I'm SO gonna miss this time with my "boys"....

You're gonna miss this.You're gonna want this back. You're gonna wish these days Hadn't gone by so fast. These are some good times So take a good look around. You may not know it now But you're gonna miss this. ~Trace Adkins

Yesterday I had a PERFECT Mother's Day. We all stayed home and just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company. And I, actually, did NOT work a single minute! Yep, a whole day off. I slept late, and even took a nap. We blew up the kiddie pool and let Parker splash around the backyard to his heart's content, and I must tell you... it was so refreshing to actually sit my big, overheated pregnant self down in a pool of cool water. Even if I was surrounded by little plastic sharks, alligators, whales and squirt guns. It felt like Heaven. :) The smell of confederate jasmine and honeysuckle filled my backyard. Chris grilled steaks, shrimp, and corn on the cob. We ate yummy watermelon and drank the absolute BEST lemonade, and it just tasted like summer. I didn't even cook it! Chris did it all. It was perfect. I got a homemade card, time to myself, and lots of snuggle time with my two favorite "boys" in the world. Quite certainly the best part, after all that splashing and playing, my sweet boy fell asleep in my arms, wrapped up in a beach towel, while I rocked him in the patio chair and sang this song to him, which happened to come on while I was gently rocking him and stroking his face and hair (which still puts him to sleep, just like it did when he was a tiny baby).... to be honest, I sang this song *to* myself, as I tried like everything to burn this image of him, curled up sweetly in my arms, all sunny and warm and smiling sleepily, into my memory forever. Sometimes, just sometimes, you don't need a photograph to remember the most amazing moments in your life....

And to help your imagination here, and so you can understand why I went all mushy and nostalgic in that moment... have a listen... And yes, it's country music. I'm from Kentucky, what do you expect?! ;)  (The video's embedding has been disabled below, but you can still view the video I intended to show you by clicking here.)

Hope you ALL had a blessed and happy Mother's Day!! (I love you, Mom!)

Him.

I love this child like you would not believe. The way he talks (that sweet Southern drawl gets me every time). His lanky not-a-baby-anymore stride, swinging his arms and humming. The sparkle in his eye while he tries to sneak another cracker before dinner. His pride in his accomplishments... "I did it aww by mysayelf." The way he's NEVER hungry for soup, or spaghetti, or sandwiches, or vegetables of any kind... but how he's ALWAYS, miraculously, hungry when we mention ice cream. His squint-eyed giggle, that sends me into fits of laughter myself.

How he always brings me the blue light-saber and asks me to be Luke Skywalker... and he'll be Darth Vader. And how he immediately tries to "chop my arm off". ;) The "little boy sounds" I hear him make while he's playing pretend in his room: "fyoom! pshhht! krrrk!" And then, always, a crash.

His amazing hugs, that are so tight you almost fall over. The way he runs with abandon, not a care in the world, his "surfer-hair" flowing in the wind. The way he says, "Watch me this time!!" and runs even faster.

The way he sleeps. One arm around Rabbit, the other hand clutching a Star Wars or pirate figurine. The way he crumples his beloved blankie into a ball and holds it close when he's sleepy. The way he thanks Jesus every night for "Mama an' Daddy" and how he innocently prayed every night for two weeks: "Dear God, please let Mama say it's only one day 'till my birthday."

Well, my "baby" just turned four (::stacey weeps now::). Seems like only last week I was rocking him in my arms, singing "You and Me" by Lifehouse.... now he knows all the words and sings it back to me. :)

Ahh, my big boy. :) I just love him.

Waiting for Benjamin...

What a beautiful couple. I felt so comfortable in their home. We shared laughs, pregnancy stories, and had a lot of fun shooting their maternity session. But I must say, it's completely UNFAIR that a woman would look this fabulous just days (did I say DAYS?! yes.) before giving birth. (Please Lord, grant me the same blessing, lol!) Anyhow, please meet Jackie and Ben.... while they were Two. :)

And my faaaaavorite. :) I loved the dramatic lighting in their bedroom!

I have a ton more to share..... stay tuned! :)

Cookie monster.

A bit of business before I post these next shots...

If you would like a photo session with me before I give birth (!) and go on maternity leave, PLEASE, schedule it NOW! :) I'm currently booking for mid-May with a few early June dates still open. To book your photo session, you can contact me via my website which is www.staceywoodsphoto.com, or by emailing me at stacey@staceywoodsphoto.com, or simply by calling me at 727.698.0344. I can't wait to hear from ya!

Now.... on to the photos!! :)

This is Hailey. Her mama owns a local coffee shop in Dunedin, with whom I'm working on a project at the moment. We went out and had a little session a few Saturdays ago, and brought some yummy snacks along with us! And YES, can you believe MORE COLOR from me?! But these photos just *screamed* COLOR to me.... and, like I tell my clients, I don't have the heart to convert to black-and-white in some instances! I hope you'll understand once you see these. ;)

last one.... i love it.

