The K Family ~ Ashford Family Photographer

On Sunday afternoon, I had the chance to get together with the K family for some family photos. The weather cooperated (it was foggy and chilly that morning!) and it was a beautiful sunny and fairly warm afternoon for some family photos! Shannon was our doula for Adi's birth (if you're in need of a good doula, check out her website or let me know and I'll get you in touch with her -- she's AWESOME) and she and her family have become good friends of ours. One thing I love about Connecticut is that there is no shortage of fun places to take a family photo. Both of these places are right down the road from my house! Here are a few of my favorites:

I know this one isn't a "typical" good photo, but I love how each of the kids is doing something a little different and showing a bit of their own personality... So true of a large family! :) 

Adi, Week by Week

So I'm completely stealing this idea from John and Sherry over at Young House Love (whose blog is awesome, so if you haven't been reading it, check it out. It's a mix of DIY, life, and craziness that's just wonderful).  Anyways, the idea is this: weekly pictures of Adi, to show how much she's changing from week to week. Hopefully, it'll be fun and a great way to remember all those silly faces and general goofiness.  Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Here's to hoping I can keep up with it for a whole year...

I actually debated skipping our week one photo. Let's just say between a very tired mommy photographer and an Adi baby that was not at all thrilled about ever being on her back that this didn't go nearly as planned. But in the spirit of remembering what that first week was like, I'm including it. Afterall, she was only a week old and I've never been a mommy before... So here's week one:

Week two went a little better (ah, yes, you can just hear me saying "SO big" in my best mommy voice, can't you?)

And here's week three! Hopefully I'll get a little better about getting these up more quickly, and it won't be sporadic posts of "Oh hey, here's what she has looked like the past few weeks." :)

How Pinteresting...

Because I'm stuck on bedrest, some things I'm loving on Pinterest lately:

Because I'm a dork. (From here)

Fall prettiness. (From here)

Yummy pumpkin pie bites. (From here)

To remind me to capture the details. (From here)

Yup. It's pretty random. And that's okay. :)

PS -- Pinteresting is totally Jared's word. And I totally stole it... :)

A Nursery Update

Blogger is telling me that my last post was August 10th... In some ways, I'm not at all sure how that can be true, and it others, I can't believe it's only been that long since I've posted.  Meatball is still cooking (haha, bad pun, I know) but should be arriving sometime in the next week. She is, afterall, due on Sunday (the 25th).  I honestly don't know how much I'll be posting after she's born, since I have no doubt that my life and schedule are going to be turned completely upside-down. But I thought I'd give you all a peek at her nursery before she arrives. If you're friends with me on Facebook, you've probably already seen these pictures. If not, enjoy! And I've put down where we purchased things, too, in case anyone is interested.

First, remember where we started:

 

Then we painted:

Then, we put together the crib and changing table (and are still married, haha!) and, during the three days we were without power due to Hurricane Irene, we put up this wonderful tree we got on Etsy:

Don't mind the red things sticking out from under the crib. It's a jumper seat that Meatball won't be using for awhile, and under the crib seemed like a good storage place for now!

We put up chinese lanterns over the naked light bulbs (one is purple, the one near her crib is white). We also added insulated, light blocking brown curtains to the windows, and cute brown baskets to the changing table (one of which was part of a baby shower gift and matched perfectly!).  The rocking horse, small cradle and it's accompanying toys were all gifts. :)

We're so happy with the way everything has come together. It's not quite finished yet (you're not seeing the other wall because of that... maybe soon!), but it's looking much more like a nursery now!

Where we got things:

Crib: Graco Lauren in white, from Target

Changing table: South Shore, from Walmart

Hamper, mobile, crib sheet, crib skirt: Tiddliwinks Batik Butterfly collection, from Target

Baskets: Target

Flowering Tree: SurfaceInspired, Etsy

  

Strength

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Phillipians 4:13

Henry ~ Ashford Baby Photographer

Let me introduce you to Henry. Henry is a VERY serious little man, not to be taken lightly. He's also my newest nephew and now that we've moved, he and his big sister live just an hour from us which means we get to see them much more than before! While we were visiting last weekend, Henry and I had a mini-photo shoot. He's two months old now, and has the most serious expressions! Enjoy this little bit of cuteness!

This is the closest thing I got to a smile (the WHOLE DAY...). :) 

This is my favorite shot. I love his big eyes!! 

