Today you are one year old. 

One hundred generic statements are coursing through my mind, because each one, in it’s own silly way, encapsulates the way I am feeling today. Among them, the most prominent is ”How did the time fly by so quickly?”  Everyone told me to cherish your baby days because the time would inevitably speed by and you would never be this little again.

Well, as much as I followed their advice and cherished this first year of your life, I’m still not quite ready to let it go. 

One year ago today, your daddy and I welcomed you into this crazy world with excitement, wonder, a little anxiety, a lot of expectation - and on my part, a good deal of pain

We wondered what life would be like now that we’d gone from a family of two to a family of three. We wondered what would change, what would remain the same. We wondered what you would look like, who you would resemble. We wondered what personality you’d display for us, and what would make you happy, sad, angry, and excited. 

And this past year we have stood by and watched as all of our unanswered questions transpired into deep, exciting, fresh knowledge for us.

We have fallen in love with you.

We have embraced your little God-given personality and all of your passion. We could not be more smitten with you, sweet pea. You are a gift from God, and we are so thrilled that he has chosen us to be the ones to spend a lifetime with you. 

Today you are only one year old. But it’s been a year FULL of learning, growing, loving, and becoming a new, redefined family. We are praying for many, many more years to enjoy you, little ‘Lana. We want to be here for you no matter what life brings your way. We want to encourage, protect, nurture and teach you. 

Happy, happy FIRST birthday, sweetie. We love you more than words can say. 

Love, 
Mommy 

And in honor of Alana’s birthday today, I wanted to post my very first photo shoot outing with Rich. He took me out with the intention of working on some particular skills I’d been learning, and we had a blast. I am so excited to be learning under him, and our first session went very well…albeit overwhelming.

While I have so much to learn, this time we only worked on backfocusing and utilizing the light (rather than figting against it) and I worked on my stance while using the 70-200 mm lens…which is SO heavy and can easily leave your sore and hurting the next day if you don’t learn how to hold it properly. I worked just a bit on zooming but didn’t do too much in that realm. I also tried to focus a bit on composition, but again, didn’t want to get too overwhelmed on my first official outing! I’ve had lessons before on depth of field, so it was fun to actually put my knowledge into practice with an aperture of 2.8. 

Here are our favorites, and please check out the slideshow below for more! Rich and I alternated taking shots of each other with Alana (so it will be obvious who took each photo), while the shots of Alana by herself were all taken by me. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This following sequence was taken by Rich…it was Alana’s very first time in a swing, and you’ll see how much it terrified her! 

 

 

 

 

And so, here is the slideshow of my first photoshoot! Turn up your speakers and enjoy!

We didn’t do much since Alana was sick, so we just enjoyed staying home and welcoming adorable little trick-or-treaters. In the meantime, we put Alana in her little bear outfit, stuck her in the backyard, and snapped a few photos before putting her to bed for the night. 

These were the resulting images, and I adore them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will try to catch up, but goodness, we are a bit crazed around here. There hasn’t been a dull moment, to be sure. So, until I have a few minutes sometime soon…

It’s a Moms with Cameras Workshop! Check out her blog here for more details! The workshop is sure to be super informative, fun, and enjoyable. Having been to one of Amber’s workshops before, I can urge you with complete confidence that it will be WELL worth your time and investment!

So don’t waste any time! Go, sign up, and I will see you there next month!!!

Tim and Steph threw a huge fall bash and named it the “Fear Not” Party, based on what Jesus promises in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you.” 

Steph managed to rally, well, I don’t even know how many people, to execute her vision for a huge bash in their backyard for all of their friends’ kids! There were booths with games and prizes, cotton candy, popcorn and treats, a bounce house, and more. It was a blast, and even though Alana isn’t quite old enough to fully enjoy the fesivities, we enjoyed the beautiful weather and socialized with dear friends. 

Thank you SO much to the lovely Kristy for the following several photos!

Sadly, Rich could not be there since he had an engagement session. We missed him SO much!

As last week, Alana was again a little ballerina (No, I was not about to buy more than one costume in one year And yes, I am frugal. I got the little tu-tu at Target for $10 and already had the long sleeved pink onesie and little pink tights. And since the 12-month sized tu-tu was literally TWICE the size of her waist, (secured with a safety pin) I’m thinking it’ll serve us well next year too!

 

Alana wasn’t feeling great; she’d been sick for the past couple of days, and still seemed a bit tired and a little serious! 

