Well. . . . not really vacation, but I was away for the length of a vacation and I was sleeping in a bed other than my own.  Last week I went into the Emergency Room because I was feeling very flu-lke, dizzy and having horrible stoumach pains.  I drove myself to the hospital and couldn’t believe that I made it alive because I felt so dizzy.  After running blood tests and taking X-rays they found that my Gallbladder was swollen and very infected.  The nurse in the ER told me that they were going to admit me and would probably treat me with Antibiotics because at my age surgery would be a last resort.  So I went to bed that night feeling okay.  After all, I’d never had surgery and I was scarred to death of it!  The next morning I was rudely awoken at 6:00 am by the surgeon telling me that I would probably go into surgery in a few hours to have my Gallbladder removed.

Anyway, to make a long story shorter they did remove my Gallbladder and the doctor told me that he’d never seen one like mine before.  I’m not so sure if that was supposed to make me feel worse but it did!   They were supposed to let me go home the next day but I awoke with a high fever and chest pains so more tests and X-rays were ordered and my heart was monitored for the next three days.  The worst part of being in the hospital was not being hooked up to IV’s all day and night, not having to have my blood drawn every four hours, and not even the seriously uncomfortable bed.  No, the worst part was being on a strictly liquid diet for almost a week.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I love food so you know how hard that part was for me!  Okay, maybe I’m being overdramatic about the food, the real worst part was not seeing my kids for so long.

I’m recovering well now and I’m back home resting.  I am slowely but surely trying to return emails and phone calls from my time away.  I want to apologize if any one’s phone call or email has been overlooked.  Things will be back to normal soon I hope.

Thank you to everyone who has sent emails or called wishing me good thoughts and sending prayers.  I appreciate that so much!  =)

It’s been a very busy week here in the Sweet Baby Photo Studios.  I’ve taken a small break from working for Father’s Day weekend and for my boy’s first day of preschool.  That’s right, Gavin started preschool on Tuesday morning.  I think this was the most proud moment I have felt as a mother so far!  He was so excited for school and he did a great job!  He didn’t even cry when I left which made me so happy, I’m just so glad that he is such a strong and confident kid.  Today he is sick and missing his second day of school with a fever of 102.4. =(

Here is a picture of Gavin on his first day of school and a couple of Zakk on the day he turned one!

My baby is ONE! I can’t even believe that he’s a year old already. It seriously feels like this time has flown by in the blink of an eye. We had a very fun and relaxing party at home to celebrate with some of my closest friends and family. We also invited a clown to come and do games for the kids. The face painting was such a hit and the kids all looked sooo cute!! Zakk loved his cake and would have eaten every bite if I would have let him, I also would have eaten the entire cake if there weren’t other guests there. Here are a few pictures from Zakk’s birthday. . . just don’t mind the ugly ones of me. . . just keep in mind that the camera adds, like, 20 pounds. =)

Enjoy!

What a fun session I had today with Owen and his mommy! Owen is going to be a big brother in August so I went out to get some shots of the little bun in the oven and of course the new big brother. Owen is just one of the cutest little guys ever. Mom wanted to get some shots for her husband for Father’s Day which I think is such a sweet idea. It made me start thinking that maybe I need to do something good for my husband for Father’s Day. The only idea I have so far is a card, anyone have any better thoughts?

Anyway, enjoy the sneak peek Liz! I hope your hubby loves the pictures and that you and he have a wonderful Father’s Day!

To celebrate the launch of my new website I am going to be offering a major special through the end of June.  Anyone who books will receive half off the session fee and the first person to book will also receive a brand new Timi and Leslie Diaper bag filled with awesome goodies for you and your baby.  This special won’t last long and will be the last special I run until the holidays, so make sure to book right away to get great summer portraits of your little one.

Thank you to everyone who has emailed me about how much they love the new site, it really means a lot to me. =)

I’m so proud to announce that my new website is finally live!  Check it out!  www.sweetbabyphoto.com

Enjoy.  =)

First of all I want to wish everyone a happy Mother’s Day! Second, I want to thank everyone who entered the Mother’s Day contest. I seriously don’t think that I’ve ever cried so much while reading emails. Some of the stories I couldn’t even read all the way through at one time because I was just so touched. I have so much respect for all the mother’s who entered the contest. It was a very hard job to choose a winner so I decided to cheat a little bit. Since I’m the judge I get to make my own rules, so everyone who entered will receive a free session. That’s right, I am in a very giving mood after my heart has been touched so much from all your stories. Although, there is one story that stood out to me above the others and made me cry longer and harder than I have in a long time. This person is going to receive a free custom designed session and also a $100 print and product credit.

