May 18 2012
5:37 pm

Friday’s Frame ~ Gracey ‘n Grandma

Posted in Friday's Frame, Personal

Fridays in the Gardner house mean a whole lot of things.

For Tommy, Fridays mean freedom.:)He’s a M-F kind of guy. I think he actually looks at the weather 14 days in advance, just to see what his weekends will bring. God bless those engineers.

For me, Fridays mean prep days. You know, prepping my gear for a weekend full of weddings and sessions. It means finishing up any editing I have left over from the week before, returning emails and phone calls, running to the post office to send a few packages, taking the time to clean my car, or spending a few minutes organizing my office. (In my mind, my office is organized, but in reality, it’s just clean. Organized and clean are two totally different things. Just ask Pinterest.) It’s a day to do all the little things that make me feel prepared and composed when Saturday morning rolls around.

For Gracey, Fridays mean Grandma!

There’s a huge piece of our Friday that remains behind-the-scenes. MY MOM. When Gracey was a few months old, my mom called me up one day and said, “Would you like a little help once a week so you’re able to get some work done?” It sort of sounded like angels singing. “Yes please, I’d love that. Can you be here in two minutes?” (She lives more than an hour away …)

Alas, my mom comes on Fridays. It’s kind of like magic. She plays with Gracey and tends to her needs for a good portion of the day while I tackle my To Do list. Gracey loves it. This also means I’m available to shoot if a session comes up. It’s nice to be able to edit without interruption, return emails and phone calls, or run to the grocery store and bank without pulling over twice because Gracey threw her pacifier (yup, still working on that …). Fridays are my own little slice of relaxation after a week filled with caring for Baby Girl. It’s also a time for me to ask my mom questions that have me totally stumped, like why Gracey eats like a little dinosaur, and whether I’ll ever sleep again.

Thank you, Mom. You have no idea how much I cherish your love and support. This job is a hard one, and I don’t mean photography.

WAIT! You’ve read this far (and you’re not my mom)? Why, thank you! You deserve an extra Friday’s Frame.:)Bonus …

Check back soon for some pics of a super cute 1-year-old I’ll be photographing tomorrow. Have a great weekend!

love,
katie

Posted in Friday's Frame, Personal

I ♥ comments ...

no comments

add a comment :)
May 11 2012
9:49 am

Friday’s Frame ~ Gracey’s BFFs

Posted in Friday's Frame, Personal

I’m convinced Gracey actually believes the little animals hanging from her crib mobile are her friends. It’s ADORABLE.

There’s nothing sweeter than waking up to the sounds of your baby talking in her crib (especially after spending the past 4.5 months waking up to her cries …). She has her own little language, filled with words, coo’s, giggles, and even her own way of “yelling.” It’s absolutely precious.

About a month ago, Tommy and I bought her a new crib mobile. It was one of those nights where I was desperate to solve her pacifier issue. We went from store to store in search of this particular mobile — I felt that if she had something else (like, a soothing mobile) to associate with sleepy time, she’d become less and less dependent on that dang nuk. Tommy is big on reading reviews, and the mobile we were searching for had about 899 five-star reviews. Well, turns out all those reviewers were right! Gracey loves it. It has a projection feature — images project on the canopy for the baby to see. And what baby wouldn’t smile at those oh-so-happy animals hanging from the sides? It’s basically Disney World in a crib.

Some of you may be wondering whether this pacifier-breaking plan actually worked. Honestly, I’d give it a thumbs up. We decided not to break her of the pacifier cold turkey, but simply try and help her become less dependent on it. When I can tell she’s getting sleepy right before her nap times, I put her in her sleep sack and lay her down in her crib underneath the mobile. I turn the mobile on, give her the pacifier, and within 10 minutes, she’s sound asleep. I try to only use the mobile during nap times, and it’s working! We don’t use it at bedtime — I rock her to sleep with the pacifier in her mouth and then I take it out when she’s sleeping. This all has been working pretty well for us — it’s not a miracle fix, but last night was a milestone! For the very first time since she was born, I went to bed when it was still light out, and I woke up when it was light out (yes, the next day). Granted, it may have been 5 a.m., but still! I couldn’t believe she slept a solid 8 hours through.:)

The blog was very busy this past week, so in case you missed it, check out the beautiful downtown Milwaukee wedding of Christine and Thomas, as well as some newborn photos of Kellan at just five days old.

One last thing: Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing moms out there, as well as the moms-to-be! Take the day off to relax and simply enjoy your children — Lord knows we all deserve it.:)

Posted in Friday's Frame, Personal

I ♥ comments ...

no comments

add a comment :)
May 09 2012
2:39 pm

Kellan ~ Oak Creek newborn photographer

Posted in Newborns

Oh, Kellan. You had me at that head full of dark, beautiful hair.

