a success seeing as the hubby went back for thirds. However, I need to get back on the diet soon so any future food posts will contain less butter and more veggies. In the meantime I present…Garlicky Shrimp!

L photographie photography by Liz Sloan

So here’s something I rarely share on our blog… photos of myself! But I wanted to share a few photos that Liz took of me and my husband, Mike, and our little guy on the way. I’m in “week 40″ of my pregnancy right now… so any day now! I’ll be sure to let everyone know when he does decide to arrive!

I wanted to do something a little different for my Maternity shots, versus the “in home” photos that I do a lot with clients, so we ventured with Liz around Tower Grove park. And I personally love outdoor photos, but I will say it was a tad bit difficult changing in the car when you are 39 weeks pregnant! BUT – it IS possible – even with super swollen feet and legs like mine ; ) So, to my future maternity clients, beware, now that I’ve gone through it I may ask more out of you. (kidding. sort-of). And I will say I’m glad I had my new Toyota RAV4 to change clothes in – instead of my tiny Toyota Celica that I use to drive around. Changing would NOT have happened in that Celica : )
(although I miss that little car)

So … on with the photos of my ENORMOUS belly. Thank You (again and again) Liz for the photos!

And you’ll be seeing my new little boy out here pretty soon! : )

seriously, am I holding a basketball under that dress!?

notice how my toes won’t bend on either foot… SO swollen…

this one I’m framing for his room : )

And text to WIN a model portfolio shoot with L Photographie!

Watch KPLR 11 – Wednesdays at 8 PM – and view this video for more info!

(Note: I took the video down as I couldn’t get it to stop auto-running. Sorry if that was annoying any blog readers!)
View the video here on our facebook page instead! facebook page

A quick shout-out to the lovely Joanna Kleine over at Joanna Kleine Photography and her twins that are turning the big ONE. I’m going to be celebrating with them this Sunday, but wanted to share with you this WONDERFUL thing they are doing for the party… In lieu of gifts, they asked everyone to donate to children in need, especially the children in Haiti. What a wonderful, generous, unselfish thing to do! So as I just got done donating their birthday gift away ; ) I was inspired to tell everyone who happens to read this blog, to go do the same thing! Even if it’s a couple bucks – every dollar helps these days!

So, cheers to Raya and Ollie who are turning ONE. And please let them also inspire you to donate to children in need!

Here are the cutie birthday kids (photos taken by their mom, Joanna):

And here is where I just donated. Just one of many places to do so!
Mercy & Sharing: 100% of general donations are sent directly to our projects in Haiti.

Mercy & Sharing has established a number of projects in Haiti in an effort to provide a safe haven for the many abandoned, malnourished and impoverished children who have nowhere else to turn. In Haiti one of every three children dies by age 5. These projects are designed to provide a loving, caring and nurturing environment, and to provide opportunities for intellectual and spiritual growth and training. Only by healing the next generation of children can Haiti have any hope of overcoming its problems. Please help us to help the children of Haiti in this endeavor.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE.