Anastasia Marie Photography

It's time for a change :)

2009-09-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

It's finally time for a change! Starting today I'm moving blog homes. So head on over to my new blog
for some fun, gorgeous new posts! This blog will be up for a while, just incase we have some stragglers ;) But be sure to follow me on the new blog!

I'll see you there :).

{Are You Ready for Some FOOTBALL!?} Central IL lifestyle photographer

2009-09-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

In honor of this fabulous holiday, Hailey got a new shirt! She's been excited since breakfast!

GO BEARS!!

{besties} Central Illinois Senior Photographer

2009-09-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the great pleasure of photographing these two beauties for their senior pictures. They decided to do their pictures together and I only wish I could have done something like this with my best friend back in high school! These were my 2nd senior shoots and I am loving them! i'm pretty much booked through September, with only a handful of spots available so if you're a senior this year and interested in getting a shoot with me, get in touch! But for now, enjoy your sneak peek ladies!

{What a turkey!} Central Illinois Children Photographer

2009-08-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

Laura, thank you so much for asking me to photograph your little man! We got together the other night and he was cracking me up the entire time! He started out with some fantastic goofy poses and didn't stop the entire night :). Here's your sneak peek...I'll be in touch with the rest soon :).

Just me

2009-08-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in a workshop by and amazing photographer, Marta Locklear. It began on Sunday and our first "assignment" was to do a self portrait! Uh, what?! Well folks, here's what I came up with!

take me out to the ball game...

2009-08-25T05:59:00.001-07:00

Last night we took Hailey to her first baseball game! Well, other than her daddy's games. She had a blast! We were so worried that we'd end up walking around the main hallway with her and miss all the fun...but she was so good! We went with Justin's work, so there were a bunch of people there we knew which helped a ton! Plus Justin works with some (single ;)) boys who are SO good with Hailey! They love her, she loves them...they were reading her stories in the middle of the game! Does it get any better than that?! At the end of the game they let the Cat employees (or their kids :) run the bases...so we took Hailey down and she actually...ran the bases! We figured she'd just wander around with no goal, but she got out there and literally ran around all of the bases. I love her!

{Baby with a cause} Central Illinois Newborn Photographer

2009-08-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got the pleasure of playing with little baby L and his family. It has been a loooong time since I've had a newborn session...and that's probably a good thing. These little guys give me baby fever!

All of my newborns are special, of course. But this little newborn has a special cause. His grandpa has Parkinsons Disease, so it was super important to his mom and dad (and aunt and uncle!) that he get some pictures taken with the bracelets. There are many more where this came from! It was a pleasure meeting you and I'll be in touch with your gallery soon!

{It's finally long enough...} Central Illinois cute baby pigtails photographer

2009-08-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know weather to be giddy with excitement that my baby girl's hair is finally long enough for pigtails, or weather to be a bit sad. Every day I see less and less of my baby girl and more and more of a curious, genious little toddler. Today she was rockin the pigtails...how can I not love it?!

{Boys will be boys} Central Illinois Children Photographer

2009-08-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

Friday I had the pleasure of hanging out with these two energetic boys and their adorable baby sister! I photographed little miss J when she was just a newborn, and when her mommy told me she was SIX months old my jaw literally dropped. I cannot believe how quickly time has flown by! She is one gorgeous little girl, with the most gorgeous crystal blue eyes you've ever seen! Thanks to these to brothers for bearing with me...all they wanted to do was play in the woods. So I (and your parents) appreciate you letting me snap a few pictures first. Enjoy your sneak peek!

{Fun!} ~ Central Illinois Senior Photographer

2009-08-12T19:42:00.001-07:00

Full post to come at a later time, but here's just a quick sneaky peek before bed. These two were so excited to see some pictures, so here's just a taste :). I'll get you a proper sneak peek soon!

{milestones ~ continued} Central Illinois Family Photographer

2009-08-08T19:42:00.001-07:00

Here is a proper preview for this family. Thans again so much for having me come out there! PS ~ the puppers was a serious camera hog, so I had to post a few :)

{first steps} Central Illinois milestone photographer

2009-08-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

I just had to get these sneak peeks up quick for this family. Tonight we got together for a shoot one day before this little man's first birthday. Just before we started his mommy and I were talking about his progress in the walking department. And wouldn't you know, the very last thing he did in the session was take his first steps! Now how cool is that that I got to be there and document such a big milestone in this little guy's life!! Yay baby K!! You're a rockstar :).

{Summer Sunsets} Central Illinois Child Photographer

2009-08-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to do a session with Hailey for a while now, and last night the light was gorgeous and we found the perfect spot!

Not sure what this was about, but its pretty darn cute.

And this is her new "face" ~ don't ask me.

Tickle attack from daddy!

She thought it was pretty funny :)

She's still got to concentrate pretty hard on the whole walking thing.

Luck

2009-08-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

It is pure luck that we found the most amazing location last night!

Just a quick peek for now, I'll post Hailey's images in a while. If you have been thinking about doing a summer sunset session with me now is the time! This field is absolutley gorgeous!

announcing the goodies!

2009-07-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

This has been an amazing year for me already, and its not even August! I began this photographic journey at the beginning of the year and I could not be happier with how things are progressing. I have gotten to meet some amazing clients who have been so gracious to let my images become a part of their family's history. I really don't think I can express just how much creating these memories for families touches my heart. Photography has always been important to me. Capturing the little, beautiful moments is what makes my heart skip a beat.

I wanted to offer something to my clients that would make their heart skip a beat. So, we've got gorgeous images from your session, now what? I've been searching for the perfect way for you to display and showcase your images, and I've finally found it! I am so excited to announce these products.

