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

I think I’ve said before that it is always fun to shoot events that involve family and friends. It is a rare occasion for me but always a special treat. I have the opportunity of seeing people I know out of their usual element. Since I’m familiar with some of the personalities, It’s easier to know where to look for a possible happy tear, jokester in the room or the person who has had one too many glasses of wine and has morphed into a party animal/dancing queen. (Note: if I wasn’t shooting that last one would be me. I’m not judging – just observing!)

I had the opportunity to capture my cousin Niki and Ronnie’s wedding in April at Mary Mother followed by the reception at Palladium. And it was a beautiful day to walk around and take some photos in between! This was one of those perfectly smooth wedding days…something as rare as a four leaf clover (if not more so.) I don’t think a single thing went even slightly wrong all day! We had plenty of time for photos and Niki and Ronnie basically wanted to leave time to party on the bus while I headed over to Palladium to settle in. Congrats you two! May your marriage be as perfect as your wedding day!

One of my favorite moments below…some people decide to skimp on getting ready photos but some of my very favorite images come from this intimate time of the day.

Proud papa.

Reflections rock. Thank you water for being such a fun surface for me to work with!

I feel like I should have been blasting “Mama Said Knock You Out” or at least some Beastie Boys as they came after me down the alley. Love it. Gangsta wedding party.

The next three tell a little story…insert your own captions!

This little cutie had switched shoes with a giant. And I caught her off guard.

L photographie St. Louis Wedding Photography by Liz Sloan

Quick post to let everyone know that William Robert Cromie has arrived weighing in at 7lbs 15oz and everyone is doing swimmingly!

Not being a mother myself (unless you count the dogs – which my husband has emphatically told me I may not), this day is still all about my mother for me. I am a little embarrassed to say that I didn’t really appreciate her when I was growing up. I took TONS of stuff for granted. I didn’t even notice my bed was magically made and my clothes picked up off of the floor until I got to college and for some reason my room was a disaster. Ask any of my college friends and they will tell you “disaster” is a gross understatement. But in all seriousness, my mom did everything for me while I was all worried about myself. So I had two full beings living my life and I still had a tough time keeping up. Well, now that it’s mostly all on me, it is clear that I was better for it. But I didn’t really notice, until a year or so ago when I got to thinking about it.

One day I had a million errands to run and as I was getting out of the car for close to the 8th time I rolled my eyes and let out some sort of a groan. I was so tired of getting in and out of the car and driving myself all over all day long! And then it hit me, I’ve always been this crazy busy body person and MY MOM used to have to drive me around like this all the time. If I’m annoyed doing it for myself, how did she do it for ME all of those years without a single complaint? She is a saint and so many of the little things I took for granted I don’t anymore. And I owe her a great big thank you! I actually owe her an infinite number of thank you’s so Mothers Day seems like a good time to take care of one of them.

Ok, new topic…will this be the day Kristie gives birth to her new little boy?! Call me I’m taking bets.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there! And here’s a quick little pic of the vanilla cheesecake I made yesterday for the occasion…yes, a food picture. Rare on this blog not to see a person or at least a shoe – I know.

Liz Sloan L Photographie St. Louis Wedding Photography

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 : )