Better late than never :)

Well, I thought my next post would be an announcement that baby Harrison was here, but, I'm sorry, he/she is still baking :)

I finished editing a wedding I did this summer and so I actually have had a little time to sit down and edit some pics I took of my own little ones from the summertime. I did a really quick 1 year session of Lincoln this past September. He was so on the move that it was hard to get a lot of photos - but, I captured a few cute ones and thought I would share them :)

Capturing his first steps :)

A little cutie playing by the swing set

Simply stunning!

A couple I snapped of him in his cute onesie on the deck :)

And a gorgeous black and white one of my boy!

On a baby note, nothing much is going on. I decided against drinking the "potion" as I'm pretty sure it would have just made me gag and as much as I wanted the baby to be born today, I'm fine with him/her coming when it's time.

I'm really glad I decided against drinking it last night because Lincoln had a rough night teething and we were up with him several times and Jeremy has also not been feeling so good and is home from work today. So, it really would not have been a good night for labor to start. Ethan has been complaining of a tummy ache off and on all day as well. Thankfully neither of them seem to have the bad stomach flu that is going around right now - but both are still not feeling great. I've been praying for weeks for no sickness in our home as I'm getting so close to delivering and the Holiday's. We've even stayed home from church the past few weeks for that reason. I would so appreciate your prayers and that Jeremy is feeling much better by time we have to head to the hospital and also that Ethan feels better and everyone else stays healthy. I want things to go as smoothly as possible when I'm in the hospital...for my mom and my own piece of mind. It's always hard being away from the other kids when I go in to deliver and it would only make it that much harder for me if they weren't feeling well. So thanks for your prayers!

I see my midwife tomorrow and we will talk about a game plan on where we go from here. I will also be having a non stress test done tomorrow on baby - it's the standard procedure now that my due date has come and gone. I am feeling like we will probably end up inducing unless something happens here soon and I feel at peace with that if that should be the case. My midwife induces with a natural gel so it's very different then being induced with pitocin (yuk!). I was induced with Lincoln and things went smoothly.

I'll be sure and post again tomorrow after my appt with an update.

Much Love,
Momma Keri

It's been another month....really?

Geez, I thought I hadn't waited AS long this time to blog but it's already been a month. Well, you should all be getting used to it by now at least :)

I am 3 days away from my due date! It really has flown by and it still doesn't feel real to me we are about to have baby #4. I am so so excited to meet this little one but nervous for labor and delivery. I dream about being one of those women who say pushing is a breeze and painless. WHAT?! I still can't get over that one - seeing as it's by far the worst part of it for me and usually about the time my husband feels faintish :) I've been trying to not let it consume my thoughts and cause any fear...and just pray instead and know God will help me get through it as He has the last 3 times....and then I'll be holding and snuggling our brand new miracle. I cannot wait!

I am feeling good and have been nesting like a crazy woman. My laundry is completely caught up (which never happens, my laundry room is typically piled high with dirty laundry!), the kitchen floor is mopped, the fridge is cleaned out, my Christmas shopping is 95% done and gifts are wrapped, I'm completely caught up on all my photo editing except for one wedding, I just matched over 150 pairs of socks (yes, you read that right), I scrubbed my silverware holder (a true sign of nesting), I stuffed, sealed and mailed out 117 Christmas cards and the list goes on and on! I think I only have one or two things left on my list that I wanted to get done before baby. I feel good!

My due date is the 10th (Monday) but I've been hoping baby would come on Wednesday because his/her birthday would be 12/12/12 - cool birthday I know :) Plus, it's the last same digit day in our lifetime. Just a super cool birthday. I saw my midwife yesterday and she gave me a recipe that I am allowed to take anytime after the 10th if I choose that would most likely put me in labor. It's a combination of 4 nasty ingredients and it has put all of her patients in labor within 6 hours. Crazy I know! So, if I'm still prego on the 11th - I could pretty much guarantee my 12/12/12 babe - but, I don't think I'll do it. It sounds so gross and I'm good with baby coming whenever he/she wants to.

I have had some intense contractions for several hours a few times in the past week - but they have always calmed down and then I'll have days with nothing. My body just getting ready for this little one to come. It's exciting.

I had an ultrasound done last week and baby was measuring about 7lbs 4 oz. My midwife does not think this baby will be as big as Lincoln (9lbs) but, he/she could be of course. I mean, if I'm still pregnant a week from now I'm expecting another big babe! Not too excited about that - except for how stinkin' cute and chubby Lincoln was when he was born, I did love that.