The Fine Art Albums

Doesn't that look delicious! I am so excited to offer these gorgeous flush mount albums. You may choose from a black leather cover or a dress the cover with an image from your session. This little beauty will be a fabulous way to showcase the images from your session in a beautiful album that will last a lifetime. Another great feature of this album is that it opens flat ~ yes, that means 180 degrees! Perfect to display on a photo easle.

Abums are available in a mini version or a full version.

The mini alubm is 6 1/4(w) x 6 1/8(h) x 1 1/8 (thick) and includes 20 pages to show off images from your session.

The dream album is available as a 9x9 album or a beautiful 12x12 album. Both offer 30 pages of images from your sesion on matt coated profeesional photographic paper.

The Fine Art Image Box

This is another great way to showcase images from your session. The Fine Art Image Box includes up to 30 images from your session as 5x7 prints, presented on handcut museum mats, suitable for framing, placement on an easle, or elegant display and later storage. An elegant yet oh-so-modern piece, perfect for beginning an annual collection of images. Individually handcrafted by artisans, the box may be customized with images from your session.

The Session Box

The session box includes up to 40 images from your session as 5x7 prints, presented loose in a lovely archival box. Individually handcrafted by artisans, the box may be customized with images from your session.

Wall Display Inspiration

Finally, the photo gallery inspiration guides! After your gallery images are published you will have access to these incredibly helpful, inspiring photo display guides. I have heard from many of my clients that they just aren't sure what to do with their images once they've got them. These guides will give you endless ideas on ways to display your photos throughout your home.

Whew! I think that's all for now. I am working on this year's set of holiday cards, so keep your eyes out! I've already started booking holiday sessions, so if you'd like to get a session in for your Christmas card or as a gift, get in touch with me asap.

{Family} ~ Anastasia Marie Photography ~ Central IL Family Photographer

2009-07-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday we got rained out, so I got together with this little family on Sunday afternoon. This little man was *full* of energy! That's what you get with a 2 year old though :). That's ok, I chased after him all around grandma and grandpa's GORGEOUS home! They win the prize for most beautiful yard! Thank you so much Becky for letting me come out and photograph your family! I had a great time getting to know all of you. Enjoy your sneak peek!

~S

{Love} ~ Central Illinois Wedding Photographer

2009-07-14T13:22:00.001-07:00

And we're still working on these wedding pics! But, to tide everyone over here is another sneak peek :).

~S

I Heart My Baby Girl

2009-07-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

Decided to play with the camera a little bit tonight right before bed time. I am continually amazed at how big she's getting! She's like a little baby adult already!

The Creative Mama Blog

2009-07-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

Hi again everyone! Angie has another amazing interview and another fantastic giveaway! Check out The Creative Mama she has tons of other great stuff, so take a minute (ok, a few hours ;)) and browse around!

John & Kerry: Married!

2009-07-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

Okay okay okay...I know there are lots of people waiting for these...so while I work on them, here is a very quick sneak peek for you. If you want to be added to the list to know when they're all done, send me an email at stacy@anastasiamariephotography.com and I'll add you to the list!

Haven't gone through all of them yet, but I have a feeling this one will be my absolute fave!

The Creative Mama Giveaway!

2009-07-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

Hey friends and family! If any of you are interested in learning how to do a little more with your camera, my dear friend Angie has got an AMAZING series going on this week over at www.thecreativemama.com. Check in all week because she's got some fantastic interviews and giveaways!!

She's walking!

2009-07-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

On Monday Hailey decided to take her first steps. Unfortunately, I wasn't home :(. But Justin and Frank (Hailey's grandpa) got to see, so I'm happy for that. I'm also happy that Justin actually thought to video tape it! These aren't the videos from that first day (because those are on the actual video camera and I have no idea how to get those onto the computer) so we got her walking tonight with my point and shoot camera. Enjoy! :)

Ok, as I'm watching this, I realize that my wonderful husband is in the most redneck clothes he owns. Please forgive him...he knows not what he wears...:)

Sweet Little Reese

2009-07-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

This is a not so quick sneak peek for Seth and Molly. We got together on Monday and had a great time with Reese. I took her newborn pictures 3 months ago and cannot believe how much she's grown since then! They wanted to get in a session before she got too much older. Hope you enjoy the sneak peek :).

Ok, lets just start with this one because it could not be planned or captured again if you paid me!! And it just makes me laugh :). Poor little Reese put up with us well :).

Are these not the most beautiful blue eyes you've ever seen?!

What I Did Tonight...

2009-07-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

YUM!

I tried to just enjoy them and not take a picture, but, come on, look who we're talking about! :)

My Little Stinker

2009-07-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

Just had to squeeze this post in! Yesterday we got a fun pink bucket thing to put Hailey's outside toys in. When I brought it in the house, she started pushing it around and collecting things in it :). She's too cute! I don't know how I'm going to get it out of the house now....

Yes, that is a box of infant Tylenol! :)

And then she tried to pull it through the teeny tiny space between the couch and the end table! She was determined...I bet she was at it for a good 5 minutes :)

She really couldn't figure out why it wouldn't go through with her...

Birthday Boy!

2009-07-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, here are the rest of the birthday boy's pictures! I am in love with this session - it went fantastically! Perfect lighting, perfect little boy, everything was great. Except the 100 degree weather - that wasn't so great. But anyway, I got to play with this gorgeous boy last week to do his birthday pictures. Thanks so much Amy and Jared for letting me photograph your baby!

Is he not totally gorgeous in this suit?!

And then it was time to dig in!

Just a Sneak Peek For Now!

