Buenos dias, friends! Snow has covered the ground and trees outside…and the good news? The sun is shining! Who doesn’t love blue skies in the midst of winter? Speaking of the midst of winter, my wonderful hubby swept me away with him to Cancun, Mexico for a few days in the sun to celebrate Valentine’s Day and my birthday! While it was a business trip for him with a few meetings for a day and a half, we were fortunate enough to extend our stay for a few days. We enjoyed sailing on a Hobie Cat, snorkeling, relaxing poolside, trying new foods, waking up to view the sunrise, and networking and hanging out with friends and colleagues. On my birthday we went on an excursion called a Jungle Tour, where Reggie got to drive us in our own little two-seater yellow speed boat (along with 4 other pairs) through mangroves and out into the Gulf of Mexico to snorkel at a coral reef. Thankfully we had taken some time to practice snorkeling the day before! Having only snorkeled before on our honeymoon, I tend to get pretty anxious and lose control of my breathing, while looking out for sea creatures! We had a fun time seeing all kinds of little colorful fish and various coral and plant life. And we are pretty certain that we saw a baby barracuda from a distance! Our resort was a beautifully landscaped, all-inclusive, adult-only beachfront property with delicious food, several pools, friendly staff, and a variety of fun activities. I enjoyed yoga and Dance Fit/Zumba on the beach. I even got roped into a cornhole tournament on the beach with people from Wisconsin and California! While I didn’t win that tournament, I did savor the ocean breeze and sunshine while getting exercise! There were daily and nightly themed parties and live entertainment and ways to enjoy the outdoors.
We have many people to thank for such a wonderful getaway! To Bosch for surprising us with an upgraded room, thank you so much!!! To the friendly staff members who ensured we were having a great time: Axel (our sailing guide who also has two little boys – a 3 year old and a newborn!), Gennaro from Naples (who helped us book our Jungle Tour!), Alan (who made delicious margaritas!), Daniel and Gio (who made zumba on the beach a blast!), and Esther (who gave me birthday hugs and provided excellent service and smiles each day!). We also have to thank my parents for taking great care of our boys! We love you so much!!! And I must thank my dear hubby, Reggie! Because of his hard work and drive and passion for life and business, he has built a thriving business that includes incredible opportunities such as traveling, meeting great people, and getting out of our comfort zone by trying new things, like octopus ceviche, escargot, and facing and working through fears. I love you, Reggie, thank you for such a fantastic birthday!!!
Here are a few photos of the resort! I’ll share some of our iPhone photos on Facebook soon!
Until next time….Viva Mexcio!
Thank you for taking a moment to check out my blog! Wishing you a great day!
From my family to yours, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May your hearts and homes be filled with the magic and joy of this holiday season now and throughout the New Year! I am so very thankful for all of the amazing people and events and weddings that 2019 held, it has been such a great year with incredible clients! Cheers to more merriment to come in 2020! Happy Holidays to you!
We’re sharing some of our many favorite family photos taken by the super talented Stefanie of SB Childs Photography on a lovely November evening!
I can hardly believe that our baby boy turns 4 today!!! He was due on Christmas Day 2015, and arrived 3 days early, and has had us completely smitten ever since! He loves animals, dinosaurs, his big brother, his family, sharks (specifically, the great hammerhead shark! He dressed up as one for Halloween…thank you, Amazon!), chocolate milk, cookies, trains, excavators, big trucks, playing, playing, playing! He has a sweet personality, loves to share hugs, loves to laugh and make others laugh, and cherishes quality time with loved ones.
He agreed to do some big boy, still 3/almost 4, photos with Mommy recently, and I have so many favorites! Nevermind that he had a cold and was getting over an ear infection, he came up with some of his own poses, and I got some favorite portraits of him to date! He is a boy with many little faces, and I love every single one! Yes, he most definitely jumped on the beautiful bed you’ll see, and, yes, some bribery was involved! 😉 I love the gorgeous studio space at Zionsville Studio Loft! I’ve since done another family session there, and cannot wait to return for more!
