Day One of Project LTBW2YL

What?!? You say? You don't know what LTBW2YL means? You're not the only one - I promise. It only means something to me. (And every other mom who is possibly in my shoes!!) I have been SUCH a lazy bum and two years have gone by since Olivia's birth - well, almost two. Do you know where I'm going with this yet? Project LTBW2YL stands for "Lose-The-Baby-Weight-2-Years-Later!" :) It's time. It's past time.

Oh and this is part THREE. Because I've done this. Twice before. And after each kid I birthed, it took me two years to bother to even care. And now, this third (and most likely final) time around....it's again been two years. And now I care. :) Sort of. I figure if I make it public perhaps I will shame myself into actually doing it? Nah. Probably not. I'm a big enough girl (obviously - and yes the pun is intended!) to admit when I mess up or don't keep my word so there's a really good chance that I will eventually screw this up too.

But in case I don't, here's to DAY ONE of this journey. It took me a long time to get here (you don't think it's EASY maintaining this weight, do you? It takes a LOT of calories/snacks/downright laziness to keep it up!!) and it's not going to be gone tomorrow. Oh if only it would be gone tomorrow. ;) Alas, the ice cream calls my name and I have told myself I can have a HALF CUP of it later this afternoon WHEN I GET HUNGRY. We'll see if that ever happens. The 'land' that I have available to live off of is vast and could last me a while....

Baby Jaxson {Central Florida Newborn Photographer}

Sweet little Jaxson, snug as a bug and beloved by his adorable big brother. We met shortly after his birth and OHH I can honestly say that each and every baby I have the opportunity to photograph makes my heart skip a beat! Honestly, if it weren't for all these little ones to cuddle - even for a few minutes at a time - I think I would have to immediately embark on a quest for Nixon baby #4. (Penny the dog does NOT count!) :) Fortunately for my hubby, these sweet little ones satisfy ALMOST all of that "baby fever" I suffer from so frequently.

To Jaxson's mama & daddy - thank you SO SO much for the pleasure of photographing Jaxson and for some time with the little dude! I hope these pictures bring you joy as you remember these early days for years to come!

Eylin, you are one stunning mama :)

Happy Saturday! :)

Chubby Cheeks {Central Florida Baby Photographer}

This chubby-cheeked stud spent some time with me a while back. OH did he make my day! He smiles and smiles and smiles and smiles and....yes, smiles some more. :) I can totally see why his mama is just infatuated with him. Little Rhett is on his way to becoming the FL Gator's cutest fan - along with being voted the sloberiest. I JUST LOVE this age when the drool leaks out and the smiles are constant. (I'm a firm believer that the drool is actually sweetness just oozing right out of them...)

Sweet Love ~ The M Family {Central Florida Family Photography}

This beautiful family has given me the pleasure of watching their little one grow up. Little Tate and I spent a couple of hours together after he was born and while he was SO SO tiny! And then, just after their newborn session, they moved to New York. I really didn't expect to get to see them again and you can imagine how thrilled I was when they emailed to say they were coming to Florida to visit family and to see about a One-Year-Old Session with Tate and their little family. YAY for me! :)

This little boy is one lucky dude. His mama and daddy CLEARLY adore him and I am so excited to show them this little peek into their session! Tate wasn't QUITE walking yet which was AWESOME for me because that means I didn't have to run the whole time to keep up with him. I did, however, have to do some serious deep squats and crazy jumps to keep his attention. The best workout I have had in a while...and since too!

Daddy and Tate "box" together which elicits squeals of joy from Tate, Mama gets the BEST open-mouth kisses from Tate and all three of them snuggle and cuddle together so naturally because it's just that...natural to them. :) So much sweet love and a blessing for me to get to be a part of it for JUST a few minutes!

Baby Ruthie {Florida Newborn Photographer}

So this post is about my sweet little sort-of-niece, Ruthie. She's got the best name. We share it. :) Except hers is backwards...or is mine backwards?? Regardless, she gets to go by Ruthie, which is awesome.

Ruthie's mama is well-known here on my blog because she's my cousin's wife AND a phenomenal photographer that lives in Canada. And we flew up to visit them after Ruthie's arrival (she was born on Valentine's Day!) so that Heather could have some pictures of her AND her baby. The records now show that Heather was indeed a part of this little miracle. ;) (We moms tend to be behind the cameras instead of in front of them and aside from taking our word for it, our children might think we are lying about us being there for those early years!)

Anyway, these are just a few. Ok they are quite a few. There will be more. These are just of Ruthie by herself. And these also took place immediately before she relieved herself (in more ways than one!) ALL over me. It was by far the best job any little person has done on me to date. ;)

And if you're wondering, OH HECK YEAH, we totally rocked the "baby leaning forward on her hands" shot. But it definately took TWO of us - all four hands. :)

Matt & Tory ~ Part I {Florida Wedding Photographer}

New Years Eve 2010. Matt and Tory had been waiting for this day for a long time. :) A year before, in early 2010, we met at The Hyatt Grand Cypress Hotel for their engagement pictures. Several months before this they were the maid of honor and best man at another Lavery wedding. :) This day was a long time coming - with a ton of hard work and preparation - and it was my incredible pleasure to be a part of their special day.

We'll start Part I out with my personal favorites from the time spent getting ready. :)

Keep checking back for additional installments of Matt & Tory's gorgeous wedding day!!