The winner of the custom session and $100 product credit is Lori. Lori was entered into this contest by her friend Kristin and I have to say that I have so much respect and am so thankful to Kristin for entering her good friend in the contest. Kristin and I both feel that Lori is an amazing mother! Here is the story that Kristin shared with me:

Hi Erin,
I would like to enter Lori Coble into the Mother’s day contest - if you live in Orange County I’m sure you are aware that she and her mom were rear-ended by a semi last May and lost three of the most beautiful children I have seen. Despite her and her husband Chris’s grief they have done so much to keep their children’s memories alive by attending fundraising events, speaking publicly about their loss and most importantly, fighting for our safety on the roads by being involved in the Truck Safety Coalition. Lori and her husband are now expecting triplets due any time now and I would think they’d love a photo session with their new little ones when they arrive. This Mother’s day will be a difficult one for them as they welcome their new little ones so near the one year mark of their loss - please help to make it a little more blessed by choosing Lori as the winner of your contest. Thank you for your consideration.

I have no words for how sorry I am for their loss and for how happy I am for their new additions who just came into this world about a week ago. Kristin has notified me that the triplets are doing well, I am so excited to meet them very soon.

Congratulations Lori and all the other amazing mother’s who entered the contest! Kristin, please email me as soon as possible with Lori’s contact information. Thank you again for participating.

Welcome baby Dylan Xavier Thomas Emmett.  This weekend I went out to Berkeley to see my new baby nephew.  It’s so amazing to be an Aunt and to see this little baby boy who looks just like my little brother.  These pictures were taken when little baby Emmett was only 4 days old.  He is so adorably tiny and sweet!

Mother’s day is one of my favorite days of the year. Not only because I get to be pampered by the men in my life but also because I am able to show my mother and mother-in-law how grateful I am to have them in my life. One of my favorite things about all holidays is giving, I don’t get excited about receiving gifts but I get all giddy when I’m giving someone a gift that I know they will love!

So this Mother’s Day I’ve decided that I want to give away a free custom session to one lucky mother! The rules of the contest are as follows; email me a picture of you with your little one(s) and write a little story about why you deserve to win a free photo session and why you are such an amazing mother. This is not only a contest for yourself, if you’re a giving person like I am you can always enter one of your friends or family members into this contest. If you don’t have a picture don’t worry about that, I’m mostly looking for the best story.

To find out more details about your prize, see the post prior to this one that explains what a custom session is. This will be so much fun! I can’t wait to start reading all your stories. Please send the emails to erin@sweetbabyphoto.com and in the subject please write “mother’s are great!”

The winner will be announced on Mother’s Day!

What is a custom session you ask? A custom session is a complete planned out session for your baby or child. When I say completely planned out I mean I will come up with a unique and original location that fits your child’s personality, I will supply the wardrobe (three outfits) which you will be able to keep, I will bring all the props necessary, and I will even design the hair-do if you’d like. Basically you won’t have to worry about a thing.

I have so many parents that are so concerned about what their child will wear or where we will shoot. Normally I will make suggestions and sometimes the suggestions are taken into consideration and other times the parents will do what they think will look good. The biggest difference between this and a regular session is that you won’t have to put any thought into anything, leave it all to me and just relax! If you decide to go with a custom session you are putting all your trust in me to create an awesome photo session for your little one. You’re child will be treated like a star for the day and so will you!

The fee for a custom session will start at $500.

Here are a couple pictures from recent sessions that I designed.

She’s got the looks, the smile, the sweet little personality, and she’s definitely got the hair! I photographed Olivia first when she was only a few weeks old and she had more hair than most two year olds. Now she has more hair than most five year old. Olivia is such a gorgeous little girl, I am so lucky to have the opportunity to be her photographer. Betty, I hope you enjoy the sneak peek, I can’t wait to see you and Olivia again soon. =)

I think this next one is my favorite!

This time of year is the perfect time to get organized and clean up the house.  I’ve really been trying hard to get organized and get ready for the whirlwind of work that I’ll be doing in the next few months.  Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m not the most organized person.  Even though I have a serious case of OCD I just would so much rather be shooting, surfing, or pretty much anything other than cleaning the house.  I’m trying hard to break my bad habits.