2009-06-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

Man its hot outside! This is just a sneak peek to show mom in the morning...there is much much more good stuff to come!

Rockin the Shades

2009-06-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

Yes...this is what I woke up to Sunday morning. Justin thought Hailey needed a different look :). We thought it was hysterical! We couldn't stop laughing all day - yes, she left them there all day, and we let her :)

Last But Not Least

2009-06-16T18:40:00.001-07:00

The last session of the weekend! We got a change to hang out with some good friends on Sunday and take some family pictures. It was great to see you guys! This is just a sneak peek until I get the rest ready for you :). Enjoy!

Stacy

Grandma's Farm

2009-06-16T14:27:00.001-07:00

Jeff's (my brother) girlfriend Ashleigh invited me out to her grandma's farm this weekend to do a shoot with her and a bunch of her cousins. It was a blast! It was h.o.t....but we had fun anyway :). This is a special place for these guys because their grandparent's house is going to be torn down sometime in the near-ish future. We had fun trapsing around the farm :).

The Birthday

2009-06-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

Only a couple weeks late :). A few weekends ago we had Hailey's first birthday party! It was a blast! A lot of great family and friends drove a long way to be with us on her special day, and to those friends and family, we appreciate that more than you could ever know. It means so much to us to know that we have such great people to count on and that Hailey is blessed with so much love :). The weather threatened us with some rain early on, but in the end we got outside and smashed into some cake!

Nothing goes better than cake and milk!

I tried to convince him to dunk his head in the cake, but he wouldn't go for it :)

This is Tiki...the dog my mom and dad brought out from NY for my brother. She's a total sweetheart!

And some pics of grandma and grandpa since they don't get to see us too often

Goofballs :)

2009-06-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend was crazy for me! Since I'm really just starting out with this whole photography thing, three shoots in one weekend is insane :). But...I had tons of fun! Justin and I got to go see his mom and dad and Hailey got to see her grandma and pawpaw (he's determined to get her to call him that :). Anyway...the weekend started out with this fun, absolutley goofy family! I had a blast! Thanks guys for letting me get some experience with families :).

Dad was the biggest goof of all ;)

These last two might not be pictures of perfection, but I'm in love with them for some reason...

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl

2009-06-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

Sigh...today is finally here. Our little girl is one year old. One year ago today (well, yesterday)I woke up and it turns out my water had broken. Justin thinks Hailey was moving around so much inside that she broke it accidentally, but who knows. She was pretty active that morning, so I guess its possible. We got to the hospital around 9:30 and they admitted me. Hailey really wasn't ready to come out quite yet though because I was still only dilated 1cm, totally thick and she was way high up. So they gave me pitocin right away and I started contracting pretty quickly. Hailey was facing my back which apparently causes horrible 'back labor' and apparently that's the worst kind you can have. So I had to get some neumorphine (sp?) around 6:00pm, which just took the edge off and made me not care that I was in tremendous pain. About midnight, the pain was too much to handle and I decided to get the epidural. It worked for about an hour, but then only one side of my body was getting numb, and then only my left thigh was numb...meaning I was feeling EVERYTHING! To make a really really long story short, she began coming down a little bit, but still facing the wrong way and got pretty stuck around 6cm dilated. I stayed at that point for about 6ish hours and my doctors were convinced I was going to need a c-section because I wasn't progressing and her head was molding so much, but not coming down, plus she was facing backwards. They were busy with another c-section though, so I was kind of put on hold to just hang in there until they were done. Meanwhile, Hailey decided to flip to the right position after a lot of crazy, insanely painful moves my nurse made me do (keep in mind the epidural is NOT working and they just keep giving me more which isn't helping anything, still feeling everything) and I felt like I had to start pushing. So, no more c-section...I'm doing this the old fashioned way...and with no pain meds!!!!! After about 2 1/2 hours of pushing Hailey came out with the cord wrapped around her neck twice and not breathing. Kinda scary for a couple minutes, but they got her going. So after 30 hours of pretty non-medicated labor, she's here and doing great! They were worried a lot could have gone wrong due to the excessive labor time and my water being broken so long before she came out, but looks like she's super healthy and adorable! Seriously the most painful thing I've ever gone through in my entire life times 100! I never ever thought the epidural wouldn't work and I was so not prepared to go through it naturally! But as they say, you forget the pain.

Here are some reminders of last year:
This is me before the Neumorphin (thank you Justin, for taking this picture :P)

And this was me after the Neumorphin

Unfortunatley, the effect wore off after a few doses, otherwise I would have had them pumping that the whole time!!
I almost can't believe this is Hailey

She looks soooo different now! Its incredible!
Ok...so lets just ignore the fact that I had over 30 pounds of fluids running through my body (I had pre-eclampsia for the last part of the pregnancy)...I think 25 of those pounds went straight to my nose! What's up with that?!

Poor daddy didn't get to sleep for a few days - and he didn't have the labor hormones to keep him awake :(.

And now we have this beautiful beautiful baby girl. And to celebrate - Hailey got a cupcake smash!!

The dogs love their Hailey :)

Wow - sorry for the insanely long post! I'm working on making a 1st birthday package for my photography clients...hopefully I can offer this to you all soon!

Happy Birthday Hailey! We love you so much :).

The Boy Next Door

2009-06-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I got to take Ben's 18 month pictures! Ben is our neighbor. He's just a skosh older than Hailey - poor kids...we keep trying to set them up :). He's a ham though - once he got comfy with me he was posing like a rock star. And we only had one minor catastrophy (I broke a decoration in their church!!) Here you go mom and dad - a sneak peek to tide you over :).

