My inlaws have a new dog (as they lost their precious pug Leelu to cancer this past winter) so we had our first dog sitting day with Bruno. Miles, who isn’t usually a dog person, gave Bruno a spin around the yard.

Here’s hoping today is the last day of my sinus infection because I have a busy day tomorrow. I’m going to be helping my friend and fellow photographer, Jill Sloffer. She is doing a fundraiser for a Jen, local mother battling cancer. She helped me last year when I did a mini session day for Chelsa, another mother with cancer and now I get to return the favor. Looking forward to standing behind her tomorrow and acting like a fool to get kids to smile! Jill and I have so much compassion for helping people whose lives have been turned upside down with cancer, especially other moms just like us. Love teaming up with such an awesome friend to do something good, especially on Mother’s Day weekend. Much love and healing goes out to our warrior mommas, Chelsa and Jen!

Mom tip: If this shoot hasn’t convinced you, I always tell new moms to choose the six to seven month baby photos to splurge on. Babies aren’t usually crawling away yet at that age, but can usually sit up and give all sorts of expressive smiles. Also, just as Gail and a few of my other clients have done, always bring a simple diaper cover too. I’m a fan of showing off some of that sweet, soft baby skin and if babies are grumpy, getting baby naked usually solves a bad mood.

Thank you Gail for coming to Fort Wayne and bringing Dean to my studio. Always wonderful to soak up that sweet boy and see you three! Can’t wait to see you again soon!

PS If you haven’t taken a swing around Gail’s website, you really need it. It’s a RAD site that has a little bit of everything. Oh and any photo you see of Gail on there, I took! So yea, go check it out!

John snapped this one of me too, because as much as I want to capture these little moments of my kids, I hope they want to remember the moments that I was with them too.

Carly is so beautiful and her love for her children shines through in these photos.

If anybody thinks that baby George looks familiar, it’s because he looks so much like his big sister! His sister Catherine’s shoot from 2011 is on the left. These kids are such an adorable pair!

Thank you Carly for bringing in George for his own special session. Just adore your family!

I heard about the PBS show, Call the Midwife, sometime last year and I remember perking my ears up in interest. It’s about young nurses working as midwives in London’s East end in the 1950′s. I noticed earlier this week that it popped up on Netflix and I’ve been hooked all week! You can catch the first season on Netflix and the holiday episode and current season on Amazon prime for a $1.99 per show. Once you get caught up, you can watch it on PBS for free on Sunday nights. I’m OBSESSED with this show. It makes me laugh, cry and the fact that it’s set in the 50′s in London is a bonus. You MUST jump on board!

I am addicted to listening to audio books on Audible. I listen to them while I’m doing laundry, editing, working out, etc. It’s the best multitasking ever. If you’ve never listened to an audio book, The Help, is a great one to get started.

Since I love listening to things on my iphone, this (un-fanny) iphone hip pack is a must have item in my house. If only I could find a way to not have my ear bugs yanked out of my ears when passing by a door knob. That is the WORST! Even though this looks really skinny, it stretches to fit your iphone. Wearing this totally beats shoving it down my bra or pants while listening!

We battle losing tupperware lids and finding matching sets when making Miles’ lunches so this Sistema lunchbox system works great for us. It fits perfectly in his Ninja lunch box, and we never lose the lids.

I couldn’t live without scarves these days. I take my favorite pair of jeans, a simple tank and cardi and add a scarf for color. It’s my uniform. I’m always on the look out for good scarves and mostly find them at Old Navy, Target, or little boutiques around town. I don’t spend much on them because I like to have lots to choose from. Here’s a few of my favorites lately.

Want the best video ever to show you how to wear a scarf? This one by the adorable Wendy of Wendy’s Look Book is rad.

I LOVE coffee, but I’m weird about it. I only love Dunkin Donuts medium blend with cinnamon mixed into the grounds before it’s brewed. Otherwise, most brewed coffees make me nauseas. I’ve tried to buy coffee with a cinnamon flavor but it has to have the cinnamon shaken into the grounds before brewing.

I finally started using a make up blender sponge and I love how much smoother my foundation and concealer coverage is. I use a make up sponge with a handle like this one, but here’s a sponge that is similar.

I LOVE shopping at H&M. Their jeans fit me perfectly, their tanks run long for my long torso and they always have something new. Oh and it’s inexpensive, which is great for many reasons, but let’s face it, I have kids & my life is messy. I love buying basics there to mix with my nicer items and it’s fun to buy trendier stuff and not spend a lot. My kid’s LOVE the kid’s department and they have the cutest kids clothes. Oh and they have the best Hello Kitty selection ever! Here’s my latest favorite buy, this little dress I’ve already worn a few times:

I haven’t used perfume in ages, but have really missed it, especially after grueling sessions where I felt like a sweaty mess chasing kiddos. I have a very sensitive nose and most perfumes give me a headache. I went on the hunt for a fragrance over the winter that would work for me and actually ended up discovering Couture La La from Juicy Couture. The bottle is hilariously OTT (over the top for those of you who don’t speak acronym) but I kind of love how overly girly it is. John gave it to me for Valentine’s day and I feel so pretty when I wear it.

Endless Alphabet is an adorable iphone and ipad ap that our kids love. Kids drag letters to where they should go in a word while the letter is making these hilarious letter sounds until it is in the proper place. It’s much cuter than I’m describing. It was FREE the last time I checked, but it’s so cute, I would pay for it.

Ok, Call the Midwife is on my DVR, so I MUST wrap this up and go watch it! Thanks for checking in on me, I hope to have more up to see again soon.

We told Miles to change his shirt to dye eggs so he puts on a Kevin Federline tank top and a Burger King crown. King Kids are keeping it classy!

Fast forward to Easter morning: The kids were sleepy, but so excited to find their basket of goodies.

Joss got this precious bunny with her name embroidered on it.

John made his amazing cinnamon rolls and Joss loved helping.

Miles was so proud of himself for finding his basket.

He couldn’t believe the Easter bunny brought him Legos!

We had some confetti eggs and they kept us laughing, even me, in the middle of my cold. Let me tell you, those things are HARD on your head!

Here’s Francis with his mom and dad all cozy in my studio. They are such a beautiful, happy and loving little family.

Allison and Mitch, thank you so much for bringing your precious Francis to my studio. Your family is just adorable! Much love to you!

Have a wonderful Easter guys!

Crazy one minute, precious and snuggly the next. Love these little monkeys so much!

Of course Miles had to show off some Ninja moves.

Needless to say, March is most definitely coming in like a lion and let’s pray it truly comes out like a lamb. (especially since I’m hosting the neighborhood Easter Egg hunt near my home in two weeks!)