Ava Mae

Blogging. Typically not fun. Blogging about babies? Yes please! Yes please!


Look at this little sweetheart. If you're not melting by now, you should check and see if you have a heart. No really. You might not have a pulse.
Talk about adorable. With all my poking and prodding that I'm insistent on doing in these infant sessions she woke up. But instead of yelling at me (like she had every right to do), she just laid there and made sweet little squeaky noises at me. I could not get enough of her! I'm sure you won't be able to either!

I'm Just Feeling Generous

I'm just feeling it today. I'm getting in the Christmas spirit (even though I'm a firm believer that the wonderful Thanksgiving holiday should not be overlooked) and I feel like handing some things out.

My good friend Sarah from over at Sealed Expressions has come up with these amazing note cards. You. Need. To. Check. These. OUT! They are sooo amazing. Not only are the amazing, but they're amazing enough that I need to put some in the hands of my wonderful fans and customers NOW!

So, here is what you do. Go to my fan page on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5600096&id=608175974#!/pages/Flint-MI/Elizabeth-K-Photography/76617802040). If you're not already a fan, become one. Quick, painless and pretty much you'll be the coolest one of your friends (that is if they're not already a fan. But you'll still be pretty cool.). Next, type me a little note and tell me that you're a new fan OR an existing fan so I can totally give you a shout out. Now you're in the "in crowd" and the "in crowd" is eligible to win :). But Wait! There is MORE (said with the best Billy Mays impression I can muster up)! You can increase your chances of winning by also becoming a fan of Sealed Expressions (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5600096&id=608175974#!/pages/Sealed-Expressions-Invitations/64646942545) on FB! No lie. Just follow the same instructions. Fan then drop her some love and let her know you're new to FB. Then, come back to my blog here and let me know that you're now a fan of both. Pretty simple.

Contest starts today and ends on Friday at midnight. So... what are you still doing here? Get going!

Whats Love Got To Do With It? Everything.

I can't recall the weather (although I'm pretty sure it was much like today), I can't really recall what I wore (probably something I no longer own) and I can't fully recall who was there (which is really bad because it was only a handful of people.). But I do recall how I felt. Sure, I was in love. FYI: You're supposed to be in love when you get married ;) More importantly, I felt calm. I knew this was the right thing. I knew that man I was saying "I do" to loved me more than anything else in this world. I knew that he loved my daughter and would take care of her no matter what. I knew that we would be the old couple still walking hand-in-hand down the street. It couldn't feel more right...

Fast forward 6 years. Here we are. A mortgage, 3 kids and a minivan later. Romance kill? Perhaps. There aren't chocolates and roses everyday followed by tender "I love you" moments. Nope. It's "Here, I know that she's poopy, but could you just change her so I can run a brush through my hair before we leave?" or "How long has this bottle been shoved underneath the car seat?" to one of my personal favorites "What is in that Tupperware container? Ugh! I'm not opening it! YOU open it!". Trust me - I'm not complaining. It's called reality. We live it everyday and quite honestly, I wouldn't trade it for the biggest most beautiful rose gardens in the world or the Hershey's factory (well, I would probably debate for a moment - especially on the really bad days, but I know that my life would win in the long run...).

I loved him when I married him, but I love him more today. There have been many moments that I have taken time to reflect on what an incredible person he is and felt completely unworthy. He has taken a little girl that he didn't have to love, care or provide for and given her his last name. He has given life to my dream as a photographer. Even more recently, he carried the coffin of the grandma that I loved so dearly to her resting place and hugged me and patiently loved me through all the tears.

He loves me in spite of me. You can't ask for more than that. Happy 6 year anniversary to My Love!

Empty Bowls

I'm so glad to have people in my life that like to help others and try to do good. That's me too. I'm a "do gooder" so I tend to surround myself with people that like to have a positive impact on the world around them. Enter two wonderful ladies/teachers that I know personally and love their heart for helping others. One teaches at Vassar High School and the other at St. Paul school in Millington. They both asked me, almost on the same day, for some sort of donation toward their empty bowls project. Of course the answer was "yes" and I don't want to stop with just that. I would like to share with you what the Empty Bowls project is and how you can help.