Nursery Update

Remember that "to-do" list I had for the nursery?  It went something like this:

1. Paint
2. Crib and changing table
3. Wall art
4. Lighting
5. Rug
6. Organize clothes/toys

Number one has (mostly) been crossed off of the list, as of last night. Here's what we started with:

The original color of the nursery was a mustardy yellow that looked perpetually dirty. Not only is yellow really not my thing, but this particular shade was just too much for me. Not to mention that at certain times of the day it looks like it has green undertones. No, thank you! Oh, and the light you see there? That's natural, from the windows on the other side of the room.

Here's another "before" shot. I do love this little built-in bookshelf on the wall.  It took two coats of primer to cover up the yellow paint:

We didn't tape off the windowsills or baseboard, because I plan on painting that as well. The finish on it is not great and is peeling in some places. In others, it just has a bad paint job! A coat of primer and a coat of glossy white paint will freshen it up. 

We had three options when it came to what color to paint the walls. We knew we wanted a light blue, so I picked three colors, each a little different, and got samplers. (Side note: how awesome is it that you can get little samples of the colors you want to try? So much better than taping up a little piece of paper on the wall). Here are the options:

We went with the color on the far left (Cloud Nine, from Olympic). We stuck with the Olympic Premium paint because it (and their primer) is zero VOC -- better for me and Meatball! I was very impressed with both - they both went on well and there was ZERO odor from painting. Anyways, back to the colors. The middle color (Blue Booties) was a little to bright for what we wanted (after all, we're not deluding ourselves that Meatball is a boy here) and the one on the right (Elegant something, can't remember!) was a little too grey.

So then we painted... in the wonderful heat that has sprung up here in CT. And it looks wonderful! We left the trim around the ceiling white (we had to prime it -- it had been yellow as well) and of course the windowsills and remainder of the trim will be repainted.

View into the back corner.

The little bookshelf and our temporary storage area!

You can see now where all the light on the back wall comes from! The room has seven (!) windows total. I'm not sure what I'm going to use for curtains yet -- I was thinking maybe something purple, or brown to block out the sun for nap time. 

The next project? Lighting... We actually already have a bit of a start on that and plans to finish it this weekend while Dad is here to help Jared with the wiring, etc. Why do we want new lights? Well, this is what was in the nursery:

Yes, it's rather retro. But Jared was hitting his head on it all the time, not to mention hitting his head on the other one which hung even lower. So they'll be replaced, hopefully this weekend! More pictures soon!

Mystic

It's been a busy few weeks here, getting everything moved into the house and a trip to PA for the twin's first birthday party. So with our anniversary this past weekend, Jared and I decided to take a break from house things and head to Mystic Seaport on Saturday. Neither of us had ever been there, so we didn't know what to expect, but figured we'd have fun one way or another! 

Jared's always interested in old things -- ships, planes, you name it. Hey, for part of our honeymoon a few years ago we spent a good day inside the Air and Space Museum in D.C. AND went to the hangar at Dulles to see all of the old planes. How romantic, right? In all honesty, I kinda like that stuff too, so it was completely fine with me (but don't tell him -- I still pick on him about how we're just one step up from his parents, who went to a local military museum for their honeymoon. And to be completely honest, we had ulterior motives for going to D.C. on ours -- mainly to pick up a washer and dryer for our new place from his cousin!).  

Anyways, the seaport was fun! It was bigger than I expected -- a whole little town complete with a blacksmith, grocer, schoolhouse, etc. The neat thing about the seaport, though, is the ships. There are a number of historic wooden ships that are docked at the seaport and have been/are being restored by the museum. As much of the repairs as possible are done the original way -- the metal work is done in the blacksmith's shop, the wood working is done on site, etc. It's pretty amazing!

Okay, enough chatter about (what you probably think are boring) old things. Here are some of the fun photos from the day:

What? So I couldn't resist a photo of the horse... There were carriage rides around the museum grounds all day  -- this guy was on his break.

This is the keel of an old ship in part of the museum. I couldn't get over how many nails there were in this piece of wood!

The outside of the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaling ship in the world. It's currently being restored at the museum. 

Part of the mast on the Amistad. I don't really know what these wooden rings are used for, but they looked cool. :)

Rope! Rope all over! 

Okay, that's all of the pretty pictures you get for today. Maybe soon I'll have some fun shots from the areas around our house. :)

Just an update...

