This winter has been filled with snow days, family movies, snuggles, cooking, games, and books. After an insanely busy (and wonderful) fall, I allowed myself to relish the quiet season. I didn’t blog, I didn’t give my website the overhaul it needs, I didn’t do a bit of advertising or marketing…and it was simply wonderful. But, after a few months of actually sitting on the couch in the evening instead of at my computer, I’m ready to dive back in and get to work! I have lots of Spring sessions coming up when the snow eventually melts, so I thought I should finally finish up blogging the last of my fall sessions!
This little lady came to play on a gorgeous, colorful, fall day, and was fascinated by all of the bright leaves that fell around her! It was a bit chilly, but all it took were a few snuggles with mom to bring back that infectious smile.
If you are looking for a Methuen Baby Photographer, please contact Sarah Jordan Photography. Sarah Jordan is a lifestyle photographer serving the greater Boston area, specializing in photographing newborns, babies, families and children.
These big sisters may just have been the sweetest, happiest, most enthusiastic kiddos I’ve ever photographed! They were up for anything I suggested, and we all enjoyed running, snuggling, jumping, dancing and exploring together. One of my favorite things about maternity sessions is that they allow me to really get to know a family before the chaos of the newborn session. I only hope that baby brother is as easygoing as his siblings!
If you are looking for a Methuen maternity photographer, please contact Sarah Jordan Photography. Sarah Jordan is a lifestyle photographer serving the greater Boston area, specializing in photographing newborns, babies, families and children.
…for a newborn session!
When mom first contacted me about this session, she was concerned that their house wasn’t big enough or fancy enough for a photo session. Luckily, with kids this cute, we don’t need anything else! Although they did have a lovely home, we ended up plopping down on Mom and Dad’s bed, and barely moving for the whole time I was there! Between the snuggles, books, and giggles, we were able to keep busy and happy while capturing these sweet images of those magical first moments as a family of four.
No interior decorator necessary.
Brenda says: I just adore these pictures!! She's an awesome photographer !! Good luck to U and your family Mrs. Cuzzy. lol. Love U guys lots. on 04.4.14 @ 9:54 am
See that girl up there? That’s my baby. The same baby girl who looked into my eyes a year ago, curled her tiny hand around my finger, and instantly stole my heart. She is turning one this week, and I already yearn for those newborn days. I miss sitting on the couch and snuggling for hours while one episode of house hunters blends into the next. I long for that warm, sweet breath against my neck as she takes a much needed nap on my chest. I miss the excitement of witnessing the first smile, laugh, roll and step. Yes, this first year of life is amazing and fleeting and filled with irreplaceable memories; but at the same time, I find myself dreaming about what the future has in store for her. Will she continue to look up to her brothers with adoring eyes, begging to join in their games of Legos and trucks? What books will she like? Will she enjoy science like her Mama? Will her love of music and movement lead her to years of dance classes? Will she still welcome me into her life when she goes through the dreaded middle school years?
Only time will tell what life has in store for Julia. In the meantime, we enjoyed celebrating this important milestone! I wish I could take credit for all of the gorgeous details, but I owe it all to some amazing ladies! The incredible candy buffet was courtesy of the fantastic duo over at The Candy Dish in North Andover. I can’t recommend them enough! Not only did they provide all of the yummy treats, but they also set everything up beautifully, and then came and CLEANED EVERYTHING UP after the party! They also sell a variety of amazing homemade candies – perfect for Easter Baskets 😉
The Pinterest-inspired dum-dum decorations were courtesy of my dear friend Lindsay – a woman with a big heart and a ton of patience! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Happy First Birthday, Julia! What a wonderful first party it was!
We ran, we laughed, we biked, we played….we did all of the things that this family loves doing in their beautiful home. It was a celebration of sorts. One last hurrah before moving into their new, even MORE amazing home a few towns over! I was so happy to capture memories of this beautiful morning so that they will be able to look back on these photos years from now and remember the house that these boys called home for the first years of their lives.
This didn’t start as a Valentines Day photo shoot. Really, it didn’t. You see, Oliver wanted to hang up some paper hearts as decorations….and then I saw the tutu in her drawer as I was getting her dressed…and I just couldn’t resist. So this happened…
I didn’t plan on doing a 365 Project again this year. In fact, I had consciously decided against it. Taking a photo of my life every single day is rewarding, but can also be time consuming and at times stressful. So I entered 2013 with the intention of recording just one photo per week.