So I was looking up tips on how to get organized and I thought I would share with my loyal blog readers.

For the living room ~ holding on to things for “some day” is only going to make your house messy today.  If it isn’t relevent to your life here and now get rid of it and live life for the here and now.  Also, (and this is one I really need to work on) setting limits for kids helps them learn about values.  If you set a limit to the number of toys they keep around, they will learn  about priorities and what is important to them.  It will also help your living space stay cleaner and you won’t find yourself stepping on legos and cars all day like I do. =)

For the kitchen ~ simple plastic risers in your cabinets can be a great way to create more space and to see what you have easily.  Ikea makes great ones and I have to use them in all my cabinets because I don’t have a whole lot of cabinet space.

For your office  ~ keep your home office uncluttered by only keeping necessary items out and putting unnecessary items tucked away.  You will feel more organized with a clean workspace.

I hope these tips are helpful for you like they were for me.  Keep checking the blog because in the next few weeks you will see a lot of new things.  The new website is coming and it’s coming soon!  I’m just wrapping up the last few details.  I just can’t wait much longer!!

We all know that there are much cuter clothes for girls and a much larger selection.  As a mom of three boys I’ve had to do a lot of research to find all the best clothes for my little guys.  One of my favorite brands is Quiksilver but my all time favorite is Baby Gap.  They always have a good variety and they have by far the best hats.  Almost all of my favorite outfits for my boys have been from The Gap, and now that the heat is here I think I need to make another trip.  Or maybe I’ll just shop online at www.babygap.com.  =)

I’m often asked, “what should my baby wear for the session?” Normally I just say that they should wear bright colors and fun prints, or for little babies they look adorable in their birthday suits. While I was browsing online for dresses I came across this adorable online boutique.  If you are looking for the perfect dress for your daughter, I recommend these dresses, or something similar.  I have said it before and I’ll say it again, if only I had a girl! Well, I would buy every dress on their website if I had a girl. Unfortunately the boys clothes were not my style, so tomorrow I will post a review for cool boys clothes. But if you have a girl watch your coins when you head over to this website because I guarantee you won’t be able to leave without buying something. The best part is though that they are really inexpensive! So have fun shopping mommy’s!!

www.ittybittybundles.com

the photos here are off the site, I didn’t take them. I just put together all my favorite dresses. =)

I didn’t really think that I would actually get to the age where I wasn’t cool to my kids anymore.  My son Gavin is two and a half now and I’m totally not cool mom to him anymore.  He used to sing and dance with me to all the corney theme songs to his cartoons and now if I even try to hum along he yells, “don’t say that!”  As for singing to my favorite songs in the car which I love to do, forget about it!  And actually, I can’t even listen to what I want when he’s in the car.  He tells me, “no I don’t like that song.”  What does he want to listen to?  Seether and Incubus are his favorites right now.  Not that I don’t like those cd’s which I really do, but listening to the same songs over and over can really wear a person down.  Normally in the car I like to sing like I’m a rock star (although I don’t have the voice of a rock star at all) but not anymore.  If I try to sing over one of his songs he yells, “don’t say that!”

It’s too funny to me that he is already like this.  I remember giving my mom a hard time when she sang in the car too.  But I don’t think I started so young, who knows, maybe I did.  I just thought he and I would always sing together.  But I’m just not cool mom, I’m old mom with a bad voice to him now.  =(  At least Zakk will still let me sing and dance with him.

So tonight after the kids fell asleep I snuck out to Target for some necessities, like baby food and Red Bull and in the car I cranked up the music and sang away with no little voice in the back seat telling me, “don’t say that!”  Hehehe, sometimes we all need a little alone time.

Here’s a recent picture of Mr. Attitude himself.  I’m sure he was talking back when I snapped this picture.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!  My family had a wonderful day that started with an egg hunt and baskets filled with way too much candy that will rot their teeth and toys that probably will never be touched again after today, but it was all worth it for a morning full of smiles.  After the kids found all the eggs that were hidden in the yard we rushed to get ready for church within a half an hour.  Our church service was great and it’s so good to really take a moment and remember what this day is really about.  I made sure to take some time with my kids and make sure that they realize what Easter is all about too.  There were so many things that made today great but the best was spending time with my family and being able to make my kids happy.  Later in the day my mom came over for dinner and we dragged her out to take a family picture, which I think is one of the very first we have with all 5 of us.

Happy Easter from my family to yours!  =)

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