Earlier this Spring, we learned that we’d be expecting a new addition to our family!  We let Remington in on the news right away, because we know that with a new baby comes some big changes and periods of adjustment.  Santa Claus will be pretty busy this season… Our due date is 12/25/15!  We had a perfect summer night to capture this exciting time!  On Monday, we found out if we’ll be decorating the nursery with pink or blue!  Keep reading! 😉

Creatures.  Delicious.  Amazing.  These are just a few of my favorite words that have come out of our little guy’s mouth recently.  And I do have to agree with that last one.  Amazing.  At 2 and 1/2 years, Remington continues to be and do just that for us each and every day.  He has his sweet and cuddly moments, running up to us and giving us a tight squeeze out of the blue.  He loves to run and race around our dining room table almost every day.  And he’ll try new foods more often now too.  Yes, there are the occasional toddler melt downs.  The wanting to play rather than nap or sleep or eat.  The pushing of parental buttons.  All of that.  That’s normal, right?  No matter what, he fills us with such joy, such pride, such immense love, and we are so thankful to get to be his Mommy and Daddy!  And ohhhh can he giggle!  Right now, the funniest thing is watching him interact with Lucy.  He just cracks himself up when chasing after her and hearing her bark and try to hide!  And his laughter is contagious!  I love it, and I just want to bottle it up!   That and his singing!  He’ll sing sometimes in his crib in the mornings.  Just today he was singing snippets of the birthday song to Lucy (her birthday isn’t until June)!  When it comes to taking pictures, he asks me to do so when I’m least prepared, when my iPhone is full, or when his curly hair is extra wild!  Ha!  The stars aligned earlier this week when my parents came to visit.  We jumped in the car and within an hour I had some photos of my boy that I was so excited about!  Remington loves anything with wheels, so he loved playing with this antique truck, which belonged to 2 of his great uncles!  Hi Uncle Mark and Uncle Mike!  You’ll be getting some prints in the mail soon! 😉

Reggie and I stayed up late chatting with friends about life and old times.  We had come back to their home to pick up our son Remington after photographing a surprise proposal at the Circle of Lights in downtown Indianapolis.  It had been such a wonderful day!  First, Remington and I met my good friend and her husband from New York for lunch before walking around the Indianapolis Museum of Art.  It was so fun to introduce them to Remington!  He hammed it up for them all afternoon and gave them hugs before we left.  It was one of the warmest December days, and we had the windows down a bit as we listened to Christmas music on our way home for his nap time.  This holiday season has been filled with hustle and bustle, as it always is, but I feel like we’ve taken time to create memories too.  We’ve taken Remington to see Santa, he’s met Rudolph’s girlfriend Clarisse, we’ve watched our favorite childhood Christmas movies (and we still have some that we want him to see!), and we’ve driven around looking at holiday lights and decorations.  We’ve also spent quality time with family and friends.  And that has been so needed and so fulfilling!  We’ll be doing more of the same over the next several days, and I can’t wait to watch Remington enjoy the magic fills this time of year!  Thank goodness we wrapped gifts a few days before Christmas Eve this year!  Last year we waited until the last minute to help Santa get everything ready!  And my new favorite trick for wrapping gifts…hot glue instead of tape!  Why didn’t I try this sooner?!  So enough of my pre-morning-coffee rambling…let’s get to the main reason that I’m so thankful this year!  My sweet little family!  They love me, and they spoil me every day with hugs, kisses, laughter, and adorableness!  They allow me to do what I love – meeting and photographing wonderful clients for some of their most special moments in life.  I’m so very thankful for the continued support of family, friends, and clients who’ve made this year another amazing one!  From my family to yours, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Here are some favorites from our summer and fall impromptu family portraits!

Last night I sang you a special song all about spending your 2nd birthday at the zoo.  After all, you said “Bus!” so I knew exactly which tune you were requesting.  Then you said “Choo choo!” and “Fraff!” And just like that, I changed the words to honor what a fun day we had with you! (I think The Wheels on the Bus may forever be stuck in my head!)  Earlier in the day, we hopped in the car to venture downtown Indianapolis to visit the zoo.  It was just one surprise we had in store for your special day.  During our drive, we mentioned all of the animals we hoped to see…bears, elephants, lions, ha’s (monkeys)…and your favorite one of all, giraffes!

The weather was perfect!  Sunny and cool!  And it felt like we had the whole zoo to ourselves since it was a Monday!  We saw the sea lions, a polar bear, and some jolly walruses before checking out the underwater dome where the dolphins darted happily around us.

In the distance, we heard the whistle of the train.  We knew we would definitely ride the train!  We opted for the TAP (Total Adventure Package), which allowed us all-day access to rides, animal feeds, and the dolphin show (we’ll have to check that out next time!).  We boarded the train and got a behind-the-scenes look at the zoo.  From there we rode their newest ride, the Skyline, overlooking the new orangutan center!  Very cool!  Even your new little dog, Brownie, got to go for the ride!

It’s crazy to me that we have 2 toddlers in our house!  Remington will be 2 in September, which I can hardly believe… And Lucy just turned 3 in June!  Dogs count as toddlers, right?!  Well, rather than planning another birthday party for Lucy… Yes, yes, you read that correctly.  I’ve had birthday parties for Lucy, just one actually.   Granted, aside from myself, the only other guest was our cat, Lola.  It was for her 1st birthday.  I blame it on being pregnant and stir crazy!  Last year, Remington and I sang Happy Birthday and took her for a walk.  So this year, we were even more low key about it all.  Even though she’s not allowed on the furniture, I did include the very chair that we bought the day we found Lucy.  And gosh, she has changed since some of her earliest photos at 8 weeks old!    I still remember when she used to curl up on my shoulder and snooze while I edited photos!  It was so sweet!  Little did I know that she would show me a tiny glimpse of what it might be like to be a mother, with a tiny, precious being cuddled up in my arms.  And now these two are great friends!  Remington likes to chase her more than she would prefer, but it’s just because he loves her so!  Her antics make him giggle and screech, which in turn makes her bark…which in turn makes him laugh even more.  Although it’s nap time in the house right now (Lucy and Lola nap when Remington naps!), I can still hear their giggles and arffs echoing in the living room.  And it makes my heart full.