That plan lasted all of 2 days.
That’s how long it took me to realized that a 365 Project really doesn’t HAVE to be time consuming – or stressful! This year, I gave myself permission to miss a day here and there if inspiration didn’t strike. I also forced myself to let go of the notion that every image had to be photographically perfect. The goal was to capture images that reflected my family as they are right now – with true emotions, natural settings, and less time with Mommy behind the camera.
I’m proud to say that not only was this year’s project a success, but it was actually enjoyable! So much so that I’m going to continue daily photos for 2014, too.
This year was filled with so many amazing things that I want to remember forever – birthdays, recitals, my big baby belly, vacations, and, of course, a new family member! There were also lots of quiet, in-between moments that are somehow just as significant. Last year, I compiled all of my yearly images into a big album for my family to enjoy. That book has been well-loved this year, and I can’t wait to get the 2013 edition!
If you have a little time and want to see everything big, pretty and with background music, check out the full slideshow!
My baby. My love. My beautiful girl.
Julia is 9 months already, and time is moving in fast-forward. She’s growing bigger and more independent by the day – making me both incredibly proud and also a little sad. She crawls like a pro and is already trying her hardest to walk. I know it’s only a matter of time before she’s running around the house with her brothers, and she will realize that she doesn’t need to feel my heartbeat next to her 24/7. Until then, I’m clinging to those everyday moments that I treasure so much – the weight of her little body nestled up to mine as we sleep together in her rocking chair (her favorite way to rest), the sound of her belly laugh as she watches her brothers perform for her, the soft feeling of her little fingers curled around mine, and her beautiful smile. Her enormous, genuine, heart-melting, ever-present smile. No matter how big she gets, and how many challenges she faces, I hope she’ll march through life with that smile on her face.
Thanks so much to Holly Hess Baby Accessories in Scituate, MA for the beautiful baby bonnet! It’s hand-made, and even more gorgeous in person!
I know that there will come a day when my sweet, adorable little kids won’t want to wear sweet, adorable little costumes – so I’m enjoying it while I can! These three made it all the way around our neighborhood last night, and came home with way more candy than they’ll be allowed to eat 😉
Now that this little guy is already 3 months (see his beautiful smile HERE!), I thought I should finally blog his newborn session!
We started out with some peaceful shots inside, just us and a window. I love that we took the time to get those simple, classic shots before heading outside with the rest of the family!
How lucky is he to have two big sisters who completely adore him? They were so sweet – holding him, talking to him, touching his little fingers and counting his sweet tiny toes.
He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s going to be my son-in-law some day 😉 He and Julia are just destined for each other!
My sweet baby girl is sixth months old! Her smile is contagious, and her giggles make my heart swell. Watching my boys snuggle her, play with her, love her – I can’t think of anything more gratifying. Sometimes I wish time would slow down a bit, but the truth is that I have been soaking up every second of her babyness since the day we welcomed her into our family. The nice thing about motherhood the third time around is that I KNOW how fast this time will fly by, and I am much better at appreciating the little moments that are so easy to take for granted.
I’ve learned not to stress about the little things. She wants to snuggle all day? Ok with me! I didn’t really want to clean the house anyway 😉 She doesn’t like to sleep in her own crib? That’s ok – I love waking up to her warm breath and sweet smile cuddled in close to me! There is plenty of time for her to be a big girl. For now, she is my baby…and I know how fleeting this stage is.
Although I’m still incredibly behind on posting all of my sessions from last fall, I thought that I’d try to be better about blogging my newest sessions now that I’m back from maternity leave! I’m sure I’ll fall behind again at some point, but, well, I’ll do my best…
I’ve had the honor and privilege of photographing this family since they were a family of three. Now they’re expecting a little boy in July, and I couldn’t be more excited for them! That little guy is going to have two amazing big sisters, and I’m sure they will all enjoy adding more trucks and dinosaurs to the house 😉
In these last few weeks as a family of 4, I find myself watching my little guys with a new realization – they are no longer babies. That may sound a bit silly, since they have grew out of toddlerhood awhile ago, but there is nothing like a new baby to emphasize just how grown up your other children are. While I am a bit nostalgic for those days of babyhood, mostly I am just proud of the little boys they are becoming. I love listening to their conversations, laughing at their nonsensical jokes, and watching each of them carve out his own unique personality, interests, and talents. At the same time, I am unbelievably excited to find out who their little sister will be, and how the boys will react to her. My guess is that they will thrive in the role of big brother, and will enjoy helping us care for her. At the very least, they will certainly take it upon themselves to make sure she has a thorough knowledge of trucks!