And there you have it. The explanation for zero black-and-white images in a post. :) Can ya blame me?

Jersey Girls

I must tell you. I had a BLAST with these two gals!!! We hit lots of local spots on Clearwater Beach for this session... including splashing under the pier! I know Nancy has been waiting ever-so-patiently on this preview, so just for her I'm showcasing a bunch of images here. (Your gallery will be up before you know it!) :)

Take a look at these beauties.... like mother, like daughter!

I loooved this graffitti under the pier. :)

Loved all the signage too!

And perhaps my favorite....

Ohh I have so many more super-fun shots! I wish I could blog the whole darn session! And can you really believe I had this much fun with COLOR?! You just never know about me, do ya? ;)

Bits and pieces.

Most of you know that when I'm photographing newborns, some of my favorite images to capture are the *tiny* ones. And by that, I mean itty bitty baby parts. Slender fingers, wrinkly toes, ears, the folds of her neck, the fuzz on his shoulder. So, in celebration of all these sweet newborns I've seen recently, take a peek at some of my favorite "detail shots"........

Hope those little pieces made you smile. :)

Anticipation.

I love photographing maternity sessions. It's such a privilege for me to be able to be a tiny part of documenting this life that's forthcoming. And soon! Baby Carley should make her entrance into this world within a couple of weeks now! For now, here are some images of her beautiful mama....

...and daddy...

And I love this next one. :)

Can't wait to meet you, sweet baby Carley!

Whew! So much drama lately.

I think I'm ready to pop. :) I've been having contractions for over 2 weeks now. Little girl wants OUT! (Signs of a Diva in the making?? I hope not!) This turkey is not finished baking at just 30 weeks. I've got 10 more weeks to go! So, per doctor's orders, I'm drinking lots of water and lying down as much as possible. That means I had to go buy a laptop so I could proof in bed! (Yeah, you read that right... I'm technologically stubborn sometimes, so I haven't owned a laptop until now!) For that reason, I'm limiting my April sessions (I'm almost booked up anyhow) and scheduling mostly for May at this time. I'm also simplifying and shipping all orders instead of hand-delivering as I normally do. And if you need me, I'll still be available via email or phone... but I'll probably be answering from my cushy bed with my feet propped up!! LOL

I do have a tidbit of good news though. I finally passed that darn glucose tolerance test! Woohoooooo! I'm so tickled, honestly, you have no idea the sadness that went through my heart (and tummy) at the thoughts of no more lemonade and popsicles. LOL! I have lived on that stuff for 6 1/2 months now!! I flunked Round One of this Glucola garbage yumminess (aka Orange Triaminic + two cups of sugar). So as a result, I got to go to the lab for Round Two of this icky-sweet drink. Which meant fasting from midnight the night before the test, until the three-hour test was over. Let me just tell you.... almost 11 hours without food, when you're pregnant and FAMISHED, in a hot lab that has obviously never heard of air conditioning.... it's like shoving bamboo under the fingernails. Torture! (You can bet I hit the nearest fast-food drive-thru on the way outta that lab, that's for sure!) BUT, thankfully I got the call today that I PASSED! I'm not a gestational diabetic!! Of course, I celebrated by eating a handful of these wonderful yummy treats I found today... Starbucks Vanilla Bean Truffles. Mmmm, Heaven.... seriously.

Anyhow, here's a quick self-portrait in the bathroom mirror. Just in case you were wondering how gigantic I'm getting...

And yep, I cut my hair! I blame the pregnancy hormones, but actually, I really like it, and don't regret it one bit! THANK YOU PATTY!!! You are THE best. Muaaah!

Okay, back to bed I go. :)

Before | After

Just four days before baby Soren made his entrance into the world.....

With soon-to-be Big Sister Sophia....

And, after Soren's arrival..... just look how much she adores her baby brother. Stole my heart, it was so sweet to watch!

"Delicious" is the word his Mama used to describe this little guy... and boy was she right. I just wanted to eat him up!

I admit, I was a little worried because he had passed the 2-week "curl-up-easy-and-sleep-a-lot" magic age, but I'm tellin' ya.... this little guy curled and slept like a champ. I had no reason to worry, that's for sure!!

Enjoy your delicious baby boy, Bethany. :)

Fresh.

One of my favorite things about this wonderful job of mine, is getting to photograph such sweet new life such as this. Meet baby Aidan, who was only 5 days old when I had the privilege of photographing him. He was actually over 8 lbs, but look how tiny he looks in his Daddy's hands!

Ohh and I have lots more.... ;)

I just love this one... pacifier and all.

And one of my favorites...

I have a ton more, as always... but I'll have to save some surprises for Aidan's Mommy and Daddy. ;) Hope you like your sneak peek, Steve and Amy!