Maternity Photo Shoot for My Sis

Today I took some photos for my sister who is "Ready to POP!" with baby boy #4! We used some of the photo props that we sell in our store, Z Create Design, and some of the new maternity photo props that I am going to be adding to our stock very soon!

We can all guess that little Kellyn is going to be as handsome as can be. I mean, look at his brothers! These boys are all going to be heart breakers. 

It was quite the challenge to wrangle 3 rambunctious boys for a photo shoot, but we made it happen and, if I do say so myself, we got some pretty awesome pics!

CONGRATULATIONS to my sister, Nikki, the mom-to-be. I can't wait to meet my newest nephew very, very soon! :)

We took a quick pause to photograph Asher with his Grandma and Grandpa!

FIND THE PHOTO PROPS HERE

(If you don't see the one you want listed, send me a message via Etsy.)

Pin It Now!

Tasty Shades: Mint Candy Apple & Cream Puff

You may remember my saying a little while back how I haven't painted my nails with anything other than clear polish in a long, long time. I might go as far as to say it may even have been... 8+ years..? Well, a few days ago, I broke that mold. I got a manicure during my mommy spa day and I chose to have my nails painted in color! Woo-hoo! Don't get too excited yet. It was a nude. :) I tested the water and I liked what I saw. So now, I am jumping on the nail polish bandwagon and here are the first additions to my up and coming nail polish stash (is it sickening that these are the only colors of nail polish I own...???):

ESSIE Mint Candy Apple

Vinylux Top Coat, Cream Puff, & Powder My Nose

The Vinylux nail polish boasts a 7+ day wear and an under 9 minute drying time. The "Powder My Nose" color is the one I had put on at the spa and obviously I was pleased since I couldn't help but buy a tube of my own. I used the "Cream Puff" to give myself french tips on my toes and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be applying a thin line with a large brush. I actually think it is harder to control those tiny nail art brushes. I can't wait to see if these white tips last an entire week. That would be amazing!

The Essie "Mint Candy Apple" is such an awesome shade. I think I have an addiction to this color - it was our wedding color back when we tied the knot. Maybe it holds some nostalgia to me. Whatever the case, I love it to pieces.

I hope I'm not crazy to have gone with such a pop of color on my nails with Asher's 6 month/our family portrait session tomorrow. We rescheduled the session from a few weeks ago due to a severely sunburned daddy who may or may not have worn his sunglasses and no sunscreen and ended up looking like a critter of the night. ;) The polish ties into our color scheme so fingers crossed (pun intended!) that it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb (another pun intended! Haha).

Hopefully I'll have some fun stories and exciting pics to share after this long weekend. I need to get the dust off my camera and get a snappin'! Happy Labor Day, everyone!

Pin It Now!

6 Month - Half Birthday Prep & Pics

Well, almost! Asher's "official" 6 month half birthday is this Friday, August 9th. Can you believe it has been 6 months already?!??! It feels like just yesterday I was feeling him kick inside my belly.

It is just incredible how quickly they grow. Not just physically, but mentally, too. I'll get into detail with everything like a usually do after I take his 6 month onesie growth picture. Plus, I've got some seriously awesome news on baby signing. Be sure to check back in a few days for that!

We have a 6 month baby photo shoot set up with our photographer, Caroline Nicole Photography, on the 17th. I'm still not 100% sure where we are going to do them. I am torn between a beach setting or park setting. Maybe there's a beach with a park that would cover both bases. We'll see. I'll have to brainstorm on some spots. Ideas are welcome!

WARDROBE!

I've been collecting outfits for Asher's 6 month photos for awhile now and am SO EXCITED because they're just absolutely adorable (if I do say so myself)! #1 is perfect for the shoot with Caroline since we'll be outdoors and it will be HOT. I have another onesie on its way that is similar but with a vest instead of suspenders. #2 is going to be perfect for whatever we end up doing on Friday. #3 is going to be used for an indoor portrait session by ME! Or, it may be too big and it will be saved for a later date. #4 I purchased before Asher was born and I hope it still fits! It's size 0-6 month, so we will see. If it fits, I'll bring it along for the outdoor session.

*** WHERE TO BUY FIND THE ABOVE OUTFITS ***

1.  Tie/Suspender Onesie - Laddies & Lasses on Etsy

     Onesie with Vest (not pictured) - The Accent Shop on Etsy

     Hat - Born to Love Clothing (I found on Zulily sale...)

