Another perk of my job (besides snuggling babies!) is that it has allowed me to connect with people from my past. I've gotten to photograph old friends' babies and in this case, the teacher who took over for my second grade class when I went out on maternity leave with my son. I am so happy for Colleen and her husband, Dan, on their newest addition. Dylan is just the sweetest little thing and I hope these pictures go wonderfully in his navy, gray, and elephant themed nursery and play room. He is one lucky little guy to have such amazing parents, and they are lucky to have him too!

It's really amazing to watch a tiny baby I've photographed grow up, but it's even more incredible to watch them become a big sibling. Cruz is officially my first newborn turned big brother. There are so many more of "my" newborns who I will get to photograph as big siblings with their littles scheduled on my calendar this year, but Cruz will forever be a first! And, Cruz's little sister, Capri, was just as amazing as he was for his session. She slept like a dream and was simply adorable in pink, white, silver, and gold. Capri, you are such a wonderful addition to your sweet family and I look forward to watching you grow as well!

This fall, okay year....,was BUSY!! I've completely neglected the blog, and don't even get me started Instagram and Pinterest (yes, I have both, follow me!). But, one of my New Year's resolution is to be better with my social media presence. I'm really going to try hard and blog all my sessions this year after each gallery viewing, so parents can share their beautiful images.

First up is Brielle and her first birthday cake smash! Here are mom and dad's favorite images and her slideshow from her hot pink and silver princess themed cake smash!

Finally all wrapped up with my 2017 limited edition sunflower field sessions! We had amazing, although hot and humid, weather. Here are some more sneak peeks of all the beautiful families and adorable kiddos that came out. I already can't wait for next year!

And, a special thanks to the Brandywine Red Clay Alliance in West Chester, PA for allowing me to photograph at this gorgeous location. If you aren't already a member of the BRC, please please please consider joining. The BRC is committed to conserving our watersheds, protecting natural resources, and inspiring and teaching the next generation. They host many programs and events as well as summer camps too!

The beautiful collection of newborn products I posted on my Facebook page the other day belonged to this family. Sweet Gavin surprised everyone, making it PAST his due date, and I had the pleasure of photographing him the morning before we left for vacation. He made my job SO easy that day, curling up into all the poses, showing off his adorable rolls, sleeping straight through the 3 hour session, and even giving me a few smiles!

Admittedly I'm very bad at making time to write blog posts, but then I always feel guilty about not sharing more from each session once the gallery viewing is over. So, here is blog post #1 from a long line of newborns I'm dying to share!

Meet adorable Penelope Jay!

Today marks a milestone in Little Blooms, my official 2 years in business. What started as a side job to help contribute to our family, has blossomed into something much larger than I could have anticipated. We are thinking of moving so I can expand my studio/office or I'm looking into renting an outside space instead. So many things to consider. I'm also looking to hire an assistant or someone to help with editing, as I am feeling so guilty about having to turn down potential clients because I'm booked. All of these are AMAZING problems to have, especially after only 2 years, but it still weighs on me heavily. Then, I look at these 2 amazing humans and it reminds me why I do what I do. Blake is such an imaginative little boy, preparing to enter Kindergarten at the end of the month, and Lila, who is smart as a whip, will attend preschool starting in September. The years keep going by faster and faster and as much as I'd like it to slow down, it's just not going to happen. I need to make sure I keep capturing them, despite their protests, because soon enough they will be moody preteens/teenagers, then off to college, and then out of the house for good. I know these years are coming and I don't want to forget their innocence, their sweet smiles, Lila's beautiful curls, and Blake's gorgeous blue eyes. I want my clients to have these same memories in printed images. They are also my why I work. I want them to see that women really can do anything they put their mind to, as stressful as it is sometimes. We also need my income to help support their college funds, put them in sports and activities, put food on the table, and all the other expenses that come with having children.

A big THANK YOU to my husband, for his unwavering support and to EVERYONE who supported me from day 1. Especially those of you who took a chance on a "newbie" photographer. You'll never truly know how much all this is appreciated. Thanks for supporting a small business, and therefore a small family, who are my why.

The M family is doubly blessed - they are welcoming twin boys into their family this fall! Little Maddie is soon going to be a big sister, and what a fabulous one she will be. She's already giving them kisses and cannot wait to cuddle them. I only wish my (soon-to-be) 3 year old was as gentle as Maddie! We will miss this family as they move out-of-state, but I'm so glad I got a chance to capture these memories for them.

Oh sweet McKinleigh! What a pleasure it was to see you and your family again. You have grown so much since your newborn session 7 months ago (and I can't believe you are already on the go!), and I cannot to wait to see how much more you grow in the next 5 months. With those adorable chubby cheeks, big brown eyes, and such an easy-going demeanor, I'm sure your parents wish they could keep you little forever! I hope these pictures will help them freeze this small moment in time and that your own children look back at these with joy.

