Everytime I do a newborn shoot, I wish I had someone taking video of the “behind the scenes”; there’s so much love, a few hilarious moments (Alisa can attest to this), and of course, an incredibly cute little baby that we’re swooning over the whole time. Thankfully, Miss Myla was the perfect little doll and was so cooperative with every move we made her on. Even more so, my heart just smiles seeing Alisa and Kevin, her proud parents, dote all over their precious baby girl. Congrats guys, I am so happy for you both! Without further ado, get ready for the little girl with hair most newborns are jealous of, here’s little Miss Myla….

Isn’t she just perfect?!

- Four blog posts in a row…this might just be an accomplishment (for me, at least).

- Today, I get to do the maternity session for one of my fabulous photographers. Lauren has been working with me for 8 months and she has been an incredible blessing and a true joy to be with.  Seems like just yesterday, we we’re sitting in the car on our way home from a wedding talking about her exciting news and next month she’ll be holding her little girl. Cannot wait!

- Staying somewhat on that note, I have the absolute best second shooters and photographers working with me. So, thank you to Alicia, Katie and of course, Lauren for everything you’ve done and everything you do. Seriously, THANK YOU. You are all amazing and I am grateful I get to do life with such awesome people.

- A couple we’ve worked with from surprise proposal (captured by Alicia) and then onto their beautiful Miromar Lakes wedding, had their little girl yesterday. Thank you Kevin and Alisa for allowing me to be a part of your incredible journey. I’m excited to add a new chapter today as I head to the hospital this afternoon to capture some of the most precious moments life has to offer! LOVE LOVE LOVE hospital sessions and I totally LOVE this couple, so to say I’m a bit giddy is a bit of an understatement.

From their proposal in 2009…

…and from their wedding in 2010…

- Schedule. I had a blast on Christmas break, but I am looking forward to the normalcy of a schedule again. So long, waking up at 9am and hello, buzzing alarm at 6!

- Cold weather. I’m flat out LOVING it (as long as it doesn’t get any colder).

- 2012 weddings. Our wedding season kicks off in less than a month and I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to a year of weddings, as a whole, as much as I am this one. There’s a whole bunch of fabulous in store.

Off to spend a day doing my favorite thing with some of my favorite people!

We’re already 4 days in and my brain seems to be going about a million miles and hour trying to narrow down my 2012 goals. Since I’m a list-maker, combined with what most would consider a ridiculous amount of competitiveness, there’s something way more motivating about making a written out list of these goals for the new year. Ya know, because being able to cross or check something off a list just gives me a sense of accomplishment. I should probably be clear just in case my husband reads this, this list making just doesn’t seem to work when it comes to laundry (which he graciously does for me), cleaning or the like.

Here’s a few of my 2012 goals I’ve created for myself.

- Family first. I need to be more diligent in putting my family first…even when I’m in great need of a date with my computer.

- Read more.

- Put myself in more uncomfortable situations in every area of life (who makes goals like this?!).

- Pray more.

- Stop comparing myself to others. I’ve never really been one to do this…but I notice myself doing it way too much in this business.

- Quality over quantity.

- Be a better and more consistent blogger.

- Keep a work journal. I keep a personal journal but I want to really use a work journal, where I solely write about work, mistakes I can learn from, things I want to change and the things I’m proud of. I know it’ll be useful and purposeful for later.

Because every blog post is better with a picture, I leave you with little Naomi (or NJ for short). My BFF of over 15 years is down with her fam so they stopped over yesterday for a belated Christmas session an early Valentines shoot.

Unfortunately, NJ doesn’t respond to bribery and she was more interested in the grass than the camera. Therefore, when all else fails, we can almost always rely on the trustworthiness of a dog…who knows exactly what the word treat means.

Happy Wednesday!

PS. Today is most definitely one of those days where I am sooo glad I can stay in my pajama pants, under my covers, while drinking coffee, and blogging. And yet, it’s still entirely too cold for my Florida blood. Hopefully though, this means scarves, boots and the like can make an appearance in today’s outfit!

I’m still thinking it should be the year 2000, so I can’t possibly be the only one who can hardly believe 2011 has already come to an end. More importantly, how in the world has time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye? Literally. For some reason, whenever we close the book to an entire year, my heart aches a little knowing it’s 365 days that will never be gotten back and an endless amount of memories I’ll never fully remember. Most of all, I think I dread knowing my kids are one year closer to adulthood and I desperately want to cherish every ounce of their little being while they’re still little. I guess it’s safe to say that time and I have a love/hate relationship.

With that said, 2011 has been fabulous, amazing, beautiful, love-filled and an absolute blast (most of the time). I am grateful for a lovely family filled with my favorite people, a year of great health in our family, a God I’ve grown closer to over the year, wonderful friends and the most amazing clients a girl could ask for. It’s been a great year and I feel like it’s an understatement to say I feel blessed. Thank you to each and every person in my life- family, friend, client, etc.- who has made 2011 a year to remember.