As I have mentioned before, I'm merely a sub-par writer (and that, I believe, is an overstatement) so I'll let them tell you in their own words:

Amy Baldwin Art Teacher St. Paul Millington:

"October 26th from 5:00-6:30 at St. Paul Lutheran School. My 3rd grade art students make over 100 ceramic bowls and we have a dinner. Tickets are $10 and patrons receive a soup dinner, dessert, beverages, and get to take home one of the student-made bowls. All of profit goes to the Millington Food Pantry. This fall will be our 4th annual event. We have given about $3000 to the pantry so far.
We also sell small ceramics the kids made, and have silent auctions and door prizes. The money from the auctions and sales goes to a school family (or families) who need a little extra cash. We do quite well here, too. I always have something that pertains to the art industry, since it’s an art event. And since I have so many talented friends (and friends of friends), I’d like to promote their business."

For information on what is being offered as door prizes and auction items, follow this link:
http://abaldwin.edublogs.org/empty-bowls/door-prizessilent-auction/

Sarah Piazza Art Teacher Vassar High School:

"Mine is basically like Amy's, but it is not until Feb. It has been running for years through Lois Parsell, this is my first year in charge of it, but she will be there as my mentor along the whole way! I will have 3 silent auction items, some handmade Art items for sale and some door prizes. VHS has given thousands to the Vassar Food Pantry over the years. I am honored to take the torch and keep this tradition going.

This year I am only featuring items to auction/sell that are produced by former VHS Art students - I think it is a great way to show what a little Art can do! "


So, what can you do to help? Participate by purchasing tickets to attend. Support this program to help local families. Not having enough income to be able to purchase the basic necessities in life must be devastating.

For more information, you can contact these teachers via Facebook.

(Picture donated by Elizabeth K Photography for Empty Bowls Dinner.)

How He Loves...

I have to completely honest with you. This is a tough one for me to post. Let me explain...

Have you ever had something so wildly personal but so wonderful that you want to keep it bottled up like your special little secret but shout it out to the whole world all at once? That is how I feel about my newborn session yesterday. It is so close to my heart that part of me wants to keep it private; just between me and my clients. I don't think I can be that selfish though. Mainly because of their story and how unselfish they have been about sharing it. Willing to share their story of love, loss and life. They're an inspiring couple that you'll walk away from a better person for knowing. I've prayed along with countless others for this little blessing that they now have. God listens. God answers. It reminds me of the song "How He Loves" and I can't help but getting teary-eyed just trying to grasp the thought of how much He does care. I feel so humbled and honored that I was invited to be the photographer. Thank you to this family seems so inadequate, but I can't find the words to say what this meant to me.

Little Amelia. Too sweet for words. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

A Little Late, But Worth The Wait!

I was once told that after a week, you may as well not even blog about a wedding if you hadn't already because everyone else has already posted pictures. I normally agree with this theory, but with this wedding, I couldn't resist.

I love, love, loved everything about Leslie and Matthew's wedding! Mainly because they are both so artistic and crazy amazing at what they do. Between the two of them, there are stunning paintings, blow-your-mind graphic design and stellar photography. Which is why I was soo incredibly honored that they asked little 'ol me to be their photographer!

So much of who they are as individuals and who they are as a couple went into this wedding. Their love for one another is so apparent and so beautiful! Blessings on
you both and I hope that my pictures do your gorgeous day justice :)

FYI/Did You Know?

I love, love, having a laptop. Why didn't I get one sooner?! It's amazing to be able to sit next to Christian while he does his school work and do my work at the same time! Not only that, but I'm officially a Twitterer (ekphotog) and a Skyper! This whole "welcome to the 21st century" thing is pretty amazing! Settle down, settle down... Now before you get too excited and wet your pants or something, I still am NOT texting. Although, at the rate I'm going, it may be sooner than later. Stay tuned for more details...

That has actually nothing to do with my post today, but I thought I'd just let you all know that I'm shedding the grandma side of me and getting with the times. As I said before I like to let you know all of the options that you have available to you with your photographs, but if I listed all your options, my price sheet would be forever long and, quite frankly, who has time for that?

Gallery wraps are a great gift idea not only for people on your Christmas list, but as a little Christmas gift all to yourself. What?! Life requires a bit of selfishness once in a while. Gallery wraps are UV coated to protect from fading and available in standard and custom sizes. Email me today for pricing.

