Kansas City Maternity Birth Newborn Children Photographer

So long, farewell...

2011-07-03T13:57:00.002-05:00

This blog has had it's good days, but I have moved all blogging over to a new location! Please follow me at www.sarahmaxeyphoto.com/blog

Come on, all the cool kids are doing it :)

See you there!

Sarah

Is it hot enough for you yet?

2011-06-21T11:11:00.000-05:00

Happy First (official) Day of Summer!! I seriously cannot believe June is almost over! Why does the summer have to fly by SO fast, yet the winter seems to drag on and on and on?? Things have been pretty busy around here- juggling two kids (one of them needing to be constantly entertained and the other needing to be constantly fed) is waaay harder than I ever imagined, Have I said that before? If I did, sorry for repeating it :) My brain isn't the same it was 4 years ago...

Anyway, I've been working on a face lift for SMP and hopefully will be revealing it in the next day or two. If I could get a couple of uninterrupted hours at the computer then I would have it all done by now! I'm excited for the new look, although- as we all know, I do like to change things up once in a while so it's probably going to be ever evolving :) I'll be posting a new link to my NEW blog just in case my feed burn doesn't work.

In other news...I QUIT MY DAY JOB. I might be freaking out just a little tiny bit...ok, a lot...but I am super excited to have more time to spend with my family and on my business. This is good news for my clients since I will now be available more for you! I will now be booking weekday newborn sessions as well as the usual weekday evening portrait/lifestyle sessions. Although I will miss that second income, I am totally willing to make the sacrifices needed to be with my kids, especially while they are still so young and want me around. The freak outs are now not so bad :)

We are getting ready to go run some errands, mostly in an attempt to wear out Jake so he'll take a nap later. I leave you with these photos, taken on one of the hottest days so far this summer. Carnivals aren't so fun when you're dripping with sweat and chasing after a 3 year old...

::in my best Chandler Bing voice::

2011-05-26T21:10:00.005-05:00

Could she BE any cuter??

Miss Malia is NINE months old! Well...was nine months old. This session took place back in March, I'm just now getting around to blogging it!

Seriously, this little girl just gets cuter and sweeter every time I see her. She's so happy...I just love her :) If you've been around here for a while she probably looks familiar. That's because I photographed her as an inside baby, a newborn, at 3 months and 7 months. It's such a joy to watch my baby planner clients grow from little tiny people to big, happy, funny toddlers! The one year session is always so fun, yet bittersweet since I don't get to see my baby planner clients every three months after that. Malia's will be one year old next month and I am SO looking forward to photographing her again! I can't wait to see how she's changed since the last time I saw her!

Man, I was hugely pregnant for this session. It was hard to get down on the ground, get back up, bend over...whew! Walking around the park on that warm day was quite the cardio workout! Her parents probably thought I was going to give birth right then and there :)

Thanks B family See you guys soon!

On this day...

2011-05-19T06:00:00.002-05:00

On this day one year ago, I met Madelyn. It's amazing how someone so small can change your life in such a big way.

Happy Birthday, Madelyn. Not a day goes by that I don't think of you, sweet girl.

I have an excuse for my absence.

2011-05-18T20:33:00.004-05:00

It's a pretty good excuse too. Remember how I was pregnant and going to have a baby in May? Well, turns out he couldn't wait that long and decided to surprise us all in early April. Yeah. A whole month early. It was a shock to say the least! I had scheduled a repeat c-section for May and had planned many, many things around that date- the date he was supposed to wait for. I will type up his birth story one day soon, but the abbreviated version is I had a baby. He became very sick and spent two weeks at Children's Mercy in the NICU. He's a healthy 5.5 week old now and his big brother Jake can't get enough of him...and neither can I actually :)

I managed to knock out a handful of newborn shots when he was three weeks old. He had been home for a week at that point but it was a rainy week and when it should have been the brightest time of day in our living room, instead was kind of dark and not conducive for a natural light shoot. Let me tell you- attempting a newborn session - with your own baby - by yourself is no small feat. I knew it wouldn't be easy but it was waaaay more difficult than I thought it could be! I was still recovering from major surgery (c-section) and the constant standing/kneeling/bending was a little painful. My baby also has a slight (read: huge) spit-up problem. The child is a geyser. For real. I would get him in position and then he would barf all over the blanket and himself before I could get him settled long enough to pick up my camera and click the shutter! I would change the blanket, clean him off and lay him down again. ::barf::. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Hilarity ensued.