The First Haircut

2009-06-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

Can you tell I'm catching up on old pictures today? :). Last week we got Hailey's hair cut for the first time! This girl has some crazy hair. Look back through my posts - you'll see...its wacky. So, a lot of people cringed when I said we got it cut. But...its not so bad. You'll see. So here's her before picture.

Let me stop right here and say that I scheduled the appointment for half an hour before bedtime...what is wrong with me?!

So she was sleepy to begin with:

Oooh...a family portrait! :)

She wasn't really too sure what to think of this haircut thing. Luckily she got to sit on daddy's lap. That helped.

It also helped that I brought cheerios :)

Overall, it went smoothly. Amanda did a great job and followed along with all the head turning and squirming.
My little punks

Sigh...yet another milestone. I'm going to be a mess on her birthday!

Baby in a Basket

2009-06-02T10:44:00.001-07:00

The other night Justin was getting Hailey ready for bed...and I looked out on the deck and saw this:

Dad...what did you put me in?

Down on the Farm

2009-06-02T07:59:00.001-07:00

We were "back home"...well, my Justin's home at least...last weekend for our nephew's first birthday party! Hailey got her first ride on a four wheeler. From the expression on her face, I'm not sure how much fun she was having :). But daddy was having a blast! :). I know he can't wait until he can teach her all his farm, country stuff :). Poor girl...she has no idea what she's in for :).

Little Stinker

2009-05-28T21:00:00.001-07:00

Maybe its just a parent thing, but to us, there is NOTHING cuter than this right here:

Our baby girl drinking her bottle. I'm going to assume its not nearly as cute to anyone else, but when she grabs her bottle and goes to town, we look at each other and get the biggest smiles! Come on...this is cute right?

Until this happens...

So long baba...I'm making a break for it! They'll never catch me...

Maybe next time Punks, maybe next time :).

Love,
mom and dad

For Grandma and Grandpa

2009-05-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa needed a Hailey fix - so here you go! She just started doing this over the weekend - maybe she'll be walking by her birthday?! :)

Speedy G

2009-05-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

That's what I'm calling this little man! For Speedy Gonzalez - mommy only had to push for three minutes and he was out. So quickly, in fact, that his poor little face was pretty beat up from the quick arrival! Luckily he is all healed up now and did a great job with us yesterday! Kim and Justin are friends of ours and I was SO thrilled to finally get to meet little Connor - good job guys...he's a keeper ;). Aly is a curious, energetic 2 year old and I took her outside to play while mom and dad got Connor all packed up. She would not look at me for anything! Little stinker! But mom and I were talking about how much we loved her gorgeous curls, so here you go Kim - I got some great shots of her curls for you to remember forever :).

My Inspiration

2009-05-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen Something's Gotta Give? If you have - these pictures will be familiar to you. This is THE house...the house that I want to model my whole life around! I did some crazy internet stalking to find these pictures - I bought the movie - I'm going to turn it over to an interior decorator someday and re-create it...I swear! In the meantime...I'll just drool over these pictures :).

Something fun is in the works...

2009-05-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

All I can say is - SUPER fun!

More to come later :)

Hailey Bo Stinko

2009-05-21T18:49:00.001-07:00

How did my sweet little girl get a nickname like Hailey Bo Stinko? lol. I've never been one to get or recieve nicknames, but this one is sticking. Actually...Punko is her serious nickname - Hailey Bo Stinko only comes out a few times a day :). I like Punko, or Punks usually :). Regardless...my little stinko loves her uncle! She doesnt' get to see him too often, we need to work on that. They only live about an hour and a half away - and family is SO important!
Here's to you my little Punks!! Black and white or color? I can't decide...

I love my little bro :)

2009-05-20T19:15:00.002-07:00

So...my little brother Jeff and his girlfriend were SO kind to let me photograph them last weekend! I have to say, it was all I could do to keep from gagging at certain points...watching my little brother make out with his girlfriend is not my idea of fun :). Regardless....we got some great shots out of it! Thanks Jeffie Pooh!

Spaghetti night!

2009-05-17T06:33:00.000-07:00

Last night we had spaghetti, and we let Hailey go at it for the first time! She's getting to the point where she can pretty much eat anything we do, and its so fun to watch her explore new foods! She loved this spaghetti...as you can see, she dove right in :).

And now she's done :)

A fun video for Friday

2009-05-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know what's going on, I must be over-emotional today. This made me cry! I guess its just awesome how people come together sosmetimes :).

Catching up...

2009-05-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

I realized I've been slacking on posting pics of family lately! So, without further adue (is that how you spell that?) here are our Easter pictures!

Yep, she's going to hate us for this later :).Auntie Kristi singing little bunny foo foo - can't tell so well because of the glare, but she's got the bunny ears on :).

Awe, Tyler's being so sweet - he's going to give her a kiss. Wait...no, no he's not...he's biting her!

It's the only "ok" pic I got of the two of us all weekend...probably the only pic since Christmas! So, I'm not so worried that she's not into smiling for the camera :).

There is nothing that can put a smile on my face more than this adorable little girl getting giddy with excitment when she sees her puppies!

Taking some first assisted steps with grandma and grandpa.

My absolute favorite picture of her...ever.

11 Months.

2009-05-15T06:41:00.001-07:00

Can anyone else not believe that 11 months has passed!! Hailey is almost 1 year old!! Our baby girl is getting SO big! Every day we see changes in her that just amaze us. I remember just being in awe when she was born - how incredible it is that this little person grew inside of me! We created her! That is a pretty mind blowing, every day miracle if you really stop to think about it.

