Motherhood...

Motherhood is a sweet adventure. I had no idea what was ahead of me when I was first pregnant with our Jude. I didn't know how incredible, wonderful and crazy it would all will be. You just can't fathom the amount of love you'll have for your child, or know how sweet those unforgettable moments of rocking your little one will be; smelling that perfect baby breath as they sleep on your chest. Ahhhh, bliss! You also can be blindsided when you encounter those days when you are sleep deprived, covered in spit up, your kitchen floors look like they haven't been mopped in a year, and it sounds impossible to face the grocery store, or any event outside of your house before noon. :) Haha! We've all been there, haven't we?! And I'm so glad to have other mothers in my life to enjoy this sweet journey with! Because we can laugh about the crazy days, but also relish in the sweetness of it all, together!

Mauria's friendship is such a blessing to me. She's expecting her 4th beautiful baby, 1 month from today, and I couldn't be more excited for her! She's always so cool and calm, taking everything-kid in stride. She's a pro. She and Craig decided not to find out the baby's gender so that it would be a true surprise for them on delivery day! (I will probably be living by my cell phone that day, waiting to hear if I was right in guessing that she's going to have a girl! We'll see! ;) )

Mauria, you look gorgeous, and motherhood always looks good on you. Love you, friend!
xo,
Bethany

Nathaniel: 6 Months

I love when clients become friends. Josh and I, and our kids, just adore the Coleman family! They are just the sweetest family. And Josh and I find that we end up laughing a ton when we're with Drew & Marisa. I'm thankful for their new friendship.

As promised here are 6 month photos of their precious Nathaniel.

I love these family pics...

Benjamin Gabriel, 9 month old

Our little man is 9 months old today!! How fast it has gone! I feel like my tiny baby has turned into a chunky monkey and will be a toddler in no time. I'm clinging to these baby days! :)

Benjamin is such a happy boy. He has added another layer of joyfulness to our world! I love being greeted by his smiles in the morning, and throughout the day. :)

Here are a few 9 month things he loves to do:

• clap and wave,
• say "da-da", "ba-ba",
• grab his feet while in his highchair
• climb the bottom stairs
• cruise furniture
• eat soft table food (avocado, banana, cooked broccoli, quinoa, etc.)
• stand instead of sit
• watch Jude and Selah play & will clap and laugh when they do crazy things :)
• play with Jude and Selah and climb on top of them
• destroy paper
• loves to put everything tiny thing he finds in his mouth much to his mother's dismay
• dislikes being dressed or having diaper changed

Benjamin, I love you more than you could ever know! Thanks for being my Benji-boo. :) xoxo

Benjamin Gabriel

Someone is half a year old already!! I can't believe how quickly our little man is growing up. He's sitting up now, will start solids this week, and loves to roll around the floor seeing what he can reach.

If there's one thing about Benjamin that stands out the most, it's how joyful he is! He wakes up with a smile on his face, looking for snuggles, and family to interact with. Each morning as I attack him with kisses, I tell him how much I love him.

Oh my goodness, I'm so blessed by this boy!













We love you bug!!

Thank you Jamie!!

I know, I haven't blogged forever! I can give an update on that later! :) But for now I'm so happy to get to share some maternity photos that my sweet and talented friend Jamie from Eugene, JAZ Photography, took of me.

Thank you so much for this priceless gift Jamie, capturing this precious season of life for me, Josh, Jude, Selah, & baby boy! You are amazing and made this whole experience SO much fun!!

So, when Jamie first offered to do maternity photos for me I was really excited! I don't think I've had professional photos done by another photographer since I got married 8 1/2 years ago. I couldn't get over how sweet and generous of an offer it was! As the date of our shoot got closer I began to get really nervous. I began having thoughts like, "How will I do on the OTHER side of the camera? What if I hate every one of my silly facial expressions or something? Or what if I look ridiculous trying to "act natural"? Well, I put those fears to the back of my mind as I was finishing up my shooting season before taking time off for "baby rest", and one evening Josh took a picture of me and Selah at the park. I was thinking I was looking all cute and pregnant that particular day and when I saw the photo of myself after we got home I gasped. I looked TIRED. Not like, "Oh, 8 hrs. will take care of that." More like, "a pregnant mom of two toddlers who works late into the wee hours every night" tired. :) So at that moment I decided I was going to email Kim King and ask her if she'd do my make up for my maternity shoot. I knew her through Facebook because she does professional make up for a ton of weddings and hs seniors, etc. She was awesome. So nice! She made me look like I'd gotten a good night's sleep so that I wouldn't have to fear the camera. :)

We did this photo shoot down in the Corvallis area at my mom's place. My mom has 17 acres of rural property and I thought it would make a really neat setting for natural maternity pics. Jamie took a few family photos of us first and then Josh, Jamie and I trecked around shooting pics until the sun went down. The three of us had a blast together and laughed practically the whole time. Jamie made us feel SO at ease and took all my worries away. I cannot say enough nice things about her! If you ever get the chance to meet her or hire her for photos, you will love just being around her. To view Jamie's blog and two posts of our shoot, click here.

Josh, Jude, Selah and I are SO excited to meet this little man come New Year's. His nursery is coming together and he is so very loved already!

Thank you again Jamie for blessing us with your talents. Hugs to you friend! :)

West Linn Newborn Shoot: Amberlina

I love the atmosphere when I walk into newborn shoots. It's always so calm and relaxed, with two doting parents just in awe of their brand new little one (some looking more sleep deprived than others). I feel like I always want to squeal when I see their tiny baby all curled up in a blanket, ready to be photographed. :) Oh, there's nothing like a newborn. So perfect.

Jeff & Elaine were so at ease with little Amberlina, and knew exactly what she needed and when. Amberlina honestly has one of the cutest cries I've ever heard! It's really precious! She was wide awake in the beginning and then just couldn't hold out any longer and gave into sweet sleep. Once she was out, she was very out. :) Here are a few to share.