After a total of two hours I got a handful of images I was happy with. I do regret that there are no shots of him with myself or my husband. I guess we'll have to save those for when we have a family session- which I intend to do soon! I did manage to get TWO...yes two...shots of the boys together. Jake was more interested in seeing the last shot on my camera than sitting still for 2 seconds. Oh, the child a photographer!

Introducing...

Ryan Spencer Maxey

born a month early on April 8th at 9:15pm weighing 6lbs 9oz & 18inches long

This one makes me laugh! I love his expression :)

5 on Friday - Favorite Things edition

2011-03-25T14:43:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to share a few of my (recent) favorite things with you!! I have just enough time to type out a quick, enjoy!!

1. Lisa Leonard Designs - OMG, I am so in love with Lisa's jewelry!! Namely this necklace...and this one...and this one :) Lisa just launched a new decor line and there are some really cute items that would make fun gifts! I am particularly fond of this little magic wand and if I could find an excuse to buy one for myself then I would. Maybe I'll have to get one for a photo prop! Oh, and I also love this little wall hanging bird that I think I need for the baby's room...now if only we could decide on a name! I bought ornaments from her last year to give to my baby planners and I was really, really happy with the way they turned out. The quality is awesome and the ornaments were just so pretty. I can't wait to order more this year!

2. Old Navy yoga pants - I am pretty much living in these things these days. Regular pants and jeans cut into my waist when I sit and I feel like I'm bruised and beaten by the end of the work day. The yoga pants are so comfortable and so far have held up in the washer/dryer. Plus they are cheap, especially when you can get them on sale!! I need to head out this weekend and get a few more I think...

3. McDonald's chocolate shake - Have you had one of these lately! YOU SHOULD. Now, it has been a while since I'd had a milkshake from McD's. I think the last time I had on they were still the weird fake chocolate things served in the standard paper drink cup that fell apart before you could finish what was inside. Not the case anymore, folks!! The shake is a creamy, milky goodness and it's topped with whipped cream and a cherry and comes in a plastic cup (please recycle) with a dome lid to hold said whipped cream. Yep. Awesomeness all around. This is replacing my Eggnog milkshake addiction and I am 100% ok with that. I think I may have to try the Strawberry flavor soon!

I stole this from the McD's website, hope they don't mind :)

4. Aden & Anais swaddle blankets - these might possibly be the best swaddle blankets out there. They are big, like really big. You could probably swaddle two babies at one time they are so big. The fabric is a really soft muslin so it's breathable, perfect for summertime! I have several of these that I use for my newborn clients (those that like to be swaddled!) and I need to get some for baby #2 soon. I try to find the swaddle blankets for cheaper if I can. They are kind of expensive (still totally worth it!) but I can usually find good deals on Ebay so I always check there first.

They also have sleep sacks that I want to try- too bad they don't make those in adult sizes! I'd be all over that!

5. This gender reveal by, and for, this photographer is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. SO creative, SO personal and SO sweet!! I'm a HUGE fan of her work anyway, but this little video put her at the top of my "Totally in Awe of You" list. For realz. I think I've watched it like, 161 times and I get teary every time.

...162 times. Still teary!

And for those of you keep track, this is terrible phone photo #2- just to give you an idea of what I look like at 34 weeks pregnant and HUGE. I thought I was big before! I was so wrong. I know I don't look very happy in this picture, but I am. I'm just really, really, really uncomfortable and tired and wishing I could just go to bed until May. And I need a haircut but don't have time to get one.

Blech. This may be the last terrible phone photo, I'm really not doing myself any favors posting them.

Look, I'm blogging!

2011-03-18T11:48:00.004-05:00

I do exist! Hahaha! Sorry it's been so quiet around here. I've really been annoyed with my lack of presence on this blog so I'm going to buckle down and get some things lined up here soon. I've got several sessions coming up over the next month and I want to stay on top of things! The problem is that after sitting at my work computer all.day.long I get a stabbing, burning, oh-dear-God-make-it-stop pain in my right rib that feels only slightly better if I lay down and put ice on it. So the thought of sitting for even longer in front of yet another computer makes me want to cry...or kill someone. I foresee a few "personal" days in my near future just to get some editing done :)

