It's only a few days until the month of March is here. I've slowed my work down for the year to make time to prepare for a new baby & to accomplish some personal family projects that I haven't made time for otherwise. 


One of the projects I've just completed is the Christening Album of my son, Liam. It only took me over a year to make time to sit down and go through all of the photos and design the layout for this album. But...FINALLY! Yes!


I wanted Liam to have a special album that he could show his own children someday - one that would have photos of both sides of his family together. The day of his Christening was the closest I came to getting as many of our family members together for a special & meaningful occasion centered around him.(We were sad to still have missed some family.)


Since I would be with Liam for the entire ceremony, I needed a photographer with knowledge of how to get around the dim lighting situation of St. Mary's Church while capturing moments of us & his Godparents during his baptism. I hired Jennifer Higham Photography to document the occasion. Jennifer's images were very important to me and she did a fantastic job of covering the ceremony.(Thank you, Jennifer! Beautiful work!) Of course, I still ran around Liam's event before & after the ceremony with my own camera to get the opportunity shots that I saw. Over half of the images in this album are my own candids of our families. I am relieved to have had Jennifer's creative eye cover the event so that I could relax and enjoy... and combine her pictures with mine for Liam's album. 


So, after a week or so of designing while Liam's been sleeping, it's done! The 10x10 cover's premium leather is as soft as a velvety leather jacket. (I wish internet allowed you to virtually reach your hand into the photograph to feel it!) It's engraved with Liam's full name. 


(A little family tidbit: Liam was named after both of his Grandfathers, William & Joseph. We didn't want to give him the same exact name of William Finnegan, so we shortened 'William' it to the Irish version- Liam. (Very fitting with the very Irish last name of 'Finnegan'.) We had no idea how popular his first name would be until we started meeting many other Liam's out and about. We're glad many others like the name too!) 


So, the album is remarkably durable and beautiful. I opted for a pearl finish on the pages. Lay flat binding is my favorite. I just love it! Here are some details of the binding & finish:

(above layouts sample) Liam-during-ceremony and cake image are by Jennifer Higham Photography

 
 (above layouts sample) Godparents, 2-color-candid-shots & cake slice image are by Jennifer Higham Photography
I'm hoping that Liam will appreciate this book someday when he is older and I hope he'll enjoy looking through it!

My Little Valentine - 2012

Here's my favorite little Valentine (already 18 months!). He's sweet, sensitive & caring, smart, thoughtful, snuggly and I get oodles and oodles of kisses & hugs everyday from him. He's becoming quite a little gentleman as well.
Have a sweet Valentines Day, everyone. Love is everywhere!

   seriously... just kidding

heart strawberries for snack time

 Here's what Liam did after his shoot...

(there's that mischievous, excited look, as he entered the bathroom...)

toilet tissue is fun to play with :-)

tissue paper managed to stick to the bottom of his shoes and he extended the party out into the hallway... :-)

very cute to document and watch...and yes, he DID clean most of it up, when asked. I am very proud of him. <3 

A Beautiful 3rd Birthday Ballerina!

I had the pleasure of photographing this absolutely stunning ballerina-princess for her 3rd birthday milestone photos. Isn't she simply gorgeous? Miss "L" was so sweet and so much fun to work with. Thank you, R, it was wonderful to meet your family!

Welcome Newborn Baby M!

Welcome to the world little Baby M! This sweet little man was so content being nuzzled up with his mommy and what a lucky boy he is to have such a sweet big brother! Thank you for having me, E & R. Congratulations on a beautiful baby boy!

Handsome Brother Siblings

More cutie-patooties! These brothers are just so sweet and so beautiful... I can't believe how big J is getting - just look at those cheeks! I want to squish them! :-) O is getting more and more handsome each time I see him too. What a great big brother he is! Thank you, E, for coming to me to get some shots of your beautiful boys for the holidays. Here are just a few from their session...

Little Miss M

Here's sweet little Miss M in her warm furry jacket. Just adorable. She's one of the happiest and sweetest little girls I know and she loves to give my son kisses when she sees him... lol.  She enjoyed a little walk to the pond with her mommy and daddy here for their family photo shoot. This shoot was a low light challenge for me since the sun was almost below the horizon when we finished, but all of the images came out beautiful. Thank you so much S & S for having me capture your gorgeous family!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Hello! Happy Be-lated Holiday Wishes! 


Liam and I decided to make a gingerbread cake and then gingerbread cookies for our holiday baking lessons. He learned to stir the batter quite well without sticking his whole hand in it and he seemed pretty proud of the cookies we made. (Grandma helped us with the cookie cutter part.) We had a really nice Christmas weekend with our families!


Looking back at Oct-Dec, I can't believe how busy I've been. I managed to work 30+ hours weekly in addition to, (not cutting into), my full-time mommy schedule). I am one tired mama. As usual, I do my editing at night once I put my little man to bed and when he naps, I'm back working on orders etc. Thank you for all the business - I AM SO GRATEFUL.... though in 2012, I am making a few changes so that I get some much needed rest. (I'll keep everyone posted very soon on those 2012 changes.) 


I enjoyed receiving many of my customers' holiday cards with my purchased photo files on them. Thank you so much for thinking of me - I LOVE them all!  


And here are a few shots of Liam, practicing his newest culinary skills this month. See you on the next blog post in 2012! Give your kiddies a big hug from me and have a safe, happy & healthy New Year everyone!  

Welcome Newborn D!

This pretty little lady, newborn baby "D" was just a pleasure to photograph. Just look at those sweet little toes!  I loved the baby blankets that D's parents, A & M, had for her -I used one in one of the shots below. So pretty! Congrats A & M - she's perfect! Also, congrats & thank you to E on your first beautiful grandchild!