Anyway...we took her out to do pictures for her birthday party invitation - yes, I went rediculously overboard, but I'm ok with it. She's my first baby girl, of course I'm going to go overboard! It was windy windy windy so we weren't dealing with idea circumstances...but we made it work.

Hailey, you have such a big part of your dad's and my heart. I heard someone say a while ago (before we knew you) that having children was like forever letting your heart walk around outside of you - and now I know exactly what that means. I love you baby girl!

And a kiss goodbye :)

It's the Climb

2009-05-15T05:22:00.000-07:00

Ok...so I hate to quote a Miley Cyrus song, but here's Hailey climbing up the stairs for the very first time! Luckily my camera was right next to me and I caught it! :).

She's Gone Nuts...

2009-05-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

Yep, the baby's gone crazy...

Heartbreaker

2009-05-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

This little man is going to break some hearts. Saturday I got to hang out with Rachel & Kevin and their beautiful little Kaden! We had a great time, even though it was chilly and super windy! Rachel I hope you like your sneak peek! I'm working really hard to get your gallery done today. Thanks so much for letting me photograph your family - you are all just gorgeous!

Oh yeah - bonus points for being cubs fans! GO CUBBIES!!

And for those of you who haven't seen it, check out my website! www.anastasiamariephotography.com

I Heart Jeff & Cathy!

2009-05-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

Clover Baby

2009-05-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite image from my shoot on Monday! It was too bright for her to open her eyes too much. If we could have stayed out and let her eyes acclamate it would have helped, but she had had enough picture taking for one day:). Regardless...I still like it :). Hope you enjoy your sneak peek Chelsea! Brynn is ADORABLE!

Playdate Photo Shoot

2009-05-03T10:46:00.001-07:00

Last week I got a couple photog friends together along with a couple baby friends :). I have tons of cute pictures, and I've decided to go through them by child, so here is Stratton. He's up first because his eyes are just stunning! We had a great time playing in the park for a few hours. Thanks everyone for letting us play with your kiddos!

Stacy's Day Off

2009-05-02T06:02:00.000-07:00

Hopefully I can get caught up on some of my posts today! I took a much needed "Stacy Day" on Thursday. Took the day off from work, sent Hailey to the daycare, and parked myself in front of this damn computer all day! Unfortunately I didn't get as much done as I wanted...but I made a good dent in my to do list. Also watched "The Women" is a GREAT movie! Its about best friends...and made me really miss mine :(. You girls know who you are and I miss you like crazy! It's also got a really good message about positive body image and teaching that to our children, which I, of course, LOVE!

So, here are a few images from one of the sessions I proofed on my "day off" :)

Oprah's an Idiot!

2009-05-02T06:01:00.000-07:00

I'm watching Oprah and she is SOOOOO far removed from reality is rediculous!! I started TiVoing it since I've been working part time just so I can have something on in the background besides soap opras during the day.
She's a great woman, does great things...but sometimes she is such an idiot! The most recent example is a show she's doing on redecorating by swapping furniture with your neighbors/friends. She is going on and on and on about how they have no budge to work with and Nate (the decorating guy) is stressing otu about how hard it will be...so I'm thinking they can only use the stuff they swap with their friends. Nope...they have a $500 budget! They are seriously like "how on earth could you possibly redecorate for $500! Poor thing, that must have been hard...youa re the best decorater in the world if you can do that!" Seriously? I would have to make plans and work it into our budget to redecorate one room with $500. I mean, I know sofas and real furniture is expensive, but they SWAPPED that stuff! He was just buying drapes and accessorie stuff! And a direct quote from Oprah "Isn't it actually easier to decorate if you have an unlimited budget? I think it would be easier than having to limit yourself" - seriously Oprah?
A while ago she was on with some comedian - Tyler Perry maybe? And they were both making rediculous, snide comments about how their version of a "thank you" to a friend for doing something nice is buying them a Lexus. I've seen several times when she's done things like that, and I just think she is SO far removed from reality!
Sorry...just had to get that off my chest :) lol.

Busy busy busy!

2009-04-14T09:15:00.001-07:00

So I'm not sure I knew what I was getting myself into. The days have definitley been a mad dash to get everything done lately. I'm only doing an average of 2 sessions a week, but its taking everything I have to get them all done in a timely manner. But its worth it. I absolutley love what I'm doing. I just need to get up the nerve to quit my other part time job. I'm not good at goodbyes, and this one will be particularly difficult. So if anyone has any ideas on how to leave this job graciously, let me know! :) And, of course a picture. This is the adorable Reese, 10 days old. Mom and dad were champs - they stuck it out with me for over 3 hours!!

Butterflies!

2009-04-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

This is a totally random post...I just have to say how much I LOVE photography! I'm working on a session right now that I did last week with a 7 month old and my heart just jumps! I know I'm a total nerd, but whenever I get that feeling, I KNOW this is what I was meant to do in this life. I literally get butterflies and have to take a deep breath because I get so overwhelmed with feelings! I'm crazy right? lol.

A Weekend of Firsts

2009-03-31T05:51:00.000-07:00

...not sure how I feel about this. This weekend was full of milestones for our little Hailey. For the past few weeks she's been teething terribly! She has not been a happy girl. When I think of how it must feel to have those teeth poking through the gums, I cringe. We tried everything, but this poor baby was just miserable. So, finally over the weekend, not one but TWO teeth popped through the bottom gums! YAY! Relief!

Another milestone crossed - crawling. She's been attempting for a while now. Scooching around on her tummy, army crawling across the living room. But this weekend, we've officially got crawling. Is it too late to go back? Gone are the days of setting her down with some toys and going off to do anything...now she just follows. Don't get me wrong, its exciting and fun - its so amazing to watch her explore everything. She's so curious and everything is brand new to her. You should see the joy she gets out of playing with plastic spoons!