I realized the other day that I never shared this little man with you guys! Meet Taven. He is the newest member of my friend Amanda's family and he is such a little cuddle bug! Well, he was...he's over 3 months old now so he's changed quite a bit :) I will go ahead and put Taven in my "babies that never sleep" category because he was pretty much awake the entire time. I'm hoping 2011 will be the year of sleepy babies (mine being one of them)!! Taven's mom and dad are just so in love with him, and big fur-brother Joker seems to be accepting him well! I can't wait to watch this little guy grow up and see how much (more) joy and love he brings his parents.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T18:59:00.002-06:00

I gotta say, Valentine's Day is more fun when you have an excuse to give out valentines...besides to your significant other of course :) I put together these cute little goody bags for Jake to take to his daycare friends today. Each bag has a couple pieces of big polka-dot sidewalk chalk, a few Hershey's kisses and a mini frosted sugar cookie (that are delicious BTW!). The big bag is for his daycare provider and she got a set of different sized metal heart-shaped cookie cutters that she informed me she would use for making heart shaped pancakes! I love that idea! I may run back and get a set of cookie cutters for myself :)

Jake came home with some goodies as well! Todd sent me roses and chocolate at work and we are having a yummy dinner of take out Mexican from one of our favorite local places. I'd say Valentine's Day 2011 was a good one. I hope you all had a fun day and got to give/get kisses and hugs from your loved ones!

She likes to stick out her tongue...

2011-02-09T20:11:00.002-06:00

...a lot!! Mom and dad say she does this all the time which I think is hilarious! I just love this little sweetie, she's always so happy and funny. At 7 months she was doing an awesome job of standing up (with some help) and I would bet almost anything that by our next session in a couple months she will be walking. Who knows, she may even be running!

This is my last indoor session of the season, aside from newborns, and I am SO excited for spring to get here so I can get back to shooting outside! Well, I'm also excited for spring because it means I'm that much closer to having this baby. He's decided to set up camp way up in my right rib area...ouch.

The Blizzard of Oz

2011-02-01T12:17:00.005-06:00

That's just one of the names I've heard for this monster snow storm we are getting here in Kansas! A few others: Sno.M.G., Snowapalooza, Sno-mageddon 2011...the list goes on and on- as does all of this SNOW!!

I personally am not a fan of snow. I like the first snowfall when it's all white and clean and I get to say "ah, now I remember what snow looks like. It's so pretty!"..and then I'm over it. Being from the south, we didn't get much snow- maybe like 3 times in my whole life did it ever snow in Houston and let me tell you, that was a treat fo sho!!! I would pray as a kid that our winter trips to KC would be snow-filled and cold, cold, COLD. You know, just for a change of pace. When the trip was over, we would head back home and welcome our short sleeved shirts and the occasional shorts. In December. That's right, December.

But I've lived here for almost 13 years now and am finally getting used to the cold. Well, kind of. I still don't like it but it's not as shocking as it used to be. I do love me some cute winter boots and fun sweaters though! And if my child enjoyed being out in the cold weather for longer than 2.5 seconds then I would have some pictures to share with you of him in his cute winter gear- but those don't exist because he, like me, does not like the cold.

So back to this whole blizzard thing. It's bad. Like, really bad. Not as bad as it is in other parts of the country but we just don't get this kind of snow. For one, they've closed the freakin' malls! Pretty much every business, school and church is closed but they do have the libraries open as warming centers...if you can navigate the unplowed streets and 4' snow drifts to get to them. We may have to attempt this feat later if our house doesn't warm up. The thermostat decided to go on strike the other day so it's kind of temping the house at whatever it feels like and today that has been about 63 degrees and that feels colder than it sounds, I promise. Especially when it's 15 degrees outside and the wind gusting at 35mph.

I'm telling you, it's a state of emergency around here! I think the National Guard has been deployed, the snow plows can't keep up even for a second and oh yeah, my office closed for the day. That last one might be the most telling sign of the impending apocalypse because in my 5 years of employment with them, they have only closed once and that was for an ice storm. B.A.D.

Well, I'm going to go throw on another layer of clothes, make a cup of tea and have another brownie. Sounds like we've got another 10 hours of snow ahead of us. Awesome. Maybe we should start heading to the library now. I wonder if they would mind us bringing our 80lb dog and psycho cat too...