2.  Custom 1/2 Onesie with Matching Legwarmers - Kakabaka on Etsy

3.  3-Piece Vest Outfit - Macys

     Newsboy Hat - Born to Love Clothing (I found on Zulily sale...)

4.  Giraffe Romper - Mud-Pie

5. Ruffly Blanket (Shown under the clothes above and will be the perfect beach blanket for our pics. Also, this store is now on my list for go-to baby gifts - this is the most adorable blanket I've ever seen! I'll have to be extra careful with it during our photo shoot not to ruin it.) - All the Truffle on Etsy

As for me, I am going to wear a white shirt with white pants? Maybe, maybe not. And a turquoise statement necklace. I bought John two shirts to try on. I'm not falling into the figure-out-what-you're-going-to-wear-on-the-day-of-the-shoot trap again. Here's what I have going on in my head:

PROPS!

I also had John make some half birthday photo props for our little guy. One that says '1/2' and one that says '6mo.'.  We also are now selling them! Here's a link to our store if you're interested: 1/2 Birthday Photo Prop

I also found a really neat vintage wine box on Etsy for Asher to sit in. I hope it gets here in time!

Did I mention I am excited???

The good thing about having this photo shoot on the 17th (other than more than enough time to prepare) is that Asher will be sitting like a pro by then. He is getting more and more steady sitting without his hands. In a week's time, he'll have it down, I'm sure. Here's a quick video of his skills...

Needless to say, there is much excitement around here with our little half-year-old. I hope I have a chance to make a half cake for him. More half birthday news and pictures coming soon!

Pin It Now!

Happy { Belated } 4th

You may have noticed that I have been M.I.A. for the past week. We were on VACA! Well, as much of a "vacation" as you can have driving 12 hours away with a 5 month old. ;) On our last day there, I came down with a serious cold, perhaps even the flu, so now I am fighting a sinus and ear infection that has led to laryngitis. Ugghhh. I WILL BLOG ON!

We went to John's parents' (Asher's Nonna and Grandpa's) North Carolina house for a week. John's brother's family went, as well, with their 3 kids so the house was full of life! In fact, the entire street was full of life as John's aunts and uncles all have houses there, too, so the whole week was filled with family, family, family. It was wonderful seeing everyone and many were meeting baby Asher for the first time. He loved every minute of it! Well, except for the drive...

I have so much to share from our week and will be breaking it down into several posts because there is just SO MUCH. Today, I'm going to share our wonderful family vacation pictures and July 4th pics. Asher was out by 8pm, so this year wasn't as exciting for him as future firework-filled Independence Days will be. But we were still festive!

Then, be on the lookout for these topics later this week:

Traveling with Baby + Packing Checklist
Babywearing for Outdoor Activities
10 Days Without Cloth Diapers
5 Month Update - Photos & Developments
Photographing Fireworks

Hopefully I can kick this bug quickly and get back to my frequent blog posts. There is always something to talk about in the world of baby!

Without further ado, here are some pictures from our family vacation to NC:

Our first day in the mountains, we broke out our Stokke MyCarrier for our visit to Chimney Rock. A complete review with more details and more pictures is soon to come, but I will say that this carrier was ideal for an outdoor activity such as this. Asher was 110% secure in the Stokke carrier and that made me feel much better about taking him 2280 feet in the air!

 

My white shorts are a Zulily steal!

Stokke MyCarrier with Bib Accessory

Asher's camera onesie was purchased from Kakabaka on Etsy

The next few days were full of rain (on and off, but mostly on) so they were spent visiting with all of the aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins.... and Asher was in heaven. We also went downtown and checked out the shops and restaurants a bit.

The sun stayed out long enough for us to take the Smokey Mountain Train Ride. It was loooong... but still a fun time. I'm so glad that Asher was exposed to trains so that he has some idea of why I often say, "Chug a chug a CHOO CHOO!"

{ We had an impromptu outfit change for Asher on the train ride home, so that's why there are two outfits going on in these train pics. }

My yellow shirt was a Zulily steal!

 

We decided to visit an indoor (covered) farmer's market to escape the heavy, heavy rain that eventually started and did not stop for the rest of the week...

Lillebaby Carrier - Complete review and detailed pics coming soon!

Now, 4th of July - still raining - complete with my first attempt at night photography using a tripod and remote. I think I'm in love! I'm going to have to play around with this awesome technique some more!

John wore the Stokke carrier with ease. It easily converted from my size to his.

What a fun vacation! I can't wait for next year when Asher will be running around with his little cousins. Oh - they grow so fast!!!

Pin It Now!