We've been in Connecticut for almost two weeks now... it's not quite feeling like home yet, but it's definitely starting to grow on me. :)  Most everything is unpacked, now I'm just in the arrange/rearrange/re-rearrange state of things, trying to find out where things fit in this new house. Oh, and planning for Miss Meatball's nursery! We have some pretty definite ideas thanks to a brainstorming session with the ever fabulous Wendy a few weeks (or months? really, has it been that long?) ago. We've got a lot to do, so here's the run-down of the short list:

• Paint. Definitely the first thing on the list, as the walls are a rather terrible yellowish color right now. Not only is yellow not my favorite color in the world, but this is a dirty, mustardy type yellow that just looks like my dog threw up something nasty. (maybe I should have put a disclaimer -- don't read while eating lunch?) We have a general color in mind but haven't picked out anything specific yet.
• Purchase/assemble crib and dresser/changing table. We're getting these from Ikea, so assembly is definitely required. The bonus is that we've already decided which we're getting. I would, however, like to make a crib skirt but that requires finding the right fabric (which requires deciding on a paint color).
• Purchase wall art. We have some picked out, but not purchased. I also have a few things already, including a cross stitch done by Jared's mom, a print given to me years ago that has been living in my cedar chest, and a secret piece of art that won't be revealed for awhile. :)
• Figure out a lighting solution. There are currently two lights hanging from the ceiling, but they're rather old and dingy (and not in the cool retro way for a nursery). My initial idea was some paper lanterns, but the ceiling is a bit low so I may have to rethink that, unless I want Jared smacking his head into them every time he bends over the crib.
• Find a small rug. I'm thinking something white and semi-shaggy to help pad the hardwood floor for the Meatball.
• Wash/organize clothing and toys. Meatball's friends and family have already been overwhelmingly generous, so we have a serious amount of clothing to organize and some toys that need homes. (Seriously, I never realized having a baby meant that you "needed" all of this STUFF.) I'm still considering ways to do this. We have some closet space that can be used (maybe some baskets?) and some dresser space. I saw a fabulous idea for dividing up dresser drawers here, which may be useful at some point too. As she mentions, I can just imagine trying to dig through a big pile of clothes in the middle of the night trying to find something that's the right size, all while Meatball is crying and waking the whole neighborhood (well, the skunks and bunnies) up.

Okay, that's enough non-photography business for today, I suppose. Although you can't say I didn't warn you that this blog was most likely going to take a turn towards the personal. :) What can I say? Life is changing, and Sarah Reed Photography is adapting along with it. I will, however, leave you with a pretty picture. And hopefully after this weekend (and a trip to Mystic Seaport) I'll have lots of fun photos to put up.

From here

Packing and other musings

I've been packing. And purging. And packing some more. And donating. And cleaning (well, kinda). And packing some more. The walls are now mostly bare. The closets are empty except for the clothes we'll wear the next two weeks (is there any good way to pack hangers without ending up with a complete tangled mess???). The bookshelf is bookless. And my house is a disaster. Really, is there any tidy way to pack? Because if so, I haven't found it (and I've moved five times now in the past seven years). Bella hides when I'm packing, usually in on her bed in the guest room. Annie becomes my shadow, perpetually afraid that we're going to leave her behind. And I get an odd mix of nostalgia and excitement.

Moving is one of those bitter sweet times -- I'm very much looking forward to the future -- new house, new job, new baby, closer to family and all of those wonderful things. But I will also miss all of my friends and family here and the good times we've had. So rather than whine a little more about the pain in the butt part of moving, I'll put up some of the lovely and amusing things I've found lately on Pinterest (which is quickly becoming addictive... BTW, if you are on Pinterest, let me know! If you're not and would like an invite, let me know that too -- I'll gladly send you one!).

Angry Birds Sandwiches.... awesome.

Spiral art. This reminds me of a toy Grandma had (has?) when we were little (like this). For the life of me I can't remember what it was called, but it had these nifty cog things that made awesome designs. From here.

Words to remember.

K. Perhaps enough of the randomness for today... :)

Sarah Reed Photography is....

...moving!

That's right, we're up and leaving Florida the end of June, heading to Connecticut. Jobs and the upcoming birth of our little one are prompting a move to be closer to family and into a more permanent position for me. So I thought in the light of us leaving Florida, which is bittersweet, I would leave you with a few lists...

Things I love about Florida:

1. My friends. Really. You guys are my family down here, and none of the good times would ever have happened without you. You know who you are. Oh, you want a special shout out?? Alright then (even though I know I'm going to leave someone off the list -- unintentionally -- hopefully no hard feelings for anyone!!!), in no particular order: Beth, Ella, Wendy, Sara, Pooja, Sarah, all you Connect girls, my horse show peeps, (oh wait, should I be mentioning all the guys too? Are you guys even reading this?), and all the rest of my hang out anytime/let's go shopping/have a bonfire/have a party people -- you all rock. And you're what makes Florida great for me.

2. The winters. Yes, I miss snow, but I can deal with 70 degree weather and a serious amount of sunshine through the winter months.

