It’s been a while since I’ve updated my blog! I’ve been busy being a Mom and getting some R&R! I did Jesse & Kelly’s engagement session a few weeks ago at the Renaissance Faire in Ansonia (my first Ren. Fair) and last week I did my very first senior session - I’m psyched! I had such a blast shooting Katie’s senior session - I can’t wait to do more!

Here are a few from Kelly & Jesse’s session:

Their wedding is coming up in less than two weeks so expect to see these faces again soon!

A few favorites from Katie’s senior session:







Is she freakin’ gorgeous or what?!

We went on a camping trip to Vermont a couple weeks ago with our friends (who have kids Jaedyn’s age) and we all had a great time. The kids had a blast swimming, running around, kayaking and canoing, decorating the lean to with sidewalk chalk and of course - making s’mores! We brought our kayak up with us and rented a second one while our friends rented a canoe for them to fish from… unfortunately, they didn’t catch anything! We got rained out a little, but we had a camp site with a big lean to which was awesome and kept our tents and stuff dry. Our friends also brought a big gazebo type thing which we put over the picnic table. We didn’t do much of anything - just relaxed and hung out - which was fantastic.

Making mud pies on the kayak

This is what happens when you leave Dads in charge!
Jaedyn & Becca in front of their masterpiece

I’m really glad that we got to spend the weekend together - without the distractions of work, errands and chores, because as soon as we got home Sean left for Florida for a few weeks. =( He’s opening a new restaurant in Bonita Springs (not his restaurant, the company he works for!) and he’s training the kitchen staff. So… I get to be Mommy AND Daddy for a few weeks. I’ve spent the last couple of days trying to teach Jaedyn how to ride her bike without training wheels… that is exhausting!!! She’s doing great but is still working on balance and courage! She still won’t let me let go of her - if I try she takes her hands off of the handle bars to try to grab my hands!

Wow… 5 years ALREADY?!?! It seems like just yesterday I was holding my newborn daughter and today she is 5 years old! I just can’t believe it… they grow up so fast! Jaedyn has grown to be such a smart, funny, creative, caring, generous, spunky, stubborn, thoughtful, gorgeous and just all around fantastic little girl and I cannot tell you how proud I am to be her Mom. She is just the most awesome kid and so much fun to be around. For those of you who don’t have kids yet - everything they say is true - there are things you just cannot truly understand unless you are a parent. Love for instance… there is nothing like the love for and from a child and you will look at your spouse in a whole new light as well. Being a parent is a truly amazing gift and I am so thankful to have such a wonderful daughter!

Happy 5th Birthday, Jae Jae!!! We love you so much and we are so proud of you!!!

Here’s a newborn pic of my sweet little girl:
(I think she was about 3 weeks old there)

Her birthday party is later today so I’ll post some pics later… right now I need to finish making her cake!

Here are some snapshots of her birthday dinner at home:

*goof ball*
*opening presents from family*

And her birthday party with all of her friends:

*crash*
*group hug*
Blowing out her candles on the cake that mysteriously turned from purple to blue on the way to the party! The strangest part was that the cupcakes - which had exactly the same icing - didn’t change color! I was trying not to be the photographer and just enjoy my daughter’s birthday party, so I forgot to take a photo of the actual cake! It was a butterfly - purple wings, blue body and bright green swirls on the wings.

Sean, Jaedyn and I went kayaking on the Saugatuck River Monday - it was my first time kayaking! I wasn’t very optimistic as to how much I was going to be able to handle, but I went about 5 times further than I anticipated! Unfortunately, since I had underestimated myself, I figured I wouldn’t need sunscreen since I could use some color (anything other than THE color white!) and my legs got FRIED! We borrowed my sister in law’s kayak and had planned that Sean and Jaedyn would go in ours like they normally do - Jaedyn fits very nicely in the storage area behind Sean and my sister in law’s kayak is much smaller than ours with no storage compartment. Well….. our plans didn’t work out so well because Melissa’s kayak was extremely uncomfortable for me. The seat on hers hit right on my spine where my scar from my surgeries is and it’s still very sensitive. I tried ours and it was MUCH better. So, I ended up on my maiden voyage with the larger kayak and the extra weight of Jaedyn, the cooler and of course, Jaedyn’s little oar (that she loved using) dragging in the water! It was exhausting and I’m still paying for it, but it was SO much fun! Sean took a few photos of Jaedyn and I and then when we got back to the boat ramp Jaedyn wanted to try using the big paddles… we put her in Melissa’s kayak and she took off! Sean went after her in ours and I stayed on the shore taking some pics of my natural born kayaker! I really want to get an underwater housing for our point and shoot camera - it would give us some peace of mind and we’d probably take more photos out on the water!

Saturday I had the pleasure of second shooting for fellow photographer Sarah McCoy
for Krista & Aaron’s wedding at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven. Despite the nasty concussion I gave myself shortly before the ceremony (recent brain surgery + concussion = BAD idea!), I still managed to pull of some killer shots! I just had to share some of my absolute favorites! By the time we finished up, Sarah was soaking wet from the knee down and I had sand EVERYWHERE - even in my hair - YUCK! Anything for a great shot! =)

On a side note, these images are straight out of the camera - absolutely no post processing at all!

Thanks again Sarah for the invitation to shoot with you! It was a nice change of pace being the 2nd!

Larry & Kathy were married June 22nd at Sacred Heart Church in Greenwich, with the reception following at The Inn at Longshore in Westport… again, we just lucked out with the weather! The weekend called for thunderstorms, Sunday being the worst of it. Other than a quick shower and some very intimidating thunder immediately after the ceremony in Greenwich, the weather couldn’t have been better! This was yet another very special wedding for me - Larry and my husband are childhood friends and their parents are very close… prior to their wedding I had only met Kathy very briefly, but she is one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met. When Larry and Kathy booked me for their wedding Kathy was so bubbly and spunky and we got along fabulously… only weeks later I learned that she had gotten the shocking diagnosis: breast cancer. Rather than freak out (like most everyone else), Kathy was determined to not only beat it, but with grace and dignity. They kept their original wedding date in spite of surgery and chemotherapy and she was fortunate enough to finish up her chemo soon enough for her eyebrows and eyelashes to come back in before the wedding and they were able to hold off on the radiation until afterward. I cannot tell you how inspiring this woman is and I am so thankful to have been able to capture their wedding day and celebrate with them! Thanks to Heather for second shooting for me and allowing me to relax and even dance with my hubby!

Larry & Kathy - congratulations again! I hope that you had a great time in Maine and I can’t wait to get together with you again for your “after” session!

Lisa & Pete totally lucked out on the weather for their wedding - the rain held out *just* long enough for their outdoor ceremony and photos! Tara and I had so much fun and Lisa has this energy about her that is completely infectious… everyone had a fantastic time! The wedding was held at The Barns at Wesleyan Hills in Middletown and let me just tell you that The Barns is one of my new favorite locations! Congratulations again, Lisa & Pete! You guys ROCK! Can’t wait to hang out again!

One of the adorable ring bearers who just did not want to do his job! I love this one!
How gorgeous are these two?!

Yea! I finally have my internet back! Trying to catch up on a few things first, but photos will be posted SOON! =) If you e-mailed me within the last 4-5 days, please give me a day or two to get back to you - my in-box filled up very quickly while my internet was down! Thanks!!!