Sweet Little Pumpkin - Kansas City Baby Photographer

2011-01-17T09:29:00.002-06:00

Waaaay back in October I got to have another session with one of my favorite little people- Miss Madelyn. She was turning ONE YEAR OLD and we thought the best place to take this fall baby would be a pumkin patch! We headed out to Schaake's one windy Sunday afternoon and were pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be. We explored the pumpkin patch from one end to the other. Madelyn found a Madelyn-sized pumpkin that she fell in love with...actually she wouldn't let it out of her sight for the rest of the session :) She loved looking at the cows and making cow sounds, which was just about the cutest thing ever!

We had a lot of fun and I can't wait to see her again for our next session in the spring!

(BTW, I'm going to go back to large photos for a while- I need a little change!)

The Birth of Joshua - Kansas City Birth Photographer

2011-01-11T16:23:00.003-06:00

This little guy was giving his momma some trouble so I wasn't sure if she was going to make it to her due date. Thankfully everything was fine and he waited until just the right time to be born!! It was a really cold Sunday afternoon when baby Joshua made his entrance into the world. It was such a great experience; the morning was filled with laughter and jokes, rest and reflection. Mom did an amazing job and pushed him out super, super fast! Like, super.fast. The second I saw him I knew immodestly he looked just like his dad...whom I had only know for about 6 hours :)

Congrats mom and dad!! Thanks so much for asking me to be there on this very special day.

A little update...

2011-01-05T13:25:00.006-06:00

It's been a long time since I've given any kind of update on this pregnancy so I thought I should write a quick blog post while I was thinking about it! My thoughts don't hang around for long these days...I've been saying that I have the memory of a fish (you know, because don't they have, like, a 5 second memory or something?). Anyway, things are going well. MUCH better than they were the last time. A lot has changed between 17 weeks and 22 weeks, one being my appetite! I think I eat pretty much everything in sight most days. Must be that my body is making up for all the food it couldn't eat the first 13-14 weeks of this pregnancy. Back then I remember thinking that I'd never be able to eat again and I just longed for the day that I could eat an entire meal and enjoy it. Hell, even just a couple bite of something really good seemed to be so far in the future.

This would explain my binge eating lately. No crazy cravings, just normal things like pickles & pickle juice (which I like anyway), oranges, salads, sandwiches, sushi...sometimes if I see or hear about a particular food item then I might want it rightthissecond but it's not common. One thing I've been craving is alcohol. I know!! What kind of pregnant person craves alcohol? I'm usually a red wine/beer kind of girl, but lately I really want a big Captain & Coke, or a big margarita on the rocks with lots of salt and limes. Vodka even sounds good and I definitely don't drink that- ever! I've never had much luck with Vodka so I stay away from it- my stomach just rejects it automatically. So of course the one thing I really, really crave is one that I can't have. Sad.

What else has changed over the last 5 weeks...oh yeah, MY HUGE BELLY. Oh my God, I'm telling you this thing has taken on a life of its own. I think I was about 30 weeks along with Jake when I was this big. I mean, it's starting to get uncomfortable and I still have 18 weeks to go. Not a good sign, folks. I think around 31 weeks with Jake was when things went downhill pretty fast- weird & annoying pains, tossing and turning at night, the swelling...oh the swelling! Can't wait for that!!

I really do enjoy being pregnant, don't get me wrong! I love feeling the pokes and the kicks, knowing that he's in there and wondering what he'll look like. I love that he's so loved by so many people already and that everyone is excited to meet him (but not for 4 more months, baby. Do you hear me? Stay in there for 4 more months!). I love that pregnancy is 9 months- no less and no more. Because really, if we had the gestation period of elephants, I don't think many women would be up for more than 1 kid. Can you imagine being pregnant for 22 months? Um, no thanks.

On another note, we did find out that we are having another BOY!! Despite me being 110% sure that this one was a girl, there is no denying what the sonogram showed :) Everything looked really good- he's healthy and growing and possibly a little big, but not enough to change my due date. He wighed 14oz at exactly 20 weeks but she said he was measuring about a week ahead. I'm really getting used to the idea of two boys...I think all the fun "boy" things Jake and his little brother can have, going to their sporting events (or plays & musicals if that's what they are into!), all the boy fights that will be way less dramatic than girl fights...I think it will be fun! Jake still doesn't get it though. We've been trying to talk to him about boy names and what we should call the baby. His response? Buzz. Or baby. Or Haley. I don't think we'll be considering his name opinions....

