my how the tables have turned

When I first started out as a photographer, Hendrix was my test subject.  He was just a few months old, and I used him to practice everything on.  I tried out various poses, lighting, camera settings, locations, props, etc., all to find the perfect options to work with when it came to photographing real clients, you know, the ones who actually paid me to take their photos.  

Then Blaire came along, and, again, I was ecstatic to have a newborn at my very disposal to practice on.....learning how to soothe, pose, swaddle and capture those tiny little features was my passion.  In fact, it lead to my employment at the hospital photographing newborns for Bella Baby Photography a couple days a week.  (Which really is my dream job!)

As the years passed, I continued capturing my kiddos in a variety of settings........learning so much about lighting, shutter speeds, focal lengths, and metering; and then moving on to focus on the art of lifestyle/journalistic photography.  I attempted to capture images that told the story of our life.  The images of everyday play in the living room.  Their favorite toys.  The silly outfits.  The backyard playtime.  The fun daily adventures we created.  

I became so comfortable with my camera, that I could switch the settings on the fly, and swap out lenses with ease, and do those things while maintaining a fluid conversation at the same time.   My kids helped me become the photographer I am today.  They taught me to see the beauty in the details, and they challenged me to capture it all so I could revisit those moments time and time again, even after those fleeting moments had passed.

But today?

Today my kids are the biggest camera divas ever.  They are impossible.  They do. not. cooperate. for photo sessions unless they are bribed or threatened, and even then, I may get a total of 4 minutes of cooperation if I'm lucky.  And at that, I usually only get 35 seconds in which they decide to cooperate at the same time, say to put their arms around each other for a cute hug pose.  ;)

While they used to be my practice......NOW I have to use every bit of practice and skill that I have acquired from sessions with my clients to have fresh and new tricks to entice a few sweet shots of my own babes.  

All this to say, that I had a very short and sweet session with my kiddos in the snow, and I did have to bribe them with cookies and brownies, respectively.  As much work as it was, I DO LOVE how these turned out.   It's never too late to appreciate a few heart-themed shots, right?!

 

happy heart day {2014}

my little family celebrated valentine's day for a long time this year!  we got out the heart decorations just as we were putting away the christmas decorations, and they just came down yesterday.

hendrix helped me craft homemade valentines for his friends and family for literally a month.  every. day. he wanted to get out the tape and scissors and make valentines.  this kid loves a theme as much as his mama does....

oh and he loves crafts.....

and baking/cooking......

that made our heart-shaped, pink, rice krispy treats a total hit with this kid.

and they were delicious!

we saved out valentine presents for a special little party in the afternoon with daddy (since he gets off at noon on fridays) which was fun since hendrix got to open all his valentines from his preschool party in the morning, and this way we could drag the celebration out a little longer!

their bags were full of clothing and crafting supplies, with just a few little yummy treats (fruit snacks), and that is the way my kids prefer it ;)

honestly, this artsy boy spends hours coloring, snipping, taping, gluing........

and this little gal is following in his footsteps with her own colors, and stickers ;)

she does have a much shorter attention span, and needed to dip into the treats sooner than he did!  lol

and she got her first purse, which she proudly places things in and carries around.....

complete with her first chapstick.  poor girl is starting that obsession really early!  lol

i love these two little blessings!

my little valentines

ever since hendrix found out that christmas is over he has been looking forward to the next holiday.  this one is full of red and pink construction paper and heart stickers.  

what is not to love?!

while i am not sure that i will ever be able to compete with the awesome valentine themed photos i took of my kiddos last year; i have come to accept the limitations my kids have for photoshoots, and am learning to work within those parameters. 

simple is best.

if i am lucky, i might get 2 minutes out of hendrix.  

for blaire it is more like 45 seconds.

aww, but they are cute, even if i do say so myself.

and all that cool dude attitude is still quite endearing to me at this point.

awww, this little peanut is really just bursting at the seams with independence and excitement as she discovers new things.  she is a professional squealer, and seriously prefers to use intonation to communicate as opposed to words.  daddy is about the only clear thing out of her mouth, and everything else is just mumbling.  we all know where he stands (and thus where mommy stands, somewhere much lower than daddy in her book).

she has the biggest smile and it just lights up our family.  we are all smitten with her - especially big brother hendrix!

oh, and do you see those sweet little pink fingernails?  she really wanted me to paint them the other day, and i can't believe how grown up that made her look.  she has already started toddling around with much more coordination (even bending her knees), and is mastering running......

these kids are growing up.

love them to pieces!