 

Alana and I along with the sweet and beautiful Kristy and Lily Kate. 

 

Sharing grass…so cute!

 

 

 

 

I was happy to spend some quality time with my dear friend Naomi while enjoying the shaded porch. As per my request, Alana gave (Naomi’s son) Ethan a big hug…

 

And he decided to return the favor by smothering her…

 

And then Kristy and I had a little fun at Alana’s expense! Our friend Brad had ditched his silly wig near where we were sitting, and we just had to put it on her…

 

Thanks to Kristy’s lightening fast reflexes, she grabbed this photo in the .05 seconds before Alana yanked it off her head. It took a few tries, but we succeeded. Ha. 

Thank you so much to Tim and Steph for having us! We had a blast, and I have a hunch that the party will be in demand again for next year! Do I sense a new fall tradition???

Just 30 square miles and a mere 40,000 residents but boasting more than the average city. It sits in the middle of the state, about 2 hours driving from here in Chattanooga…

…and it might just be my favorite place I’ve visited in this country. 

The reason for our second visit to Franklin? Our dear friends, The Hickling Family. I knew them from my years living in Fort Lauderdale, and then happily reunited with them as they moved briefly to Chattanooga before settling in Franklin. 

Franklin, I think I’ve mentioned before on my blog, is wonderful for a multitude of reasons. It’s family friendly. It seems every neighborhood proudly displays it’s own lovely park and playground. Everywhere you look is gorgeous; there is simultaneous natural beauty along with resident-prioritized care and cultivation. You can tell that people take pride in where they live. There is no litter, every lawn and green expanse is neatly manicured and tediously cared for. Churches abound, and the people are kind. The shopping is unique. The list of notable residents is ultra impressive. The developed areas peacefully coexist with the untouched fields and meadows. It’s just a little utopia right here in Tennessee! 

Dan and Becky invited us to join them for a Fall Festival, and boy, did I underestimate the kind of gathering this town could produce!

Rich, Alana and I arrived at the Hicklings on Saturday morning, just in time to head downtown for the fun. And there it was: all of downtown had been converted into a kid-with-parent-trick-or-treating-bounce-house extravaganza. We saw every Halloween costume ever invented, being sported by miniature people of all shapes and sizes. So cute! 

Alana went as a little ballerina, and somehow we failed to get a good full-body photo of her sitting on the floor with her poofy tu-tu. Just looking at her little eleven-month-old ballerina self made me deliriously happy. 

Apparently, she was happy, too: 

 

 

My wonderful, amazing little family. Ah, I am smitten. By both of them. 

 

I took the following few photos of my man and my little bitty. I used his awesome camera, but of course, I cannot take credit for these fully, since Rich had the settings already programmed for me. I tell you, the more I know about photography, the more I realize how MUCH I have to learn. It’s a complex combination of an artistic eye and a thorough understanding of the science and technicality of the camera and lens. I refuse to be one of the thousands who claim to know more about photography than I do

Nonetheless, I think I captured a few special daddy-daughter moments: 

Snuggles. 

 

Nuzzles. 

 

Cuddles. 

 

Sleepiness. 

 

Little Danny was adorable, and here, had just enjoyed sliding down a big bouncy yellow thing! 

 

Lauren was a good sport and went as hannah montana, even though they don’t really watch it at their house. She looked so cute, and enjoyed the trick-or-treating too! 

 

Alas, the weekend went by much too quickly, and we said our goodbyes and meandered back to Chattanooga, not so eager for the workweek to start just yet! 

 

Dan and Becky, thank you once again, so very much, for having us at your lovely home and all of the great laughs and chats. We loved it! 

 

 

Rich and Jeff go WAY back, and have been through all kinds of life circumstances together. Stories abound when the two of them are together, and there is never a dull moment.

And so, it was only fitting for Rich to meet Jeff’s new little baby girl as he became a father for the first time!

 

Congratulations, Jeff and Amber, on your healthy, precious, and beautiful princess! We love you!  

As my blog readers know, we have enjoyed a baby’s first year package with the fabulously talented Amber Holritz, baby lifestyle photographer extraordinaire. 

We’ve had five sessions so far: When Alana was a newborn at just two weeks old, six weeks, six months, eight months, ten months, and our sixth and final session will be at Alana’s first birthday.