I am so incredibly grateful to my friend Erica for helping me capture our family as we are right now, just before our world is turned upside down (in a good way!).
Well, here it is! My little girl’s nursery is everything I wanted it to be for her – soft, calm, pretty, and filled with meaningful little things for her to enjoy. It’s hard to imagine that just a few months ago, this was my office – green, pretty dark, cramped, and filled with photography stuff! I can honestly say that I don’t even mind that my “office” space is now in the midst of toy central in the family room – I can’t wait to bring my baby girl home to a room of her own!
A few of my favorite things:
*The dresses above the crib were mine (thanks to my mom for saving them all these years!), and I love how sweet they look on the wall.
*The little plate on the tall dresser with the last stanza of the poem “Song for a Fifth Child” by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton. My mother had the same words displayed on her her wall when I was a child, and I remember reading them every night while getting my hair blown dry before bed.
*The small Beatrix Potter bank on top of the stack of books on the shelf was saved from my own nursery
*The dressers that I found on Craigslist fit with the feel of the room perfectly! I love that they work well in her nursery, but they can also grow with her in future rooms.
*The framed pink flower photo on the shelf is a j.imprint taken by my fabulous friend Michele, of Pinkletoes. Check out the link to see how you can contribute to a great cause by purchasing your own j.imprint!
Baby girl shouldn’t be coming home to this room for at least a few more weeks now, so in the meantime I am enjoying reading, rocking, snuggling my boys and daydreaming in here. Soon enough, it will be filled with the sounds of a newborn, and I doubt it will ever be this neat and peaceful again!
Exactly one year ago today, I began the most intensive personal photography project I’ve ever attempted – a Project 365. For all of 2012, I captured one image a day that reflected something about my life. Most photos involved my two little boys, since, well, my life basically revolves around them 🙂 Of course, there were times that I wasn’t with them (like my sister’s wedding in Mexico!) and days when I chose to capture a different subject in my life, but looking at the completed project makes me acutely aware of the depth of my love for my family.
I’m not gonna lie – some days this project was just plain hard. There were days when it rained all day, the kids (or I) were sick, and it got to be 5pm before I remembered to drag out the camera bag. But then there were others where photo ops seemed to throw themselves at me all day long! Our family vacations, daytrips, days when the boys were happy and the sun was shining…it was often hard to choose just one image!
I learned a lot in the past year, and the lessons were not always related to photography. I learned to slow down and look around. To notice the little things – pockets of beauty where I least expect to find them. I learned the importance of capturing memories for my boys, since life can change in the blink of an eye. It’s already a bit hard to look back at the first few images of 2012 and remember just how dramatically they’ve grown in the past year.
Although I won’t be doing a Project 365 for 2013, I will continue to bring my camera wherever I can. Watching my boys as they viewed this year’s slideshow for the first time was absolutely wonderful. They laughed, squealed, and smiled as they relived the memories of 2012. In fact, they’ve been talking about our adventures for the past hour, and we are already planning out an amazing 2013. THAT is my inspiration. I will continue to shoot with their giggles, happiness, and love in mind.
For those of you curious (and patient enough) to watch my culminating project of 2012, I present to you….
**The slideshow will take a minute or two to load (more if you are viewing on a mobile device), so turn on your speakers, sit back, and wait for the show to begin!
Cindy says: Sarah,
I cant express how much I enjoyed watching the slide show. I watched it twice and I told David he couldn't jump in to view it half-way....he had to start at the very beginning. :-) You have a beautiful family and you and Simon really are blessed! I look forward to future editions of Project 365! It brought us a lot of joy! xo on 07.27.13 @ 12:56 pm
Brenda says: I just adore these pictures!! She's an awesome photographer !! Good luck to U and your family Mrs. Cuzzy. lol. Love U guys lots. on 04.4.14 @ 9:54 am