I recently had the absolute honor of photographing little Kellan. If you ask me, the younger, the better — Kellan was still extra sleepy at just five days old. And his parents, well … they were extra sleepy too.:)

To tell you the truth, I’m not sure what I enjoy more: Photographing these perfect little miracles, or the time spent chatting with new parents. The first few weeks (OK, months) with that precious little soul can be incredibly rough. Sometimes, all you need to hear as a new mom is, “This is normal,” or, “You’re doing a great job.”

Kristin, it’s all normal, and you’re doing a great job. Kellan told me how much he loves you when you were in the other room. Promise.;)

Kellan’s dad, Daniel, kept touching noses with him throughout the entire session. It was so precious!

Kellan was actually born two weeks early, so he still had some of the fine, protective hair (lanugo) left on his skin. Adore …

Toward the end of the session, when Kellan was fast asleep, Daniel, said to me, “If we pay you again, will you stay the night? We’ll do anything for a good night’s sleep!”:)Of course, he was joking … but I had to laugh right along with him.

Congratulations once again to you both. He’s such a handsome little guy.

Posted in Newborns

I ♥ comments ...

no comments

add a comment :)
May 06 2012
6:40 pm

Christine and Thomas ~ Milwaukee wedding photographer

Posted in Weddings

He says they were courting. She remembers it a bit differently.

“He ditched me,” Christine said with a laugh, recalling one of their first nights out on the town.

Ditch might be too strong of a word. I mean, take a look — she’s beautiful. And by the way Thomas glances at her, something tells me he was simply trying to play his cards right.

“I knew I’d make it up to her someday,” Thomas said. “And today’s that day.”

Last weekend, I had the honor of capturing the beautiful downtown Milwaukee wedding of Christine and Thomas. Their ceremony was held at Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist and the reception was at Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. There’s something classic, something historic, something forever special about getting married downtown. Ceremonies like this make me want to shoot the entire wedding in black and white. Time-honored, you know? Elegant, classy and full of local allure.


I love the next shot, as it’s a tiny little memory of the weather on their wedding day.:)

Genuine interaction with your loved ones is so much better than posed family formals. But I may be biased …

I loved this moment between Christine and her dad. “Daddy’s little girl,” Christine’s sister said to me as I shot this photo …

These two weren’t having any fun. At all.:)

Congratulations, Christine and Thomas. I wish you a hundred years of love and sunshine.:)

Posted in Weddings

I ♥ comments ...

no comments

add a comment :)
May 04 2012
1:14 pm

Friday’s Frame ~ 12 hours

Posted in Friday's Frame, Personal

Well folks, the first wedding of my 2012 season is a wrap.:)I photographed the beautiful celebration of Christine and Thomas in downtown Milwaukee this past Saturday — the day was windy, rainy, cooooold, but full of love and beautiful, even light. (Yes, overcast days actually do make for pretty photos — it’s not just something photographers say to make you feel better about rain on your wedding day.):)Check back later this weekend for a full blog post from the couple’s special day!

Speaking of my first wedding of the year: Saturday also marked the longest time (12 hours!) I’ve left Gracey Girl since … well, since I’ve been pregnant with her! It was bittersweet. I absolutely love my job and I’m 1,000 percent thankful to be a part of this profession. I also love my baby girl more than life itself. Naturally, Gracey spent the day with someone who loves her equally as much. Daddy had a fabulous day with his little princess — he sent a couple videos for me to watch in the background as I rushed from one location to the next.:)By the time I got home that evening, Gracey was sound asleep in her crib, safe and happy as can be. The next day, she preferred Daddy over me! Little stinker.:)When Monday morning rolled around, we were right back in our groove. Have I mentioned how thankful I am to have such a great husband?

It’s an absolute blessing, really, to have “alone days” with your baby. Tommy fully realizes this, and I know he wouldn’t trade these Saturdays for the world. Yes, it’s hard, but the rewards fill your heart to the brim. During the week, I get to see her grow right before my eyes. (I’m not even joking — she actually grows in 24 hours.) It’s also amazing to see babies develop intellectually. It can be something simple like when that tiny baby hand reaches out and grabs for a toy — those little moments are so rewarding to see.

Check back soon, friends! The wedding post will be up this weekend and a newborn session from Sunday will be posted early next week.:)Happy Friday!

Posted in Friday's Frame, Personal

I ♥ comments ...

no comments

add a comment :)

« Older posts

© 2012 love, katie photography | ProPhoto Photographer Template by NetRivet Websites

F a c e b o o k
T w i t t e r
C h i t   c h a t