Oh, and some things I’m trying this next month -

* Reading more books. I just finished reading Warm Bodies and Kiss the Girls – both were excellent and I finished each in under 2 days to my own pleasant surprise. Now I’m undecided between the controversial The Painted Bird, at the recommendation of a friend, or a self-improvement book called The Way of the Happy Woman.  On another note, I have always longed to start a book club.. interested? Shoot me an email to my personal addy, simplybysuzy@gmail.com or comment below with yours.
* Gluten free eating. Or rather, as much as my self-discipline will allow me to do this.. I am a slave to pasta and late-night cereal so I’m not sure how it will go. But I figure since I’m already on my way there from being sick with the stomach flu why not keep it up?
* Speaking of the stomach flu, I think this is the perfect time to start anew and cleanse since I basically didn’t eat anything but chicken broth and coconut water for the last 5 days. I found a seemingly good one on Groupon today from Peeled and considering getting it as a much cheaper alternative to the BluePrint cleanse. Anyone ever try it or one like it? (note, after that I’ll start my attempt at living gluten-free)
* Networking. I am so bad at this. I tend to prefer hiding out at home than going out to social events and am really bad at making new connections with those in my professional community.  So I’m attempting to put my self-sabotage aside and put myself out there a little more.. and actually really looking forward to meeting up with Kristine from Kristine Aletha Weddings this week! (she shares my same problem so I think this will make for some great bonding )
* Being more positive. I’m actually not super negative, but I do struggle with anxiety and self-doubt and I think a little dose of some more positivity can be good for that kind of thing.  Once my friend’s therapist told her to start journaling and at the very minimum write down 5 positive things about each day at the end of said day. Here, I’ll start it now: (1) It’s sunny outside (2) I can eat, hooray! (3) I’m alive (4) I had a nice breakfast with Vasili this morning (see also #2), and (5) I finally figured out how to get our new and much faster wireless router working.

Anyway, here are but only a few of my favorites from my time with them.. stay tuned for more of sweet P’s first year coming soon! XO

above: Mom snapped this pic of Dad having to carry me and my broken sandal all the way back to my car from the spot we were shooting at.. oh my poor clients and the things I put them through.. ha

above: My favorite part about P’s nursery. Can you believe dad painted these himself?? (and the best part is that the heart on the tree has his and mom’s initials ‘carved’ into it)

But why were we getting together for a session at the crack of dawn you ask? Well you will probably recognize this gorgeous family who I am so happy to announce that they are expecting another GIRL!  Those who follow my blog probably know already that I’ve been photographing this bunch since big sister Avery was just 6 months old, and I can’t believe we’re already at this point. For this session we decided to spend the first half freezing our tushes off at one of their favorite walking paths to catch that gorgeous light you can only get right at sunrise, and then hurried back home to warm up and enjoy Avery and mama’s ritual milk & tea in bed. Oh, and the best part is that I got to play ‘princesses’ with Avery (have no fear when the princesses are here – we hunted down the witch and defeated her with our magic spells!).

Anyway, please hurry up and take a look at these images because they are seriously.. amazing. And I like to hope that they reflect the bright, warm, beautiful amazingness that is this family and what I’ve come to know of them these past few years. Love you guys and so happy for you, can’t wait to come back once ‘princess Aurora’ arrives!! XOXO

above: we got these gorgeous shoes (left) from Joyfolie, one of my favorite favorite kids’ shoe makers ever. They are gorgeous and just by looking at and touching them it is evident how much craftsmanship and love goes into each shoe. I was incredibly bummed that it was so cold and Avery couldn’t wear these, but I was touched that she tried really hard to wear them for a few minutes for me.  

and the best part…

…the following few shots were inspired by an advertisement I saw of Calypso’s that said “Always believe that something wonderful will happen…”

above: I definitely don’t often do staged or ‘themed’ shots but every now and again I’ll see something that inspires me and when I have a willing subject  it is pretty darn fun.  And besides, these ‘sparkle shots’ were a little reward for Avery being SO unbelievably good and cooperative for us despite how cold I know she was (and all other parents please know, this is a wonderful exception to the rule, but not the norm for kids of her age. It’s okay to have meltdowns in the cold, I would too if I had no understanding of self-restraint ). 