So hopefully this little guy will continue cooking until May. I hope he doesn't decide to come in April since that's Jake's birthday month and I'd really like them to have their own birth months, you know?

Since I try not to post too much without a picture, here is a really bad photo of me taken with my phone. I wish I had something better but if I waited until I looked good, was having a good hair day, had a cute outfit and had the time to take a "real" photo, then it would never happen. Plus we practically live in a cave so the lighting is bad indoors. So, this is what I have. Sara, this is for you ;) LOL!

Taken this morning @ 22w5d and growing by the second.

And just for fun, this is me the about 27 hours before Jake was born at 40 weeks. I'm not too far off from this at just over half the time. Speaking of elephants, I think I might be the size of one by the time May gets here...

Little Sweetpea - Kansas City Baby Photographer

2011-01-04T18:30:00.005-06:00

Here's another catch up blog post!!! This is Finley (love the name!) and she is...well, was 5 weeks old for our session. She was able to get a few winks in here and there but mostly wanted to be part of the action :) Check out her super cool room! Her mom painted that mural by hand...by hand! If I hadn't known already that it was paint I would have thought it was a collage of wall decals. Mom is a graphic designer so she's got mad skillz! Big (4 legged) sister Cleo was very interested in being the center of attention, as long as I didn't point the camera at her. LOL! She seriously did not like that at all. I had never seen a dog be so weirded out by having their picture taken!!

J family, it was a pleasure meeting you guys- and Miss Cleo, too! Thanks so much for asking me to capture Finley's early days. She is a little sweetheart and I hope to see you guys again!

A Year In Review

2010-12-31T15:56:00.004-06:00

Well, most of the year! Here's a look back at all the cute little ones I had the pleasure of photographing this past year. I am so lucky to be able to do what I love and to have the love and support of my family, friends and clients. As the year comes to a close in just a few hours, I am remembering all the happy, the sad and the in-between. Thank you all for an amazing 2010!

Wishing you all a Happy & Healthy New Year. Cheers!!

Double the fun :) - Kansas City Baby Photographer

2010-12-29T19:52:00.004-06:00

I've got several catch-up blog posts coming up over the coming days...and we'll start with my favorite twins!!

So back in November, I got to hang out with these two cuties- you may remember them from their newborn and 3 months sessions :) Look how big they are now!! At 10 months old, these kiddos can move! Let me tell you, with one crawling and one walking I can only imagine that mom and dad get quite the workout keeping up with these two! I'll let the photos speak for themselves, but I must say that I do have the cutest clients ever :)

20 + 10 for 2010

2010-12-29T08:00:00.001-06:00

At the beginning of the year, I made a list of 20 things I wanted to accomplish and 10 things I hoped to accomplish. I had it all written up in a blog post ready to share, then decided I didn't want to jinx anything (yes, I'm superstitious like that) so I just kept my list to myself. So as the final days of 2010 are upon us, I thought I'd revisit the list and finally share what I did/did not check off- I surprised myself a few times as the list went on :) Here is the original blog post:

I like to set goals- for myself and for my business. Problem is...I usually fall short of completing those goals for one reason or another. I always say "next year, I'll do this" or "maybe when I have more time I'll do that". This year, things WILL be different! Below I have a list of 20 Things I will do in 2010...I.Will.Do.

Then I have a list of things that I would love to do! Below the 20 Things is a list of 10 Things I would love to do- I guess it's more of a wishful thinking list since realistically, a lot of these most likely won't happen...but a girl can dream! Still, I'm keeping an open mind and focusing on my GOALS- realistic or not!!

In no particular order:

20 Things:
1. Design and print Jake’s 1st year album- never got around to doing this...and he'll be 3 in April!

2. Pay off two big credit cards- didn't happen, I bought a new lens instead :)

3. Go on two family trips- one with my in-laws and one with my parents/siblings- half right! Went to Omaha in May with Todd's family and had so much fun!

4. Take pictures of both our immediate families- nope, however I did shoot my sisters wedding and then my husband's niece's birth...I guess that sort of counts? Ok, nit really what I had in mind though.

