{Sunday Morning}

I have never been one for routines. By that I mean I don't thrive on being on a set schedule every day, every minute. Some people do, and I kind of admire that kind of quality in a person. But I am not that person.

When I had my first child, all that changed. The first piece of advice my mother gave me was that children thrive on consistency and routine. If they know what to expect, they will be happier, and more content day-to-day, which in turn will create a well behaved child. She couldn't have been more right. From the day Emma was born, she has had basically the same routine everyday. While it has changed here and there, we do the same things pretty much daily.

The only day that we sway from our usual routine in Sunday. Ahh...Sunday. I reserve most Sundays for PJ's all day, yummy snacks, lots of stories, leaving messes, arts & crafts...you get the idea. One of my favorite memories of growing up will always be Sundays. We sometimes went to church, and would come home and have a lunch. Sandwiches and chips, usually. Then we would all sit in the living and watch football, or movies. My mom and I were usually engrossed in a book, but we were together. And being together is all that really matters, right?

Onto Sundays...

warm, rich coffee in my favorite cup...


reading the Sunday paper while my girls scribble away, using their imagination to create amazingly unique pictures...



clipping coupons, planning next weeks dinners...


babies who are in the mood for some mommy lovin'


little girls with messy, i don't have to school today hair...


big eyed girls...


little girls that are growing up way too fast. Too too fast...


Have I mentioned how much I love Sundays? I do. I really really do :)


Now I am off to bed to read and drink some scrumptious hot tea. Goodnight all!



"Being happy doesn’t mean things are perfect, it just means you’ve decided to look past the imperfections." -unknown

{Lucky Girl}

Cozied up in bed, watching my weekly dose of TV, I can't stop thinking of one annoying thing that happened yesterday. I took the girls to the grocery store to grab a few things yesterday evening. Probably a mistake on my end, it was the end of the day; and we all know a toddler and preschooler at the grocery store is challenging enough, right?

 After fighting Emma all through the aisles about not getting every single thing, we made it to the checkout. We got in line, and there was a charming older lady in the lane next to us. Emma immediatley said Hi, and introduced herself. (She does this with everyone. The girl has never met a stranger!) The lady proceeded to tell me what a handsome little boy I have. She even went as far as telling me 'he' reminded her so much of her son. Umm...ok. The pink and purple coat didn't give it away? Or the pink shoes? Or the fact that Emma said this is my SISTER? On a normal day, I probably would have let it slide, and not get annoyed by it. I know Lexi has virtually no hair. But this lady was the fifth, yes FIFTH person to comment on my little boy.

Annoyed and frustrated already, I arranged my groceries on the belt, and patiently waited for the ever-so-slow cashier ring me up. Swipe my debit card. Declined, insufficent funds. Hmm...I asked him to run it again. Declined again. I called my bank, and verified that I had more than enough to cover my groceries. I was almost in tears. I felt like every person in the store was looking at me with those poor, pitiful, I feel so sorry for you looks. So, I asked them to hold onto my cart and I would run to the bank to withdraw the money. It all worked out, and I arrived home about 45 minutes later with two frustrated, hungry kids.

As I am writing this, it doesn't seem so bad. I guess if that was the worst part of my day, I am a pretty lucky girl, right?

Onto more cheerful things...I am loving the routine we have settled into since Emma started school. I love that I get to spend my afternoons with Lexi, and she gets one on one attention from me. I love Emma's teachers, and I love even more how much Emma loves them. When Emma gets home, we eat dinner, have story time, do bathes, more stories, and most nights for the past month they are in bed around 7. Lovely. Since this is my photography blog...here are a few snapshots I took of the girls tonight after bathtime.

i love how Lexi is looking at Emma in this one. 



such a Lexi face. Her cheesy face :) 



hair or no hair...my baby's got some b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l. eyes!!

On Tuesday evening I met up with a good friend of mine to take some photos of her little boy. I shot her wedding over the summer, and I still can't get over how adorable her son is. I can tell he has such a gentle soul as well. He is a very inqusitive, smart kid. And his eyes...they are just stunning. Go ahead...see for yourself...




told ya...


isn't his pumpkin hat perfect for fall? 

Doesn't he look like he belongs on the cover of Parenting magazine? I think so! 


So there you have it, a little dose of what makes me happy, and what gets under my skin a little bit :)

Don't forget that tomorrow is your last day to enter for your chance to win a free session with me! I am going to make it a little interesting...

If you direct someone to my blog, and they leave me a comment, I will put your name in the drawing TWICE! Yep, that means you have a bigger chance to win your session! Make sure your friends let me know who sent them my way :)

I'm heading to bed feeling like a very lucky girl!

{One of those moments}

Do you ever have one of those moments where you just know...where there is nothing else in the world you would rather be doing? As silly as it sounds, last night was one of those moments for me. I made spaghetti after a very long, tiring day. I could think of nothing other than my girls being in bed, and me doing the same. Mind you, it wasn't even 5 o'clock yet. My patience was running low, and so were the girls. So, dinner is ready and we sit at the table to eat. Lexi decides to dump her spaghetti on her head. Then Emma started acting really silly, giggling hysterically. At me. Because I really thought I was going to lose it. But then it hit me...these are the moments that count. Being silly, and acting crazy. So I gave in. Emma and Lexi ate spaghetti with their hands as watched, and wondered; how on earth did I wind up with two amazing, beautiful souls? Children are just amazing. As the days go by, I can't help but thinking that Emma and Lexi are teaching me more than I could ever dream of teaching them. I love it, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 


mmmm...she liked the spaghetti! 





Last weekend I was so busy with shoots, which I love. Keep it comin' people :)

The first was the wedding of a friends parents. They were married in St.Joseph, MI. What a beautiful little town. I had never been before then, and I couldn't get over it! They were married outside at their favorite restuarant. It's called Tosi's and it is an amazing place! Other than being beautiful, all of the staff is extremely nice and helpful. I was hoping for a few sunset shots, but the weather didn't cooperate much longer after the ceremony. Here is a few sneak peeks of the happy couple, and one cute little boy :) Thank you for choosing me to photograph such a fun, special day!

how cute is he? I got a ton of beautiful shots of this handsome little guy!

My last shoot for the weekend was for a very, very dear friend of mine. She has two children that are the same age as Emma and Lexi, so we had a little play date before our shoot. Her daughter was amazing for me in front of the camera. There wasn't anything that she wouldn't do, and she was having fun being my little model. Her brother is a little charmer as well. He was a sweetheart, but by the end of the shoot he was over it. I mean, what 1 year old wouldn't be, right? I'm lucky if I get Lexi to sit still for a second!!

During our shoot it started raining out of literally now where, so I had to run for cover a few times to ensure that my 3rd baby didn't get a splash of water on it. lol. In case you didn't get it, I refer to my camera as my third baby regularly ;)

Now...onto to all this cuteness. Phew, where do I begin?





 precious...I can't wait to do more shoots with these adorable kids!! Love ya Michelle :)

 oh yea...it was Halloween this weekend!! My girls were Dorothy and To To from The Wizard of Oz. I thought they looked incredibly cute, but I guess I am a little biased.

this is one is out of focus, and technically not the best photo. But it was all To-To would let me get ;) 



see...they are pretty cute, huh?

Ok readers, I am going to do a giveaway. All you have to do is leave me a comment, and become a fan of Melissa LaRue Photography on facebook. The winner will be selected by random.org on Friday, and will recieve a free session {$175 value} with me. You must be available to book your session before December 1st! So...go ahead and leave me some love to get your chance!