Mixed Emotions

So, you can see that my due date is ONE week from TODAY! I remember when I put the ticker on my blog months and months ago when October seemed so far away. But now with one week left (possibly two if I end up going over), the days seem looooong. Far too long. Every time I feel our baby wiggle and squirm around (which is very, very often), I am reminded how strong and ready he is to enter this world. I can't get him off of my mind these days, but I know that is a good thing. It is just hard to focus on other aspects of life on a daily basis knowing he is going to arrive so soon. At the doctor's office today, I had to get an ultrasound to determine the position of the baby. For a couple weeks, the doctor said the baby was head down and suddenly today, she was unsure. Talk about freaking me out! But, the ultrasound revealed that the baby is still head down... thank goodness! Not that having a c-section is the worst thing in the world, but it isn't a road I want to go down. Tonight I'm watching The Biggest Loser and I am extremely jealous of these people killing themselves in the gym. I miss running until my face is red and splotchy. I also miss looking down and seeing my feet. I can't even see the bones in my feet anymore because they are so swollen! Thankfully, I have an awesome, supportive husband who reminds me this is temporary and in just a few short days, we will meet our son. He also gives amazing foot rubs! So, it has been a long road and these last few days are going to feel longer than the previous 8 1/2 months, but it is all worth it. Soon, I will snuggle with my baby boy and time will start to fly... but I'm not going to think about that.

Wow, this was random.... and this is why I got nothing done at work today!

Love for Lake Harriet

Over Labor Day weekend, the Johnson family came together from all over the United States to celebrate their mother's birthday! There is a strong love for the lakes in this family, so what better place to shoot than Lake Harriet!? It was a beautiful, warm September morning and I had a great time capturing many special moments between these family members!

Not even 24 hours

At around 21 hours old, Sophia had her first photo shoot! My friend, Beth, gave birth to this precious baby girl, so I went to the hospital to take some pictures of the baby and new little family. I've been exploring ways to try some new types of shoots and this idea came to mind about a week before Sophia was born! Good timing! Congratulations on your daughter, Dan and Beth!

Not-So-Rainy Day

Last fall, I did a shoot for these two girls and I remember them being so silly and making the craziest faces almost the entire time we were together. Well, they've grown a bit, but their personalities are still quite goofy! S and E's mom bought these adorable matching rain boots and umbrellas to use as props for the pictures. I'm so glad it didn't actually rain! I had a really fun time with this family and wish them well on their big move coming up.

This was the first time I'd seen a 3 year old girl bribed with a worm! I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cringe at the thought of her holding this and being very, very happy.

So, it has been busy

There's just a few things going on right now. My day job is forcing overtime, which is no fun in the summer! We've had a couple extended cabin weekends. We celebrated our 4th anniversary not too long ago. And... I'm 28 weeks pregnant today! But I feel like I've neglected this blog, so here are a few photos just for fun. I have a few more shoots before I call it quits until Baby Gray arrives, so be on the lookout for those too!

The last Gray family photo before Baby Gray arrives!

I know these last three photos aren't anything special, but I was practicing manual settings at the cabin and felt like taking some down by the dock.

Also, the new Write Away website is up and running. Check it out! The site turned out great!

That's about it for now! More to come soon... I promise!

Daddy's Girl

Back in May, I helped a friend out with a Mother's Day surprise for his wife, who is one of my good friends. They have the most darling little girl... as you can see below. I took some shots of E and her daddy and he gave one of them framed to my friend on Mother's Day. So cute if you ask me!

Write Away

Write Away is a great personalized stationery company based right here in Minneapolis. Co-owners and neighbors, Meredith and Sarah, are in the process of updating the company's website and needed some new images of their products. So, over the weekend, I took a bunch of shots and we had a great time together! We're doing some more this weekend and their improved website should be ready to go in no time! Check out their website and maybe you'll just find something you'd like to order! Here are a couple shots.

a CUTE family

Welcome to blog post 3 from the sculpture gardens! I love this family. The littlest of the bunch has changed so much since I last photographed her last fall. We had a great time together even though it was so hot! I could have photographed these two kids all day... gorgeous eyes and hilarious expressions! And an adorable puffy pink skirt (good taste, Katie!).

21 Weeks... Repeat!

So, my ticker has been backed up a week or so... I am no longer 23 and some weeks... I am 21 weeks and one day! Ahhh! At my latest appointment, the doctor decided to move my due date back to October 27th. In all honesty, it really isn't too big of a deal. At least this way, if the baby is late, he won't be as overdue as he would've been had my date stayed the 14th. Makes sense to me.

Baby boy Gray (whose first initial starts with the letter T) is growing and kicking and having a grand time. I hope he is anyway. I feel good. The weather is getting warm. This could get interesting.

Another wonderful sculpture gardens shoot to come soon! I'm doing a stationery shoot this weekend... yes, a shoot for paper. It'll be fun!

Ben and Jerry's Phish Food and I have a date on the couch. Goodnight.

Cherry + Spoon #2

The Mpls Sculpture Garden is a hot spot! This shoot with Eli and his parents took place there and my next shoot this weekend takes place there! Three in a row! I don't mind one bit. The grounds are beautiful and there is a ton of stuff for little eyes and fingers to see and touch! Trouble is... getting them to look at me! As I was editing Eli's photos, I kept thinking to myself, "Oh, he is so stinkin' cute!" He's a great client... as are his parents! It was fun to see him again since I hadn't seen him since his one-year photos last fall.