We had a request from grandma for some vertical (portrait) shots of Hailey. I guess all the pictures I take are mostly horizontal (landscape). So I figured it was a good time to get some 9 month shots in. I did not take into accound the crawling issue.Apparently its fun to play with mommy's camera :).Luckily Justin was there to help out - but she kept looking at him making crazy faces and not at me (or the camera).

And then she just got mad :).
And daddy had to tame the crazy beast!

But we finally got some decent shots.

I'm going through a kind of mourning here though, my days of spending hours photographing my beautiful baby girl are over :(. I'm going to have to live with shots of her crawling and grabbing at the camera. Sigh.

Little Miss Sunshine

2009-03-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it was GORGEOUS out here! I think it got up into the upper 70's - fantastic! I headed outside with Hailey to try something pretty different than what I usually do. She was so funny about the grass though! Last time it was warm enough to have her outside she wasn't even sitting up on her own...so we set her down on the grass and she didn't like it at all! :). We tried to get her to lay on her tummy and she was holding her arms out and up as far as she could to get away from the grass! it was pretty funny :). Poor girl.

Punko

2009-03-17T17:33:00.000-07:00

I was testing a set up in the living room for a 6 month who was coming to see me on Friday, but she ended up getting sick and couldn't make it :(. So we took pictures of Hailey instead :)

Very exciting news!!

2009-03-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what you think of this photo right here, but someone in Ohio sure does like it! I was contacted by a hospital in Columbus who is remodeling their mother/baby floor and they want to purchase it to use as artwork in the hallways!! How freakin cool is that?!?!

For those of you who haven't had babies, or haven't spent much time on the maternity floors of a hospital, they usually have huge prints of babies hanging in the hallways. So I am SO excited about this! I wish it was a hospital in our area, but I'll take Ohio :).

twins

2009-03-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

We had twins over last Saturday! They are both absolute angels! It was definitley a challenge though. These little guys just had their own agendas, but I think we got some awesome shots out of it! It was also my first try at the wraps I made and my first time using baskets. I learned a lot and can't wait for my next set of twins! If you know anyone...put them in touch with me ;)

The Good Son

2009-03-04T13:29:00.000-08:00

Well, last weekend I had a very important assignment. (Lets see how many of you can catch onto the sarcasm here :).
Last weekend was the first weekend we're going to be away from Hailey overnight. I was SO anxious it was rediculous...but that's not the point of this post. We went snowboarding with my brother, his girlfriend and a really good couple friend of ours. Now, my mother gave me strict orders to take some amazing portrait shots of my brother. Why? Because apparently she has "plenty" of pictures of me, Justin and Hailey...she also has "plenty" of pictures of my dear brother with me, Justin, Hailey, and his girlfriend. However, she informs me, she has no pictures of her son just by himself. And she'd really like some to show off. Some pictures of him snowboarding, hanging out, just pictures that really scream "JEFF"!
So I'm like...ok, sweet I can do this. I HATE snowboarding (it seriously scares the living daylights out of me) so I can get out of it for a while while I'm shooting my little bro. But, the thing is...I'm pretty sure my mom doesn't have ANY pictures of just me. Like she said, plenty of me with other people...but I know for a fact there are no pictures of me "doing my thing."
So its pretty bogus...I see who's the favorite in her eyes. Whatever. Its ok. I'm fine with it. Really. So here is our precious Jeffy-Pooh:

Needless to say, he was not so happy with me stalking him with the camera. What do you think of "Steve" as a name for my camera? I feel like it needs a name...and Steve seems pretty appropriate :)

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it was around 6:00 on Saturday morning and we hadn't eaten yet...Ah yes, that's it...after some yummy breakfast, he submits to the camera.I had to sit in the back behind the wonderful Jeff. And I was just fascinated by his hair. He's been growing it out since October, and this is the result:It's really for a good cause. He does this every year for St. Baldrick's - on Sunday he shaved his head to raise money for cancer research. He's such a good son isn't he?

So, off to snowboard. And I have to put in a disclaimer here...I actually had a really good time! I know...shocking. I think it helped that Ashleigh (below) and Kim (hmm..>I don't have an pics of them in here!) hadn't ever snowboarded before, so I got to hang out with them on the bunny hill. Fun times girls, fun times! But, that being said, I didn't get Steve out too much to play. He stayed in the car while I hurled myself down a mountain on a board. But, when it was time to go in for dinner, I managed to snap a few shots. Jeff, seriously...mom wants a good picture of you!Much better...thank you.So, while everyone else was inside warming up and getting some yummy bar food ("quesadilla's" that aren't really flat...their more roundish and fried...you mean taquitos?) The food was disgusting. Anyway, while everyone else was inside, I dragged my poor little brother around for his photo shoot. People, I cannot even begin to explain to you how annoyed he was. Poor thing was pretty embarassed. See what you did mom?! :) Just kidding...we love you.The next morning was rough for everyone. We were all pretty tired and sore...and the hair...it just took on a life of its own!

So there you go mom...the pictures are in the mail. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

We Have a Stander!!

2009-03-04T08:17:00.000-08:00

Over the past couple weeks, maybe even a month or two, Hailey's been much more interested in standing up. She loves it when we stand her up and she can play with some of her bigger toys. She's even started trying to pull herself up on the couch or some of her toys. But she just doesn't have the leg strength to get herself all the way up there without help.