It's been so long since I've shared some of my latest sessions. But, that means things are busy around the LBP studio, which is always a good thing! However, I need to make sure I share more images from this beautiful girl's newborn session. She's also one of my Watch Me Grow babies, so you'll be seeing more of her throughout this year, yay! Mom and Dad wanted baby's gender to be a surprise (which seems to be the trend with many of my clients lately, it's about 50-50 of finding out these days) so we couldn't do a whole lot of planning for her session beforehand. The one thing that was a guarantee was hot air balloons since that was the nursery theme! Then, once miss Emilie arrived, we decided on yellow and peach and the result is a beautiful gallery of images that everyone will treasure for years to come. Although Mom and Dad will get to enjoy the images now, Emilie and future generations will also enjoy them. Never forget that photographs aren't just meant for the current generation, but for the generations to come. Photographs are truly priceless treasures!

My last post wasn't as upbeat about taking my children's pictures, but this time was a different story. Gummy bears after every pose for the win! (Hey, I am totally not above bribery, especially when it works...) These are the images that make my heart melt as a mom - seeing my kids together and being nice to one another (ok ok, so there were some hitting and angry faces involve, but those don't get edited). They don't even need to be looking at the camera, as long as I can tell they are in the moment and enjoying themselves. These were also taken at my FAVORITE place to photograph in West Chester, such background diversity, and an overcast day, which made for the perfect, soft lighting. My schedule is filling up quickly (VERY limited spots left in June and July and October, like 1 or 2 spots each) so if you are planning on outdoor family sessions, please get in touch with me asap so we can starting making memories and creating beautiful art for your home!

It was such a pleasure to have little Ellie in the studio this morning to celebrate her first birthday with a cake smash. She has the biggest, most beautiful brown eyes and longest lashes ever! She is also so full of personality and smiles and had no problem digging right into her cake and getting messy! I'm sure with two older brothers that getting messy is a normal occurrence. ;)

Happy first birthday, Ellie!

Miss Brielle is exactly 7 months old today and came in for her sitter session. She is one of my Watch Me Grow Plan babies and I was SO excited to have her back! Bree has gotten so big and has quite the personality! I'm sure she will be just as much of a hoot when she has her cake smash session.

I feel like there are few things in life more unpredictable than toddlers. And, I can say this because we've lived through toddlerhood once and are currently in the midst of it again. They are seriously fickle creatures, and you just never know what you're going to get, including when you photograph them! My beautiful, sweet 2.5year old daughter is no longer interested in being agreeable or smiling for pictures. She will sit for a second, but she wants a toy, or a flower, or a treat, or then is crying she doesn't want those but rather something else indecipherable, and her "cheese" face has now turned into a fake smile while looking the other direction. Then, she's up and running away as fast as she can. Being able to capture these couple of gems was a struggle and took a whole lot of patience. I think we are going to skip family pictures for a few more years, year 4 or 5 seems to be when they can at least follow directions better, well for most kids anyway.  ;) These toddler years full of whining, tantrums, and wanting independence are tough, man!

Also, I thought it would be fun to share with you some painfully honest before pictures and the afters. Normally I only shoot outdoors during the golden hour (the dreamy light is unbeatable!), but when you have a cranky toddler and are trying to scope out locations, you learn to make lemonade from the lemons you get (hello neon grass - yuck!).

I really LOVE when my friends have babies because I can get a few extra newborn snuggles in. And, it's a total bonus when they sleep this well and are this adorable!

Baby Joey was born at almost 10 lbs (Stacy, you are a ROCKSTAR!), 23" long, and with a head full of hair, naturally highlighted! Seriously, he is just too adorable for words. And big brother Tommy is the most cooperative 3 year old ever! Such a proud big brother, best buddies for life!

I may still be recovering from Sunday's mini-session craziness (17 kids, most ages 1-4), but looking at these adorable faces somehow makes it all worthwhile!

Little Lydia, who I also photographed as a newborn, officially turned 1 year old on Wednesday! She came into the studio this afternoon for her pink and gold, with a hint of unicorn, cake smash. Being able to walk is a whole new ball game for babies, and something Lydia has gotten good at over the past month and a half! So, she was much more into taking off and exploring the studio rather than eating her cake. But, once it was time for the bath, she was happy to sit, splash, and play!

Happy first birthday, Lydia! Enjoy your party tomorrow!

I really do love when my little newborn clients come back to see me! It always amazes me how much they've grown and all the personality they have now. Miss Gabriella is no exception. She's walking, talking, and is such a smiley baby! Mom was looking for a whimsical, fairy theme for her first birthday, and so she got just that. I think every little girl should be allowed to wear fairy wings and eat icing off a spoon on their birthday!

Happy first birthday, Gabriella!

I just knew this baby was going to end up being a boy, and I couldn't be more thrilled for my friends, Jessica and Adam. Jess and I have been close since 6th grade, which was 22 years ago (wow, I feel OLD!). She announced her pregnancy to me by filling out my contact form for a newborn session, and when I got the email, I literally SQUEALED with excitement and immediately called her! Baby Luke was the BEST sleeper and I loved each and every snuggle with him. I cannot wait to see him again, but no more posing, I just want to hold him! Disclaimer Jess & Adam, I may not give him back... ;)