5. Read 30 books this year- not even close. I think I read 3 total.

6. Not eat fast food AT ALL for an entire month- ha!! yeah right. Maybe next year :)

7. Find a decent proofing system for clients- DONE!

8. See a musical- nope.

9. Adopt a zoo animal- no, but I WILL do this next year, just have to decide on which one!

10. Participate in at least one photo workshop- DONE!

11. Get a new lens- DONE!

12. Hold another boudoir marathon- nope.

13. Make my office space a fun and inspiring space to work in- DONE!!

14. Lose 5-10 pounds- DONE!

15. Shoot at least 3 births- DONE! I was extremely blessed to be at 7 births this year!!

16. Paint our bedroom another color- nope.

17. Get new carpet, upstairs or downstairs (or both!)- DONE! Got awesome new carpet in our downstairs area.

18. Celebrate Todd getting a *new and improved* job- DONE!

19. Bake a multi-layer cake and finally use that cake stand I got for Christmas a few years ago- nope.

20. Go on a trip with my girlfriends- not really. We did spend a day at the lake though :)

10 Things:

1. Collaborate on a project with another photographer- nope.

2. Get pregnant :)- DONE!!! This was the very last thing I thought would happen in 2010, but I am so happy and so excited about it!

3. Hit up a baseball stadium I’ve never been to- nope.

4. Re-train our dog to be less of a spaz- nope.

5. Find the perfect planner (I’m pretty sure it doesn’t exist)- nope. I'm right, it doesn't exist.

6. Adopt a shelter kitty- nope.

7. Win the lottery- nope.

8. Quit my full time job- nope.

9. Stop using credit cards for purchases- DONE!

10. Get a bird- nope.

I'm pretty happy with the things I DID do and pretty ok with the things I didn't. It was a great year that kept me on my toes, for sure! I had a ton of newborn sessions that I loved, more births than I ever could have imagined and a fabulous (and super busy) holiday season. We had a great summer and got to do lots of fun things, hang out with friends and family and enjoy our time together. We are expecting our second son in 2011 and could not be more excited!

I haven't decided if I'll do a list for 2011...it might have 100 things on it and I'm just not sure I want that kind of pressure :) I wish you all health, joy and peace in 2011 and I can't wait to see what the year brings for Sarah Maxey Photography!

The Birth of Macyn

2010-12-28T15:17:00.004-06:00

Announcing...

2010-12-09T20:09:00.003-06:00

Joshua Thomas

12.05.10

4:04pm

6 lbs 14oz

I've been a bad blogger :(

2010-11-26T09:02:00.003-06:00

I know, I've been a bad blogger- even after I promised I wouldn't be and that I would post more, tell more and show more. My poor little blog has been feeling a bit neglected, but I promise there is a good reason!! Actually, several good reasons :) Most recently, I've just been so busy with holiday sessions, regular sessions, mini sessions, holiday card designing/ordering/packaging, 2 births and one waiting in the wings and on top of all that trying to find a balance between my my family, my full time job and my business. I'm pretty sure this "balance" thing doesn't exist...at least not for me at this point in my life :) I am starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel as December approaches and I'm taking fewer clients for the month and only have the one birth coming up.

Why fewer clients, you ask?

Well, because of this.

That's right folks, the Maxey family will be expanding by 1 come May 2011!!! Woohoo! We are very excited!! Jake doesn't quite understand things yet, but he does know that there is a baby in mommy's tummy- I don't think he knows it's not going to stay there forever :) So as of now I am 17 weeks along and I am pretty sure all the family/friends know by now so I'm safe posting this here!! We will find out the sex in 3 weeks and I'm literally counting down the minutes until then. I have felt very strongly that this baby is a girl. From the moment I found out I was pregnant I just knew it was a girl. Of course, I also thought Jake would be a girl but I feel it much stronger this time. I think one of the main reasons I feel that way is because this pregnancy has been a complete 180 from my last one. I spent pretty much the entire 1st trimester sick as a dog, sustaining on crackers and lemon water with the occasional chicken nugget thrown in :) No really, it was bad. The only times I felt somewhat normal were when I was at a shoot and could take my mind off of it for the most part. Finally, around 13 weeks the fog of sickness lifted and I started to feel like a human being again and it's only getting better. The cravings are in full force- currently it's anything spicy (hello buffalo sauce!) and eggnog milkshakes from McDonald's. I love that I love food again :) Needless to say, I need a little re-coup time to just chill and be with my family, so I will only be doing a limited number of newborn sessions for December and January.

So, that is why I've been a little MIA lately...well, since September I guess. I have a lot of catching up to do over the next month so anyone who's had a session with me in the past couple months, be looking for your blog posts! Many of you already have your photos in hand but I still want to get you up on here!

