Anna's 3 Month Portraits

I just posted some of Anna's 3 month images on my photography blog. Check them out if you get a chance! :-)

www.suzannewilliamsphotography.blogspot.com

Anna is 3 Months Old!

I can't believe how quickly time is going by. I looked at Anna today and realized that she doesn't look like a newborn anymore and I didn't even notice her changing. Can't time just stop for awhile? ;-)

What Anna is up to these days:
- Still wearing size 1 diapers, but about to outgrow them and just moving into 3-6 months clothes
- Takes 2 longs nap a day and two short naps...she's awake for longer now and more alert and interactive
- Loves to smile at just about anything and "talk" to people
- Pushing up well with her head and arms when on her belly
- Still swaddled to sleep...about to outgrow her swaddle blanket!
- Sleeps 8+ hours at night, except for waking up around 4:30ish for her paci
Check back soon for some 3 month portraits! :-)

Beach Pictures

Finally I've managed to get it together and finish up our beach pictures. There were so many I loved I had such a hard time getting through them all. We had a fantastic vacation with lots of fun and laughter and relaxation. Anytime we get together with the Schneider clan (my dad's sister and family) we have a blast! Here are some of my favorite pictures and then rest can be found here if you're interested (there's a lot!):

Seagrove Beach, Florida 2009 Blog

Col. Klaaren

My dad is a colonel in the Air Force and is retiring next Friday after 28 years of service. We went down to the base the other day to get a few pictures of him in his flight suit and with the girls. I'm so proud of my dad and how well he's served our country!

Ella's 1st Day of Mother's Day Out

This is Ella's third and last year in Mother's Day Out at Frazer before she starts Pre-school next year. She has the same teachers this year (Ms. Stefanie and Ms. Tammy) that she had last year so she already knows and loves them. This year everything is more structured and scheduled (which Ella thrives on) and they have special theme weeks (like Teddy Bear Tea Party where they bring a teddy bear to class) which I think is really cool! Plus she's got some buddies in her class that she's already familiar with so I think all that put together will make it a great year! :-) She looked so cute in her outfit and backpack this morning that I had to take her outside and snap a few shots.



Oh and I wanted to add that Ella is doing fantastic with potty-training. We're just about done with it and I'm so proud of her! I have to say a big "thank you" to Lori Mercer for giving me the idea to use hand stamps as an incentive. That's what made it click for her! :-)

Newborns Needed!

I posted this on my photography blog as well, but I know some people read this blog and not my other and vice versa:

I've picked up some new newborn props that I would love to test out and I'm in need of a couple of newborns willing to model for me. :-) If you are pregnant and due in the next month or two or know of someone who is and are willing to let me photograph your newborn (10 days of age or younger), please contact me. To say thank you for allowing me to do this, your session fee will be waived and you will receive a set of 4x6 proofs of all the fully edited images I captured. Please let me know if you're interested.

Also, I've had an opening come available in September. If you're interested in booking a session or if you're already booked but for later in the year and want to move your session up, just let me know. Thanks!

Look what Keith caught at the beach!!!

Ok, so that might be slightly embellished...but he did catch a shark and it was so cool! He was the beach celebrity that day...all the kids came running over to check it out. Good job Keith! :-)

Paci Removal - Success!

Before leaving for the beach, we told Ella that when you go to the ocean, you have to leave your paci there for the sharks and fishies. We drilled that idea into her head, so she knew what was going to happen when we left. The second to last day I cut the tip of her paci off and told her that the shark bit it. She was a little sad but not too terribly distressed. Then on our last morning we headed out to the ocean and she threw (well actually PopPop threw...Ella was slightly resistant) her paci into the ocean and sad farewell. Don't worry, my dad went back in and retrieved it aftewards...we didn't want to liter. :-) We were worried that our first night back would be a tough one, but it has not been a problem. After a few minutes of protest, she slept the whole night through and we've pretty much moved on. Everyone sad it would be a lot easier than we thought...it sure was!

My big girl before heading down to the beach:

Look closely...you can see paci mid-air on the left:

One quick look back and then she's moving on... ;-)

Next up is potty training...is it weird that the fact that Ella doesn't use a paci and is potty training makes me emotional? My girl is growing up! :-)

Seagrove Beach, Florida

We just returned from the beach and had an awesome time! I've got over 800 pictures to edit and that's just the keepers so it will be a little while before I post them, but here's just a couple. The weather was beautiful and the girls were little angels. It was a great week! :-)

2 Final Pictures...

Ella and Anna having storytime...

And a very tired looking mommy watching So You Think You Can Dance with her girls...

(By the way, paci is going bye bye for Ella in a week. Wish us luck!)

The Dog Days of Summer

We've really been trying to take advantage of these last weeks of summer and get outside for as much water play as possible. We had impromtu sprinkler fun the other night after dinner. Ella LOVED it and was so much more into it than just a few months ago when I got the sprinkler out. Isn't it crazy how much they change in just a few months at that age? Anna joined us outside and even got to try out her new pink baby swing. I think she liked it! :-)

Keith is trying his hardest to expose Ella to as many sports as possible...

This picture is the result of Ella saying "Hey mommy, picture please!" LOVE that!

Ella was very eager to give Anna a big push in the swing...I think that might be a look of fear in Anna's eyes...;-)

There was a little girl with a little curl right in the middle of her for'ed...

Special Time with PopPop

My dad loves to take Ella outside and walk around and explore. The other day after we had an afternoon storm, they headed out to enjoy some time by the pool. I love these sweet moments between those two and can't wait for Anna to join in too.