Or so we thought! This morning as I was cleaning up the kitchen, I had Hailey playing with her Crawl and Cruise Jungle in the dining room. I had my back to her and was listening to her talk to all her toys...she seemed exceptionally happy and squealy. So, I turned around to say hi to her, and this is what I found!!!

She definitley pulled herself up all the way to a standing position!! Now, to those of you who don't have kids, I'm sure this seems like the most pointless post...but it is a huge milestone for her! It's just one more step towards being a big girl...and I'm not a huge fan of that :(.

Swim Class is Over

2009-03-04T05:44:00.000-08:00

Monday was the last swim class for Hailey. I was sad because she loved it so much! Now we have to wait for warmer weather to open our pool. She seriously had the best time in this pool - she's totally going to be a water baby. This photo is for grandma (aka: Gamma Babs). They had us dunk Hailey under the water (so of course Justin had to do it). When we brought her up from under the water, she made the funniest, surprised face ever! So, Grandma wanted a picture of that. They stressed the importance of not doing it too much. So, the first time we did it, the flash didn't go off. The second time we did it, the focus was off and this is what I got:

Not so great. So I had one last chance to get "the face" and this is what I ended up with:

It doesn't even come close to doing it justice...but since we dunked her 3 times in less than a minute, we had to stop. So this is as close as you're gonna get. :).

Bye bye swim class! We'll miss you!

I've been a busy girl!

2009-02-26T20:04:00.000-08:00

If you haven't noticed, I've been totally neglecting this blog :(. I'm sorry. I've been UBER busy! So far I've done 7 newborn sessions and I have tons more scheduled! Plus some of those people have referred me to others which has led to more inquiries! Justin's also getting questions from people he works with, so I'm thinking things aren't going to die down any time soon. Here are a few samples from the shoots from this past weekend (I did THREE!!!)

On another note, we're taking our first overnight trip away from Hailey :(. I'm definitley not thrilled about it. Justin and I are going snowboarding with our friends Kim & Caleb and my brother, Jeff and his girlfriend Ashleigh. Grandma and Grandpa Krager are coming to stay with the babes, so I know she'll be in good hands. It's just terribly stressful and daunting that I'm going away overnight...6 hours away no less! Plus...have I mentioned I HATE SNOWBOARDING?!? Ugh...definitley making sure the cooler's packed for this one, I'm going to need it.

Have a good weekend everyone!

birth announcement

2009-02-25T20:01:00.001-08:00

No, not me :) lol. I'm just putting this up here so I can access it at work tomorrow - ignore :).

Stupid blogspot!

2009-02-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

Grrrr....I have no idea why the pictures aren't showing up. I'm looking into though. It's super super annoying. Sorry guys!
Now, if these pictures will show up, you'll see Hailey all snuggled with her cat that her favorite uncle Jeff (uncie Jeffie Pooh to those of you in the know :). This is seriously her favorite thing ever. You should see her face when she sees it. I'll have to try to capture that sometime. Don't mind the crapiness of this shot - it was with my point and shoot camera.

But Hailey's all snuggled up because she's sick :(. We found out today that she has a double ear infection and RSV again (basically just a bad cough - they call it bronchiolitis). Now, don't get me wrong...I hate that our baby girl is sick. She's just been miserable since Thursday night. But she has been SOOOO snuggly its not even funny! Yesterday she wanted to be held all day. So we snuggled on the couch literally all day. She slept all but 4 hours probably. It was so nice to have a little snuggle bug! She's doing better today. And you'll be glad to know that I just forced myself to let her sleep in her crib instead of holding her. I don't want to get into the habit of holding her to sleep...as nice as it is.
Hope you can see the pictures!

Take My Breath Away

2009-02-04T19:39:00.001-08:00

Sigh...this girl takes my breath away...

Happy Early Valentine's Day!

2009-02-04T06:46:00.000-08:00

...or Valentime's day if you're a certain friend of mine :). Well, I figured its been too long since the last post, so I gotta give you something. I haven't taken too many pictures of Hailey recently because she's TEETHING!!! :( I completely underestimated the intensity of this experience.

Swim class is going great...Hailey really loves the water :). Last week Justin dunked her under. Luckily, I wasn't there, or I would have freaked. I had the flu so I stayed home. I got to witness the dunking this week though, and I just couldn't do it. Hailey really didn't seem to mind though. Maybe next week I'll get a shot of the face she makes when she comes up :) It's priceless! And we'll end this post with some Valentine's pictures. I want to re-do them because she was obviously not happy with me taking her picture. So when the teeth break through we'll try it again when we can get some better lighting and a happier baby!

Daddy to the rescue -->

And She's Off!

2009-01-25T18:59:00.001-08:00

I don't know why, but Justin is obsessed with getting Hailey to crawl. He's been working on it since Thanksgiving, seriously. Why...I have no clue. She's my little baby and I don't want her to grow up any faster than she already is!

But...today she actually propped herself up on her hands and knees...granted it was only a few seconds, but she was still up there.

But then she got distracted... And down she went!

But I'm pretty sure she was ok with it because she laid like this for a few seconds and then got distracted by a toy :).

As Mary Jane so wonderfully pointed out yesterday...she's going to be ONE YEAR OLD in ony 4 months!!! I better start planning her bday party! :)

The future POTUS?

2009-01-20T16:11:00.000-08:00

One thing I hate about being home during the day is daytime television. And I can't hang out around the house without the TV on...I just need something on for background noise. So I'm folding laundry, watching the inauguration and all of a sudden I see this:

I think its a pretty cool shot. It's something that she can learn about when she's older...and a pretty cool way to document history. Whether you voted for him or not, you gotta admit this was a historical event.