So after our last session, I didn’t expect any photographs until the first birthday party next month. But happily, Amber asked if we would be willing to model for her first ever Baby Tag-A-Long session!

Shelby, a beautiful and sweet beginning photographer, had decided she wanted a mentoring Tag-A-Long session with Amber, which would include a meeting prior to the photo shoot, the actual session at our home, shooting in tandem with Amber, and then a meeting afterwards for post-processing and blogging. 

When Amber asked if we’d be interested in this opportunity, I thought for about, oh, maybe one-millionth of a second and then said yes (all while jumping up and down). 

And so, yesterday Shelby and Amber showed up at noon for an hour of mentoring, shooting, laughing, and, ultimately, producing stellar images!

Below are just a few of my favorites (it was PAINFUL selecting just a few) but be sure to head over to Holritz Photography to see more and enjoy not just one, but TWO amazing slideshows!

Amber documented Shelby in action: 

  

 

 

And these a few of the resulting images from Shelby! We love them! 

 

family time!

 

This is what happens to my hair 80 times a day. But still, I refuse to cut it! Rich and I both like it long. 

 

Sweet baby face: 

 

Walking practice!

 

Kissable toes: 

 

Um, ya. Her smile melts us. 

 

Simultaneously with mentoring and coaching, Amber managed to do quite a bit of shooting! I don’t know how she does it all do well, but here are some of my favorites by Amber: 

 

Clapping!

We like to sit on the living room floor and play together:

 

Alana loves to play with my coasters, and here, she is excitedly showing one to us: 

 

Sticking tongues out!

 

I’m not entirely sure why I am laughing and she’s so serious here, but I thought it was a nice contrast. 

She understands the word “hug” now, so when I hand her a doll or toy and say that word, she immediately hugs…so cute! 

 

Silly moment: 

Sweet moment (best daddy in the world): 

And of course, the self-portrait!

 

Amber and Shelby, thank you for the amazing fun and the authentic moments that you have captured for us! We love you girls! 

Thanks so much to Garrett and Joy for the photos below! 

 

 

The new studio is complete with a fabulous photo booth, in which we all had WAY too much fun! I think there are many more photos coming, but here are a few just for fun! 

Me along with the amazing Amber Holritz and Melody Hood…

 

The adorable and talented David Smith…

 

The sweet and gifted Chris and Katie Torres…

 

Our new friends, Sticky and Brandi Rammel…

 

And some more new friends, Sean and Melanie McLellan…

 

And here are the Nudds, Holritz’s, and the Neison’s...

 

 

Dinner with Nathan and Amber…

 

Garrett and Joy, thank you again for having us! We thoroughly enjoyed seeing your new location, and are so thankful to know you! 

 

Here, Alana is very concerned about which of her 3 pacifiers she should employ. I usually have one in her crib and the other two in the diaper bag, but she recently discovered them and now she knows where I keep them. So, she empties the diaper bag in search of them, and even knows how to throw the plastic cases on the floor to crack them open. She faces a serious dilemma when she has one in her mouth and comes across the other two. She actually sits there and switches every few seconds. It is hilarious, and I really need to get it on video!

Here she is, deliberating…

 

I’ve talked about how Alana actually enjoys lemon, so I decided to let her try a pickle recently at Panera Bread. She loved it! So, below is her first encounter with a pickle, and she ate mostly all of it!

 

She also managed to get her first mosquito bite last week! So sad! It got very large and red, and is going away SO slowly! Mean, bad mosquito! 

 

Alana hanging out around the house…

  

 

Last week, Rich’s great aunt came in town for the weekend, and we all had a wonderful time seeing her for the first time in several years! Thursday night was a special time, as we had a girls night out making holiday centerpieces! Here I am with my mother-in-law Paula, sister-in-law Susan, and niece, Alex! 

 

And here is the lovely, sweet, and hilarious Aunt Gerri! 

 

We had a few more family get togethers while Aunt Gerri was in town, and here is Alana with her cousins Jake and Ben! 

 

Then on Sunday evening we enjoyed a going away dinner party for our friend Apryl, who is moving to California!

A little mommy-Alana time! 

 

Family fun! 

 

Goodbye for now, Apryl! We will be praying for you, we are excited for you, but we will miss you! See you soon!

 

If you need to de-stress and kill a few brain cells in the process, please check out out these two videos by clicking on the photos: They are different, so you must watch both

 

 

I hope you’ve been entertained and enlightened. Have a fun week everyone