***Photos borrowed from weddingbee.com and gunnyweddingdesign.co.uk***

Getting Older.

I decided to have a little fun today and do a mock David Letterman Top 10 List. As if you had no clue that you're rapidly approaching 30 and you're a mother (mainly of multiple children), then here are some indications that you might be in my boat (in the middle of a storm and clinging for dear life...).

10) You find yourself using terms such as "good gravy" and "fiddlesticks".

9) The young kid hitting on you lights up like a Christmas tree when you reveal your age (in an attempt to scare him off) because he thinks he's scored himself a cougar.

8) You drive a minivan.

7) You drive a minivan and you like it.

6) You have a membership to a discount warehouse. Sam's Club, Costco, etc.

5) New undergarments are a privilege. And one with a pattern? Oh my! Dare we even dream?!

4) You tear up when you receive new towels as a Christmas gift. Not because you're disappointed but because you're overjoyed.

3) When you drop your kids off at school, the guy helping them in thinks you're someone entirely different when you come to pick them up - just because by then you've had a shower. Sadly, I think this is actually the case for me...

2) Your biggest thrill for the week comes when you check out at the grocery store and see your total savings with coupons.

And the #1 way you can tell that you're rapidly approaching 30 with children is...



1) Your kids radio station plays a "retro lunch" and the songs are from when you were in high school.



Hope you enjoy :)

Keep smiling!

~ Libby

Fall Mini Shoot for Dinner

It is crazy town in our household this evening. The dishes are stacked, the baby refuses to sleep and came to the decision that yelling at me, in the form of scream crying, was a better option, the kids are arguing and dinner needs to be made (which I have no clue what to make. Old Mother Hubbard syndrome has hit our house with a vengeance). What better time to blog?!

I just wanted to give everyone the heads up about the Fall Mini Shoots. They're pretty much booking up. Fast. If are interested, please call me! I want to make sure that I can squeeze everyone in.



Happy Dinner Hour to you all and goodnight!

Keep Smiling!

~ Libby

And So It Begins... Again

Well, here we are at the beginning of another school year. What a morning! It began with a mad dash for my coffee mug and spiraled out of control from there - with my emotions that is.

Jamie was quick to get out of bed. She loves school. I can't quite figure that out since I always hated school and was in tears about the 1st day back up until about 9th grade. Then I just kept the tears on the inside because I thought it might be a little ridiculous coming into school crying. No. Really. I'm a big baby. Christian on the other hand was well, not quite as excited. Mainly, because his teacher is Mrs. Mommy. That's right. I decided to keep the boy home and school him from here. Just this first year and then next year we'll enroll him.

It shouldn't be this difficult really. Jamie went to school last year too. I think a number of things contributed to my sorry emotional state. For one, I'll miss sending her to St. Paul. They love her there and I love that. Everyone knows everyone else and it truly feels like one big loving family. I'm big on that sort of thing. Leaving my kiddo where I know she'll be well taken care of and they appreciate her for who she is. Now, I don't know if she'll just blend into the crowd. Is she just another 2nd grader to this faculty? *Sigh* I suppose she'll make it. She's a great kid and if they miss out on knowing that - oh well. I know who she is and I love her to death.

Time passes and seems to speed up the more I age. I am the mother of a 7 year-old, 5 year-old and a 4 month-old. Scary. Needless to say, there were tears. Then appreciation. Appreciation for all of the hard work and support I have gotten from both my own parents and from my in-laws. So, in my emotional state, like a drunkard, I called my mother-in-law first. And through tears, I left on her VM (because she never answers her dang phone!) a sappy message about how much I value her and her husband. Then, as if I wasn't a mess already, I called my parents. I got their answering machine too (what is the dealio folks?! Doesn't anyone know that it's the 1st day of school?! Geesh!) so I proceeded to stalk them and hunt them down on their cell phone. They were out for their walk, but not to be deterred, I, through even more excessive tears, told them what an awesome support system they are. And it's the truth. I am such a fortunate gal to have such wonderfully amazing people in my life.

So, that was MY first day of school. The kids couldn't have cared less :)