3. The flowers. There is always something blooming here, and flowers make me happy.

4. The horses. Yeah, there are horses everywhere, but there are some here that are special to me, that I'll think about in the future. :)

5. The fact that places like Dairy Queen are open year round. Hey, don't take it for granted -- you can't just run out and get a milkshake at all times of the year up north!!

Things I'm excited for about Connecticut:

1. Fall. or maybe having four distinct seasons (not hot and hotter, or dry and rainy). I can't tell you how excited I am to see the leaves change color again, to walk outside on a crisp October morning and see my breath in the air, to cut down a Christmas tree (and not do it in shorts and a tank top), to have SNOW!, to have real daffodils and crocus and all of those cold weather flowers pop up in the spring.

2. My new job. Yeah, super excited about this one! :)

3. Being closer to family. One hour from bro & sis in law and their family; six hours from everyone else is a whole heck of a lot nicer than 16 hours from everyone (excluding my wonderful Aunt Kay and her family who lives down here in Florida -- I'll miss being able to see you guys!!!), especially with Meatball arriving this September.

4. Our new house. Yes, it's a rental, but we can actually paint and do some cool things, which makes it feel more "ours." And it's always fun moving into a new place, rearranging things, finding what works.

5. Having a large backyard that borders a large plot of protected land... I know the girls are going to love it (if I can keep them out of the woods and from chasing everything that moves!!!).


So what does all of this mean for Sarah Reed Photography, this blog, and everything else? Well for starters, we will be closing down business from June 15th through July 15th to give us time for the move and to settle in to the new place. That means no photo orders will be fulfilled during that time. You'll still be able to place orders, but there will be a significant delay in recieving them unless they are placed prior to June 15th.  I will not be booking any new sessions after June 1st in Florida. If you want to come up to CT, fall is lovely up there and I'd love to have you! Also, because of all that is going on, I may be a little slower than normal getting back to you if you have questions -- please bear with me; I promise I'm not ignoring you!

As far as the blog goes, I'll be doing my best to keep it up. It may become a little more personal (seriously, expect to see a lot of photos of Meatball after she arrives -- can you say free model???), and a little more sporadic. I'd like to tell you that I have everything planned out and will be blogging twice a week but realistically, I have no idea how all of this is going to work in the next few months (not to mention that I can't seem to manage twice a week now...). New house, new job, and new baby may just make me go completely crazy!! :)  But I promise, I'll do my best to keep everyone updated (even if it is just about Meatball or the pretty leaves in CT or something else equally non-business related).

Finally (are you still reading? really? I'm impressed!), thank you for being here, for reading, for allowing me to share a little part of my life with you. :)

And no post is complete without a photo, so here's one I took a long time ago, but is still a favorite:

Doug & Becca ~ Engaged!

Let me tell you something -- Sunday was HOT. Even Sunday evening. But Doug and Becca toughed it out in the heat and we all had a great time for their engagement photos at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens (where they're getting married next March!). These two were so much fun to take pictures of -- so in love and happy! 

Thanks to Wendy for the use of the parasol! :)

I love that there are so many different places at Kanapaha to take different types of shots. By the way, check out Becca's shoes!!!

After Kanapaha, we stopped by Doug and Becca's house quick to catch a few shots with their two pups, Whiskey and Bella. Can't leave the "kids" out of the photos!! :)

Sneak Peek: Doug & Becca ~Gainesville Engagement Photographer

Just a quick sneak peek for Doug and Becca from their engagement session yesterday! These two braved the heat for a great time at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens. This is just a teaser, but more coming soon!

The best picture ever

Warning: This is post was written by a super emotional hormonal pregnant lady... May contain inappropriate amounts of gushiness.

I know how this is going to sound. But seriously. Seriously. This. is. the. best. picture. EVER.

That's my bebe in there. All perfect with her tiny toes and little hands. Yes, she may look like a skinny little alien right now, but that little person is alive, growing, and kicking (!) inside of me (and not the Alien type of growing inside of me either).  I mean, look at this little foot, with it's little toes:

Maybe I'm just sentimental because this is my first ultrasound of her. Maybe I'm just overly hormonal. Maybe this is the time when all of the crazy pregnant lady traits start to kick in. I don't know. Frankly, I'm not sure I really care. Because suddenly, today, while watching this little person squirm around (and avoid the ultrasound getting a really *good* profile image of her face), my world changed. Yes, it changed a few months ago when we found out we were expecting. But today it changed for real. My heart doesn't quite know how to handle all of this love (so if you see me and I'm teary, it's nothing bad, I promise!).  In just a couple of months, she'll enter this world as her own independent little being. Until then, I'll just continue to dream about the person she might be, and what those sweet little eyes are going to look like.

Gushiness over (at least for now). :)