Emerson Ray, you are such a blessing in our lives, and we love you so very much! We look forward to celebrating you on your special day! xoxoxo
Hello, friends! I know, I know, it’s been too long since I’ve blogged! My sincere apologies! It’s not that I don’t have photos to share, because I have so, so many images I’d love to share! Making the time to sit down and compose all of the family sessions, engagements, weddings, and more…that’s where I get stuck! Let’s just say we’ve been enjoying summer with family and friends, and I’d rather save some work for times when I’m forced to be indoors, like rainy days! Anyway, I wanted to post something to say hello and Happy Summer!
Remington and Emerson were having a sweet moment over the weekend, and I happened to have my camera with me, and I just love both of these so much, even though they are so similar! These two brothers are so funny! One moment, they’re best of friends, hugging each other, with endless giggles, and having a blast. The next moment, they don’t wish to be near each other! However, this moment right here, was the former, and it made my momma heart soar!
One more thing! It is time to start thinking ahead for fall! It may sound crazy, but I know first hand that with school starting soon, the coming weeks book up with activities! I’ve already got a list for fall sessions for families and senior portraits, and if you wish to get photos, now is the perfect time to schedule them! I actually booked our own family photos today for this very reason! Please contact me at stephanie@stewartimagery.com for Fall 2019 availability. I am so thankful for my wonderful clients, I look forward to seeing you soon!
Happy Spring! We had a wonderful time on our adventure during Remington’s Spring Break a few weeks ago! For some time we knew we wanted to get away to somewhere that we could spend time outdoors. So we rented an RV, packed up lots of food, and drove 6 hours south to the Great Smoky Mountains! In preparing for our trip, we watched some videos on YouTube. We were going to be in bear country, after all, so we wanted to be sure we knew what to possibly expect! Black bears don’t like surprises, so if you are hiking, it’s recommended to make a little noise while on your way. They’re afraid of humans, and will avoid us in most cases. We did carry bear deterrent spray in the case that we came upon a bear at close range. Another tip was that if you do come close to a black bear, make yourself appear as big and scary as possible! Throw large rocks and sticks, make noise, say “hey, bear!”, and move sideways in another direction while keeping an eye on the bear. While we did not get to see any black bears, we did see some deer and elk, salamanders, woodpeckers, and a few squirrels. One evening, we could hear an owl in the distance, as well as many frogs chirping, and even some coyotes howling! The starry night sky was a favorite view as we sat around the campfire. The boys loved camping, making s’mores, finding sticks and rocks, and each had their own bunk bed! We did quite a bit of hiking, including a nature trail not too far from our campsite, that led up a mountain and back down again. Remington and Emerson are great climbers! The weather was cooler the first few days, and it warmed up later in the week. We spent a day walking around Gatlinburg, enjoying the sunshine and some ice cream. We did a short tour to Ober Gatlinburg, riding in a scenic skylift through the mountains on steel cables! Once at Ober Gatlinburg, we rode the Mountain Coaster, which we had discovered on YouTube! It was a fun way to spend the afternoon for sure! We’re already looking forward to returning to the Smoky Mountains in the future! Maybe we’ll see some bears in the trees! Side note: For some reason, adding my iPhone photos to this platform was not working! So my photos of our hike up a mountain to see Laurel Falls will be saved for a later date! Plus, carrying my big camera was impossible at times while climbing! I carried Emerson three-fourths of the way up to the waterfall, and once we reached it, I slipped and fell on the slippery, moss-covered rocks after putting him down! It was a popular destination that day with the most perfect sunny spring weather! At our next stop, I discovered that I had landed right on my camera that I was carrying in my backpack when I had fallen. Luckily, only a protective lens filter was damaged! Whew! Ok, ok, enough of my rambling! How about some pictures! 😉