Also, we had an Elf on the Shelf make an appearance yesterday on Thanksgiving. His name is Quinn and no Jake did not come up with that :) We tried getting him to name the elf by himself but he was having a hard time coming with anything at all so Todd named him. See, I liked the name Quinn for a little girl but Todd has never liked that name so I knew it wouldn't happen. I'll settle for Quinn the Elf though! I'm sure you'll be seeing some of him on the blog too. I'm hoping Jake will really get into the whole elf thing and be a good boy...we shall see!

Here's Quinn in his first appearance.

Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know I've got some Black Friday shoppers reading the blog so I hope you guys scored some awesome deals! One of these days I'll brave the cold and join you!

Macyn, Born....Kansas City Birth Photographer

2010-11-22T21:12:00.005-06:00

Macyn Elaine

11.19.10 - 10:55pm - 8lbs 5oz - 18.5"

Holiday cards are up...finally!

2010-11-06T21:48:00.002-05:00

It took longer than I hoped but I finally have the 2010 holiday cards up!! You can view them by clicking "Holiday Cards 2010" right up there on the menu bar OR you can just follow this link :)

I am really excited about these and I can't wait to see your photos on them! All of my holiday mini sessions include cards this year so if you were lucky enough to book one of those, then start thinking about which design you would like to have! If you didn't get in on the holiday minis but had a session with me earlier this year then we can use those photos if you'd like. Just email me for more info and we'll get you hooked up ;)

Catching up!! - Kansas City Child Photographer

2010-10-30T10:02:00.004-05:00

I'm working hard today to get cuaght up on some editing and this session is at the top of the list!!

My friend Kristi has been patiently waiting for these photos so I'm giving her big sneak peak! A couple weeks ago, Kristi's sister and niece were in town so she wanted to get some fun pictures of everyone. The kids were great! I was pretty exhausted after this one...chasing around little ones is more exercise than I could ever get at a gym :) The gardens were really beautiful, thankfully! I wasn't sure what to expect as we have had some pretty chilly weather so I wasn't sure what this place would look like! I really like this location and will be going back again...maybe in the spring :)

Kristi, thanks for asking me to capture your family! I had a lot of fun with you guys and can't wait to do it again!!

The Birth of Burkeley Dare - Kansas City Birth Photographer

2010-10-27T12:40:00.005-05:00

I love birth photography. I love it more than any other kind of photography that I do because it's so...real. I get to witness one of life's most amazing events, capture it in photos and then I get to share that with all of you. Most importantly, I am able to give parents a beautiful documentation of their child's birth day. I mean, how many of you parents out there would love to have something like this to watch for years to come...to one day show your child how they came into this world, surrounded by love and excitement and amazement? I would give anything to have that for my son. Sadly, I only have a handful of snapshots from the day and both occurred within 5 minutes of his birth.

But this family...THIS family has so much more. This birth was beautiful and calm and actually pretty fast :) Mom did an amazing job- especially for this being her first- and dad was so supportive and patient. I know these two will be...are great parents to Miss Burkeley Dare :) BTW, how cool is that middle name?? It's actually a family name that has been passed down so it has extra special meaning.

Jenny and Tyler, thanks again for asking me to be there on Burkeley's birth day, to meet your families and to allow me to do what I love most. Congratulations again :)

Happiest baby on the block!! | Kansas City Child Photographer

2010-10-16T12:59:00.004-05:00

The first time I photographed this little sweetie was when she came into the world. Since then I've documented so much of her first year, so when her mom (and my friend) Carrie asked me to do one year portraits, I really felt like we had come full circle. I showed up for the session ready to photograph a baby, only to find that Abigail has grown into such a sweet and cute little girl. She has the brightest eyes and the biggest smile! Her face just lights up, it makes me smile just to look at her :)

The location was awesome, this little family was awesome and Miss Abigail was just...well, amazing! I seriously could have gone on all night. However, eventually she got tired of all the walking around and the tickling (is that even possible?!?!) so after bribing her for a few more minutes of time with a cookie and some Gatorade, we called it a night. This is one of my favorite sessions from the year!

Carrie and Scott, I hope you enjoy the photos. I think I will be ordering a few of these large for my office ;) Thanks again for asking me to be there for all of Abigail's moments, the big and the small!! Love you guys!