It is obvious where the kids inherited their good looks. :o)
For those of you who don't know her, below (on the right) is my insurance agent—Kathy
Thank you again Kathy for the opportunity to capture these moments for you.
3 months old
6 months old
9 months old
One year old! 
I love this image below. As a mommy of two older kids, I miss those times when I had a little one sitting at my feet.
Little M has some of the prettiest eyes...they just pop right out of the image.
la la la la la......
She was fascinated with her toes. In some of her other images from the session she showed off her flexibility by doubling over to chew on those cute little piggies.
You may remember this mommy and daddy from one of our recently published pregnancy sessions. Living in the St. Louis area, they commissioned our services to photograph their firstborn just after delivery. We have been a part of this couple's lives since photographing their wedding so we gladly jumped at the opportunity to make the trip and join in the celebration of their new family member.
There is always something surreal about a mommy and daddy's first days with their newborn in the hospital. Those of you who have had children know what I mean--it's almost as if time stands still those first few days. You get to experience your newborn at their smallest; enjoying all the wrinkles on their fingers and toes from being in the womb. Then it happens...as soon as you leave the hospital they seem to immediately start growing and changing--they lose their little wrinkles as they begin to get chubbier in their cheeks and grow fuller in their body. Newborn babies change so rapidly that within a week of photographing their hospital portraits, they look completely different; which is why newborn hospital sessions are one of my favorites to document.
I just love telling the story of their first days in this world...detailing all their little baby parts and items such as their hospital bracelets.
I have never seen a newborn look as though they were smiling. As you can see, this little fellow felt right at home with his parent's touch.
I was so elated to have had the opportunity to be a part of a celebration such as this. I couldn't resist asking the parents to take my picture with this precious little guy.
Thank you so much for inviting me to be among the first to meet the new addition of your family!
He LOVED reading--this was the one thing we found that would keep him entertained.
Not only is she an amazing assistant...she is also very brave. :o) During one of our recent snow falls we both had a harebrained idea to do something spontaneous; Katia dressed up in this gorgeous short formal gown and we braved the freezing temperatures to take photographs of her in the snow.
They were such a fun group. When I dropped off the items I failed to notify anyone that I would want to take a picture for my blog. (They were all in cleaning clothes getting their offices ready for the new year.) Although they requested no close ups--I can't blame them for that--they jumped right into the idea without hesitating.
(For those of you who weren't able to make it, don't worry...we'll be back out at The Centre this Thursday from 4-6 in the evening.)
Some of the children were amazed by Santa and his beard.
As you can imagine, for every dozen kids who love being on Santa's lap, there are a few who need coaxing. :o)
I hope you guys will enjoy these bloopers as much as I did.
What funny stories these parents will have to tell their children years down the road when they are all grown up. These images are sure to spark a few giggles from the kids too!
The images above are BEFORE and AFTER portraits. This little guy was not fond of Santa. As we do with other hesitant kids, we set up for a Peek-A-Boo Santa portrait and hid Santa behind the set. This little guy did great when there was no Santa in sight; he sat right down in Santa's big chair and gave me a great smile. Then it happened...he heard Santa rustling in the window. Once this little guy realized Santa was right there it was all over--the tears began to flow!!
The image below is probably one of the funniest images we captured that day. As you can see, this little guy doesn't care how he hits the floor as long as he gets down there.
This little one was such a cutie!! You can tell his mama is just out of reach. :o)
Displaying Santa Portraits
Looking for a creative way to display all those Santa portraits during the holidays? Here is a perfect way to preserve a keepsake for your child.
Start by choosing a reprint package that will give you an extra 5x7 of your child with Santa. (Although you can create this keepsake with sibling portraits, we do suggest that you take advantage of the inexpensive opportunity to photograph your kids separately. This creates the perfect opportunity to build an individual, unique keepsake for each child of their own. This will allow for mom's and dad's to keep a collection of the siblings together and have something for the kids to take with them when they begin celebrating the holidays with families of their own.)
Next, have a mat cut and framed with 4-6 openings to place your Santa Portraits in. (Since these images will be a special holiday decoration to be displayed around the tree every year, I would suggest using a red mat.) As each year passes, fill in another opening to your matted collection. As your collection grows, you will not only be able to see how much your child grows year after year, but also all the funny reactions your child had to Santa.
What a wonderful keepsake this will be for your kids as they grow up and share the holiday season with their kids.
(As always, if you need assistance creating this type of display we would be more than happy to help you. We carry a wide assortment of frames and matting.)
Thanks guys for showing me around. You really have a great location there! 