Poop Face

2009-01-20T14:08:00.001-08:00

You know that adorable little face babies make when they're pooping? Well, ok so maybe its only adorable to the parents :)...but come on...how cute is this?!!?

Hailey had her second swim class last night and she had a blast! At the end of the class they brought out the "tot dock" which was some kind of PVC creation with a pole down the middle that went in the pool and all the babies could stand on and hang onto the pole. Hailey was hilarious on this thing! Those of you that have been privelaged enough to hear Hailey's adorable little laugh (aka squeal?) will appreciate how funny it was. She was laughing (squealing) the WHOLE time they were on there! She'd look at another baby and squeal, then she'd look at us and squeal, then she'd splash and squeal...it was really adorable :). She was the only one laughing (except all the parents of course) and it was echo-y because of the room. We had a blast...I can't wait for next week!!

Water baby!!

2009-01-14T08:56:00.000-08:00

I am reluctantly adding pictures to this post. Yes, I know Hailey is 7 months old already...but I still have "baby weight"...at least that's what we'll call it :). But Justin and I are on a mission to get healthier and we're working on it....that's all I have to say about that :). Oh, and please ignore the pastyness...I'm Polish, I can't help it.

Anyway, swim class was AWESOME! Hailey had a great time and so did Justin and I. She loved the water, loved splashing around and drinking the water (don't worry, we didn't encourage it :). We all had a blast. We were there with another family, the other dietitian I work with. Her little guy is just 2 weeks younger than Hailey. They got introduced and tried to grab each other's faces...it was great. He didn't have such a great time though. They had to get out early because he was getting uber fussy. I think he's teething, poor thing. No dunking under water this week though...maybe that's coming next week? All I know is that Justin is in charge of that little exercise. I'll let you know how it goes!

Oprah says...

2009-01-11T16:50:00.000-08:00

Oprah says that for your new years resolution (to be healthier) you should pick three things that you are NOT going to buy anymore...and since everyone knows Oprah knows all...here are my three things:

1. Cheetos...they are my weakness! No more Cheetos.

2. POP!!! When I was pregnant I would get super nauseous in the mornings when I woke up. And believe it or not, pop would settle my stomach. And now that Hailey's 7 months old, its time to give it up :). So no more pop!

3. The third one is cookie dough. I am OBSESSED with the Nestle Toll House cookie dough! We always buy it with very honest intentions to make cookies....the cookies never get made. So no more cookie dough!

Now, if any of you see me with any of these three things, feel free to smack me :).

And, because every post needs a cute Hailey picture...Justin is introducing her to baseball already. I'm sure this girl will play softball...Justin will see to that :).

That's all for now...cheers!

Our little snuggle bug

2009-01-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I know all the pictures/posts so far have been of Hailey...but come on, she's our lives right now :). Tomorrow I promise pictures of something other than our adorable little baby girl. But why you would want to look at anything other than her...I have no idea :). Anyway...she's becoming such a little snuggle bug! This is now a common pose for her. I *think* we did a good thing...we taught her to fall asleep on her own in her crib. No rocking or feeding neccessary. However, she never likes to snuggle! As soon as you pull her close to give her a big hug she's pulling back because she wants to go play :(. But lately, we've been treated to this precious little snuggler and I am SO greatful! :)

Oh! Also, we signed up for SWIM classes today!!! We start on Monday and all three of us are going. I can't wait to see my little girl in a cute little swim suit! Justin's going to have to do the whole under water thing though...I don't think I can handle that. Now...who sells baby swim suits in January?

She's getting so big!

2009-01-06T19:50:00.000-08:00

My beautiful little girl is getting so big! She'll be 7 months old on Friday. How on earth did that happen!? I think the introduction to the sippy cup was a little overdue on my part...but I just didn't want my baby to be able to use one yet...she's still a baby for Pete's sake! But, I finally gave in and gave her the sippy cup...now she loves it. At least it keeps her pretty happy. But I seriously don't know where time goes...I feel like just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital, and she was so little! Now she's growin up and pretty soon she'll be going to school, then going on dates, then going to COLLEGE!!! Dear Lord...I need a drink! :) Or I need to knit. My new obsession. I am literally obsessed. I am trying to make fun beautiful little props for newborn photography...so far its going slow :). But it gives me something to do...like I need anything else to do! That's it for now...I need to get some sleep. Goodnight.

Introducing...

2009-01-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

Now, I am nowhere even a little close to doing photography professionally....my goal is to start sometime this summer or early fall. But, when that time finally comes, I think I've come up with a name!!! I just thought of it, so it has to soak in a little bit...I'm pretty sure I want to focus on baby photography....so I LOVE the name Baby Cakes!!! However, I'm fairly certain there will be times when I'll want to photograph something else (families, weddings, seniors, couples, etc...) so I didn't want that name to limit me...so I'm going to call my "business" Anastasia Marie Photography with Baby Cakes as a division of childrens photography! Ah! I love it! :). Now I need to work on a logo...hmmmm....

Happy New Year

2009-01-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

It's a new year and a fresh new start. WIth the new year, I thought it would be a good time to start this blog. Lately I've been obsessed with other people's blogs (photography blogs mostly) and noticed that a lot of people use them to just chronicle their daily life. So this blog will be a way to record our lives. I think I've made a decision...I know, shocking. I'm not happy with my current job (RD with the eating disorders program at OSF). I AM happy taking pictures. After almost 10 years of LOVING photography, I think I'm finally going to do something about it. So in the next few months I will be torturing my friends and family with my camera in an attempt to get some practice in to see if I'm any good...so we'll see where it goes!
In the meantime, enjoy some of our Christmas pictures...

(Note: pictures deleted because I think I was taking up too much space!)