 above: Avery is going to be such an amazing sister – she already shows so much nurturing love and care, whether it be for her mama’s belly or her baby dolls  

When Edyta reached out to me it was as if I could already envision photographing and falling in love with her family.  And when I arrived the day of our session together it was exactly as I had imagined – lots of laughter, playing, and fun.. her adorable little girl Stella and their two sweet pups who just loved to be loved on (one of them even does what I call ‘cheek kisses’ with Lucky, so sweet!).  And I was so inspired working with them that I asked if they would allow me to come back and take pictures of baby Levi once he arrives

\

Anyway, for once I won’t ramble too much and let the images speak for themselves and how wonderful my time was with this bunch Thank you so so much to mom & dad for allowing me the privilege of watching and capturing the growth of their family and as always I can’t wait to come back and see you again XO

Here are but some of my favorites from our time together wandering around the city.. thank you so so much again Jennifer & Jeff for inviting me out to capture this time in your lives, I had a beyond awesome time getting to know and I can’t wait to come back and hang out again soon! XO

above: Okay okay, so Bea stole the show at home.. just a little bit  ;)  

above: I love this one of Bea playing with mom’s belly, as it is SO Bea (or at least what I got to know of her in the 45 minutes we spent together lol).  Just like most pups her size, she has oodles of energy and  totally reminds me of my own furry babies at home. 

above: I just love the colors in the city and how vibrant everything looks in the afternoon light! 

above: Hebru Brantley street art = the perfect place to take any family for an urban city session. 

above left: One of my favorite shots.  This kind of view from the train station totally brings me back to so many fond memories I have of college and my first years living downtown. 

above: I love working with people who love to laugh  

above: I actually took this right when I got home from our session and just minutes before the sun set.. and totally reflective of Jennifer & Jeff. Vibrant, warm, and beautiful people  

Needless to say I was beyond excited when Kate told me she’d be expecting a little girl of her own and I couldn’t wait to capture her own growing family and nursery

So the other week we got together for an early morning session to capture their life right before baby Piper’s arrival, and to spend a few hours with these two was just cloud nine for me.  Their warmth was so infectious and they were even kind enough to invite me to stay for lunch afterwards.  We walked around a local park, saw the duck pond and a pack of crazy squirrels (long story), and then walked back home to hang out for a bit more.  Once we were finished shooting we enjoyed chips and salsa & enchiladas (which I must get the recipe for, they were so good!) and talked about technology overloading, helping the less fortunate, and their mission trips to China that they participate in often.  It was the perfect session and I hope that these images reflect exactly what I’m talking about.

Anyway, thank you so much again Kate & Brandon for having me over and letting me capture your love, I can’t wait until baby Piper arrives soon! (only 3 more weeks!!) XO

above: Kate designed Piper’s nursery of course.  I’m saving detail pictures for her newborn session, it is to die for! 

above left: this was actually my test shot.  I never delete them because often when I’m looking back I stop and realize I unknowingly captured an amazing split second moment  

above: isn’t this outfit so gorgeous?? It’s from Akira, yes the whole thing (and I totally think I’m going out tomorrow and picking it up for myself)

above: Um, it’s really weird looking at yourself in the mirror posing for the camera lol! (forgot there was a mirror behind me when I was shooting this) 

above: And the final question, what outfit will we photograph Piper in when she first comes home??  

I am so excited to share but a few favorite moments of mine from that day with this family.  Thank you so much Amit & Neha and all of your family & friends for not only allowing me the privilege of capturing this for you but also for your kindness and warm hospitality to me throughout the entire day.  Congrats and so excited to hear when baby arrives! XO

above: the vibrant colors and ornate details of the blessing had me hypnotized. It was so unbelievably beautiful. 

above: after the blessing, we headed over to India House in Schaumburg for the baby shower! 

above: beautiful cake made by Naomi Levine of Tipsy Cake of course! How ADORABLE is that carousel of animals on top?? (it actually worked and was rotating in a circle like a real carousel!)