Phoebe Elaine surprised us with an early arrival on April 23, 2012!  After a quick and easy delivery, I suffered some complications.  It was a wild ride, but it’s been a great reminder as to how precious life is.  I thank God for his blessings and provision, and I thank my doctors and nurses for their quick action and hard work.  I also thank all our friends and neighbors for their love and support.

I’m a broken record when it comes to newborn posts.  I always say “life is precious.”  But it’s true!  There’s always a moving story behind a baby’s birth.  It’s always remarkable and special.  Nothing is predictable or certain, and with each baby I meet and each story I hear, I am moved by the miracle.

Here are some images of our hospital stay from immediately following the birth to the day we went home.

We lathered on sunscreen yesterday to play outside. Today we’re in sweaters watching the rain all day. It’s Spring time in DC!

This week I’m celebrating 35 weeks of pregnancy.  We’ll be meeting our little baby shortly!

We’ve had a fun family day with my husband home (he takes Fridays off).  So as our 2nd daughter was waking up from a nap, my husband grabbed my camera and took these.  They will be some of the first photos in our new baby’s album.  Getting excited!

Taking this picture, editing this picture, and enjoying some strawberries and sun today make me excited for summer!

I’m loving this warmer weather.

I snuck up on my daughter at the National Arboretum this morning while she was eating a pear.

And I caught her in a neat way. I also caught my 32 week baby bump in the process. Pretty soon we’ll have a new baby gracing the pages of this blog!

We had a beautiful St. Patrick’s Day.  Hope you did too!

Sometimes my favorite image of a session is one that I almost overlooked.  This was the last image I edited in this session, and it’s turning out to be my favorite.  Her eyes sparkle here.  She’s comfortable, natural, and real.  The angle is playful, and I love the black and white conversion.

I always try to get a balance of lifestyle or “real moments” during a photo session and some great, more straightforward portraits of the children.

It’s a good reminder to always go back and look again.  There might just be something I overlooked.

I’m looking forward to meeting a sweet newborn this weekend and catching up with a big 9 month old again.  I’ve documented his life every 3 months since birth, and it’s been a really neat project.  In the mean time, I’ve been spending too much time on Pinterest.  (Follow me there if you want–Emily Large– and I’ll follow you.  But I warn you, it’s highly addictive!)

I took the day off yesterday from documenting other people’s children and focused on my own.  Our oldest daughter celebrated her upcoming birthday with a gymnastics party this weekend.  It was so fun to see her play and thrive and celebrate.  We love her very much and will cherish these memories for years to come.

Happy Birthday, little princess!  We love you “all the way to the moon and back!”

There’s no holiday we don’t celebrate our house, especially when we can make a craft for it!

From my groundhogs to yours, Happy Groundhog Day!

I have some wonderful friends–Melina and Liza– who blog together HERE.  They are beautiful women with “champagne taste on a beer budget,” which is exactly what we all want, right?  Next week I’m going to guest blog for them about a DIY project that I have done in my girls’ room.

Here’s a sneak peak at what we’ve been up to…

Lots of painting, furniture moving, hanging, and actually re-arranging and re-hanging already.  More on that Tuesday on their blog . . .

So, as I’ve been putting my guest post together, I’ve been thinking about these two friends, their unbeatable style, and unlimited creativity.  I dug these images up from last March when I visited NYC and spent some time in Mel’s home.

I love spending time in people’s homes, capturing them in their unique environments, and taking home a few tips on the way.  Such style, beauty, and inspiration!