Anyway, I met up with Gavin and his parents in Rockford last weekend.  The last time you saw this little dude was when he was 3 months old.  He is now an adorable little one year old with sparkly blue eyes, a sweet smile, and a head full of soft curls.

Ben and Jen, I can’t thank you enough for having me out to capture this little one as he reaches a big milestone.  Enjoy!

Hey, look!  A cute baby.

Anyway, for a few years now I have had the personal goal to run a 5k in 30 minutes.  Now, to some of you that may seem like a pretty weak goal, but we all start somewhere, right?  I was super close to attaining that goal the summer of 2009 and then I found out I was pregnant with Katie (yay!) and, well, it was sort of all downhill from there on the running front.  No biggie though.  Because now, here I am, with 2 amazing and gorgeous children and I’m ready to rock.

Speaking of children, how beautiful is she?

It occurred to me that since 30 is not too far off (less than 5 months), I should probably start seriously thinking about my running goal.  So I put together a training plan, chose a race, and hit the pavement for my first run tonight.

It.was.AWESOME. Considering it’s been roughly 2 years and 8 months since my last run, I was only planning to walk  for 30 mins.  I quickly decided I’d be bored and instead ran 1 minute and walked 2 minutes for 30 min.  When I ran, I felt like a gazelle.  I’m certain I looked like one, too… :snort:  In all seriousness though, I’m sure it helped that I weigh roughly 25 pounds less than I did at my last run.  So yeah, it was good times.

In other news, I got a sewing machine.  You could say it’s my Mother’s Day / Birthday gift for this year.  The only thing I can’t figure out is, why in the heck did I wait so long to get one?  Why?!  I love it.  And I have been obsessively using it since it arrived at my doorstep.  This one I made especially for Phil <3

I suppose that’s probably enough rambling for one night.

That is one awesome grammy, right there!

The beautiful, brand new, baby girl of  Jess and Joe.

She is such a teeny little girl, born at 6lbs 9oz, I couldn’t believe how light she felt!  Of course, I’m used to my large babies (8lb 12oz and 9lb 9oz), but she was so delightful to hold.  And the little doll slept the entire time!

I love the image of mom and dad holding their precious new little one.

And I totally have sheet envy.

Nothing like those first days with your first born.  These are moments a mother will cherish forever.  Congratulations, you two.  You have a gorgeous little girl and I am honored to have captured a few moments of you with her.

Growing up my mom always cooked from scratch – nothing was artificially processed. It was delicious and healthy! Then I went to college, got married, had kids and slowly, but surely I chipped away at what I know to be healthy and somehow became a part of our Fast Food Nation. It makes me sad, but more than that it makes my body unhealthy.

Well, the other day Phil remarked to me that he probably needed more fiber in his diet. Knowing what the two of us eat, I can attest to it’s likely truth. So I started to do some research and found a wonderful blog called 100 Days of Real Food. This is a priceless Real/Whole Foods resource owned by mom Lisa Leake. She has a 14 week challenge to put your family on a Real Foods diet. I thought it sounded like fun, so I (miraculously) got Phil on board and away we go!

Week 1 is to add 2 fruits and/or vegetables to each meal. I’ve had fun finding ways to incorporate fruits and veggies into meals, rather than just eating them as they are. Smoothies have been a big hit with everyone in the house, especially Katie.

We only started Sunday, but so far I love the direction we are going with our diet and our health. I can’t wait to share more with next weeks challenge!

He’s a chatty little fellow.

And his big, blue eyes just make me melt.

Oh, and an extra couple of Kate because she was standing there being cute.

How sweet is she, sporting her new pigtails.  Ahhh, they slay me!

You may also note that I added some new photo templates in here.  I’m really happy with how these turned out. I hope you enjoy these little changes I am making!

Also, you may have noticed I’m trying a new layout.  I can already see some tweaking that needs to be done, but overall I’m pleased with the new concept.  I can fit more photos into less space which means quicker load times.  Another yay!

We had a hard time getting smiles out of Evan, but it was nothing a quick toss on the couch couldn’t cure!

Mmm, shark crackers!

We ended the session with a quick trip outdoors with a wee bit of crunchy snow.  Good thing, too, because Evan loved it!  For a few minutes anyway!

Thank you again, Rachel and Matt, for allowing me to photograph Evan.  You are such a wonderful little family and I’ve loved watching Evan grow!

We met in Rockford on a chilly, foggy afternoon. I was a bit nervous about lighting, but it was gorgeous. The fog made for some buttery smooth lighting and I was in love!

Brian and Emily brought along their puppy, Sam.

He’s a sweet “little” guy!

Oooo, look at that bling!  Love this shot.

Love the chemistry of these two.

Just in case you forgot how gorgeous that diamond is…

Definitely my favorite of the afternoon.

Thanks for spending the afternoon with me you two!  I can’t wait to talk with you more about your big day this summer.