With that said, even though I’m sad to see 2011 go, I’m totally ready to welcome 2012. I am excited for the changes that are ahead this year and the fresh start in all areas of life. So, as I sit here in my love/hate relationship with time, I know there is nowhere I’d rather be than my current spot- cuddling with my family on the couch while watching the New Year’s Eve shows and awaiting the big ball dropping. Goodbye 2011 and welcome 2012! Happy New Year..and here’s hoping it’s a great one!

I love summer. I love the flexibility of our schedules, the endless days at the pool and beach, no homework, sleepovers, hanging out with my kids (most of the time), sleeping in, doing whatever we want in the evening without having to watch the clock and spending so much time with our family and friends. And then, the week before school hits.  Anybody feel me here?!  Chaos, antsy kids, doctors appointments, open houses, haircuts, back to school shopping, nervous kids, fighting kids and life is just plain old crazy. The picture above pretty much describes our life the past few days. Feel free to put your own caption on it.

So, as of this week, it’s official…I’m ready for school to start. I’m ready for the schedule and routine to be back in our life, even if that means kids in 3 schools, a few kids playing soccer, a daughter with gymnastics 4x a week (FYI, this translates to a practice/game every single day except Sunday) and becoming the taxi mom who is constantly toting her kids from place to place everyday. I’m ready to have a quiet house from the hours of 9-2. I’m ready to take only one super cute little 3 year old with me when I need to go to the store and I’m ready for the hours when this awesome little 3 year old naps (which equals absolute silence in my house for a few hours each day). Truly, the last thing I want to do is wish time away because I see my kids growing with the blink of an eye, but I’m definitely ready for this next season in life to begin.

So long, Summer of 2011….I know in about 4 weeks I’ll be looking forward to Summer 2012! Happy Friday and happy last day of summer, for us!

After a few months hiatus, and numerous people asking why I stopped, I figured I would get back into the routine of listing my favorites of the week. Ready, set, here we go- in no particular order…

1. Sephora. I’ve fallen head over heels in love with this store. Find something you want to try in the store, but don’t want to spend the $$$ without knowing you’ll love it? Ask them for a sample jar to go. How awesome is that?! Also, if you end up not liking whatever you purchase, you can return the empty bottle for a complete refund!

2. Summertime. Beach, movies, the pool, books, lots of time with our friends and endless time with my kids. I am simply, LOVING the laziness of summer.

(iphone photo)

3. Kyla’s gymnastics. She started 6 months ago and has already moved up to a level 5/6 ( which translates to 4 days a week, 3-4.5 hours each day). We are continually impressed every single week as she learns and masters new skills. Yesterday, she got her kip on the bars and she is absolutely ecstatic about it. Kyla absolutely loves it and we are so, so proud of her. Hopefully, I’ll have video to post next week!

4. Paint! We finally painted our living room after pretty much turning an eye to it for the past 7 years. It was a darker red so the task of painting the room was extremely overwhelming and we tried to do whatever we could to just make do with the color. We decided on a wet cement, greyish, brown color and although it took some getting use to, it’s now my new fave sitting place in our house. How great that a few hundred dollars can totally change a house- I love paint!

Before (furniture had already started being moved):

It only took us about 10 hours (the living room and kitchen are a big open room together) and I ask myself everyday why we waited so long. After:

We also painted our dining room (it was a green color before):

5. I’ve been loving my quiet time with the Lord this week. It truly is amazing how different my day is if I spend a little bit of the morning in the Word. I also came across this article this week and I think it’s a great read for ANY mother (or father) out there:

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/motherhood-is-a-calling-and-where-your-children-rank

6. Words with friends. It never gets old and the competitive person in me takes it oh so seriously. Let’s play: MGlassford5.

Happy Friday! I’m off to take my little ones on a Winnie the Pooh movie date.

I think this is one of the hardest blog entires I’ve done in a long time. I seem to write a paragraph and just hold the backspace button seconds later. Simply put, words are hard to describe Kate and Rodney’s wedding day…and only because it was that good.  I got to work with the most lovely of couples, at an extremely charming venue (Verandah Country Club), with a beautiful ceremony and endless detail during the entire garden theme and vintage inspired day.

First off, the Verandah Country Club is unlike anything we have in Southwest Florida. You pretty much feel like you’ve taken a vacation up to the Carolinas, even though you’ve only driven about 20 minutes. There is just no sign of Florida when you’re on the property. For those of us who have lived here our entire lives, and like a little change, I promise this place is pretty heavenly. Mix this location with an insanely detailed reception and I’m a photographer on cloud 9. From the old typewriter, burlap table numbers, little jelly favors and the assorted garden flowers- I could have taken detail photographs for hours. Thanks guys (and everyone else who helped!) for the hard work, energy, thought and time that went into detailing your day to the extreme. It was worth it.

Last but definitely not least, Kate and Rodney. Congratulations!!  I pray that the joy you both had on your wedding day carries over for all the days in your marriage and that you never lack in serving each other as you grow old. Thanks for choosing me to capture every moment of your most special day. I was so blessed and honored to be a part and I hope the photographs bring you great memories for years to come!

Without further ado…Kate and Rodney: {Married}…Enjoy!

Ahh, this weekend has been so refreshing and absolutely what our family needed. Days filled with laying around in bed, playing with our kids and taking little random trips out into civilization here and there. Usually I’m the type to have my bed made within about 5 minutes of being up for the day. However, this weekend our bed has been unmade almost all weekend and I’ve loved every second of it. Here’s a little of today’s ventures..after church we did some cookie baking…none other than the precut, predesigned Fourth of July cookies:

(*sidenote* why my youngest makes freakish faces for the camera, I do not know. But, I promise he’s cute.)

Here’s the before picture. I’m afraid you won’t be seeing an after picture….

Later tonight we made our trek over to Boppa’s house (my dad). I am so thankful he lives only one street away and is such an active influence in my kids life. I don’t take an ounce of this for granted, especially since I grew up living far away from my grandparents.

A perfect evening filled with rock throwing and fishing….

..and a perfect ending to the day, with none other than a Justin Bieber and Cha-Cha Slide (on repeat, of course) dance party in Boppa’s living room. Thanking the Lord for such a wonderful, happy weekend with my family and looking forward to celebrating with lots of friends today, at what will surely be an awesome Fourth of July cookout!

You are much wanted and welcomed in the Glassford household. Days with no schedules, sleeping in, sunshine and friends= PERFECTION.

This week started off by picking my cousin and her little boy up at the airport. Little did I know, they had a huge surprise waiting! As I sat in my car, hanging out patiently in the arrivals lane, I suddenly notice my grandma standing on the sidewalk waiting for her ride. My Grandma (!!!!!!). I hadn’t seen her in 3 LONG years and I almost broke into a waterfall of tears once she was spotted. This past week was spent lunching, shopping, dining, beaching, and lots and lots of laughing. We had the absolute best time and I am so grateful my cousin and grandma stopped by for a visit!

Now, back to reality we go. Thankfully, that means more pool and beach time with the kids and friends. Oh, and just because it’s been so very long (as in 10 weeks!), I’m really looking forward to having this ENTIRE weekend off. No weddings, no shoots, nothing. Happy Friday!

I’m still alive, but just wrapped up in a web called wedding season. Thankfully, I love pretty much every second of it. Seven of the 9 weddings in a row are complete and it’s an understatement to say that they’ve been incredible. I feel so blessed. I know it may sound redundant, but I am pretty sure I have the best clients ever. The couples this spring have been so wonderful and the weddings have been fabulous. I feel like every single Saturday I end up with a new “favorite” wedding because they’re all that great. A big thank you goes out to every single person I’ve worked with the past few months. You are all too sweet and kind for words.

Last week I had the pleasure of capturing Kim and Mark’s (or, John as I like to call him) engagement session. I had only spoken to Kim over the phone, but considering we went to the same high school and she’s an alum from the University of Florida, I knew we would hit it off. Really though, she is as nice as they come. I love how laid back she is and just totally trusts me to do my job. Mark, well, he’s hysterical and had me laughing the entire time.

We started the engagement shoot at Koreshan State Park, but were asked to leave after a handful of minutes into the shoot. Apparently, they didn’t want anyone in there past 5pm. A little frustrated, we hopped across the street at the location I’ve been eyeing and dying to shoot for months- a fruit stand, field and canoe shop. Definitely a little blessing in disguise because I am totally in love with everything we captured from the shoot. Plus, I had the perfect people for this location…don’t they totally pull off the model look?!

Mark and Kim, thanks for being awesome. You two are a wonderful couple and I truly look forward to capturing your wedding day this October!

In case you’re debating a first look for your wedding, I figure I would show you a little snippet of Chris and Rachel’s first look this past Saturday. There is something so special about this private and intimate moment as a groom sees his bride for the first time. Chris, you’re either an awesome actor or madly in love with your gorgeous *wife*. I’m certain I know the answer, but thank you for the I*almost*passed*out*when*I*first*saw*my*bride* reaction. It was beyond priceless.

I totally understand the desire to be traditional, trust me. However, I must admit, this is pretty darn romantic and tear jerking in it’s very own way. Enjoy!

I feel blessed to have such passion about what I do and I totally love being behind the camera. However, this passion only grows when a couple (okay, the bride, woman, wife, etc.) is just as passionate about their session with me, making sure to put careful thought into what they want their final product to look like. Shannon and I started emailed a few weeks before their session happened and every time I would see a new message in my inbox from her I would definitely get a little giddy. She had such interest and excitement, that it only rubbed me off and got me even more interested and excited in capturing a “In Love and Just Because Session” with her and her husband, Justin.

Thank you Shannon for being awesome. For real. You are so sweet and the encouraging and sweet words you keep sending my way mean so very much to me. Thank you Justin for being wonderful too and for being a chocolate maker that I can’t wait to work with in the near future. If you need, want or even want to bring me some chocolate, check out Justin’s company, Irresistible Confections (or on facebook). Shannon and Justin, thank you, thank you, thank you. Together, you’re a fantastic couple and I had so much fun hanging out with you and capturing your love. I hope you love your pictures and that they are cherished for years to come.