Jeremy has felt girl all along and calls baby by our girl name. I keep leaning towards boy because of that darn u/s I had where I thought I saw something - even though the tech assured me 3 times it was just cord. Hmm, it messed with my head! Gracelyn is set on having a baby sister (because we already have a boy baby...baby Lincoln she says) and I would love to give her a sister! It would make me so happy. But, I am super excited about another little boy also - and adore the name we have picked out for him so I'm really good either way. We hope Gracelyn comes to terms with being the only princess in the family if that should be the case :)

Here's a photo of my 39 week belly bump :)

I will be sure and post on the blog as soon as I can once baby arrives. I made two cute little name banners for each name that I plan to use when showing off our new baby boy or girl to the world. So, be on the lookout for that photo on the blog in the near future :)

Our other 3 littles are doing good, healthy and loads of fun. I love being their mom and thank God everyday for the opportunity. They are all so special in their own ways and I just feel so blessed I get to be their momma. It's such a gift!

My next blog post should be announcing baby Harrison #4 is here! Eeek! Exciting.

Our last photo as a family of five...

Much Love,
Momma Keri

It's been almost 2 months. Gulp.

Hi! Yes it's true, it's a new blog post!! Wow, I knew it had been awhile since I last blogged but didn't realize it's been almost 2 months.

Life is busy! 3 little ones, a husband, a home to clean, laundry to clean, selling Scentsy and being extremely busy with my photography and being pregnant = very little time for blogging! So, now to try and think what's happened the past couple months :)

As I mentioned, I've been extremely busy with my photography - which has been wonderful! I truly never expected for it to take off the way it has, but it's been such a blessing in so many ways and it's something I truly enjoy and am passionate about. I love capturing moments that turn into lifetime memories for families, it's so much fun! My season is winding down now - as I have just 1-2 sessions left and then am going on "maternity leave" through March/spring. I've enjoyed it so much - but it's been taking a toll on my body now that I'm so far along in my pregnancy and I'm ready to relax and nest a bit before this new babe arrives.


I'm 35 weeks pregnant today, hard to believe I just have 5 weeks to go! Here's the latest photo of my baby bump - it's getting exciting knowing we will know soon whether this little one is a boy or girl. Jeremy says girl and I'm saying boy :) I'm feeling good but definitely having more aches and pains this time around...I'm sure being a busy momma, carrying the kids around and my body doing this 4 times in 5 years is a lot...but overall I'm doing good and baby is going great. I will have another ultrasound in a couple weeks (this is new) to get an estimate of baby's size and also they can see how much fluid is around baby, etc. I'm due December 10th - but hoping for this little one to come on the 12th....his/her birthday would be 12-12-12 and I think that's super fun :) My midwife said if I am still pregnant on the 11th, she can give me this special drink (a combination of 3 ingredients) that has put all of her overdue patients in labor. It's safe for me and baby - but wouldn't taste good of course. So, we'll see :) Here's the latest baby bump photo of me.

The kids are doing well. Ethan is doing well at Preschool and thriving. Gracelyn is getting prettier as the days go on and constantly makes us laugh with her little tude'. Lincoln is playing right along with his big siblings these days and doing great. He's one happy little guy - well, when he's not teething or sick with the longest cold ever :) He's still waking us up multiple times most nights - so we are still a bit sleep deprived - but, we're used to it by kid # 3 :)

Not too much else to report that I can think of. Just busy living life with our littl crew and enjoying it :) The baby's crib came today (thanks Grandpa and Grandma Harrison!) so it will be fun to set that up and start getting the house ready for a wee one again.

Thanks for stopping by and reading :)

Momma Keri

Happy 1st Birthday Lincoln Jude!

I know I say it as each birthday comes, but wow, our little Lincoln is one years old today! This past year has been such a beautiful one watching him grow and watching our family of four grow into a family of five. I've loved every minute of it.

Lincoln's arrival was such an emotional moment for me. All my babies arrivals were but after previously losing a baby, Lincoln's birth was just a little extra special for me. I just felt so overwhelmed with thankfulness, love and hope when they placed him on my belly. A new little life that would soon fill our hearts and family with so much more love. He surely has done just that. He has been such a joy and is such a happy and peaceful little guy.

He is totally getting into everything these days exploring, taking all my pots and pans out of the cupboards and turning around smiling at me with such accomplishment as I watch him. He is walking alongside the furniture and is taking steps now too. He'll be walking full force within a month I'm sure. So crazy how fast it all goes by! I try and treasure each day with my babies and am constantly thanking God for their health - as we don't know what each day may bring. I'm very blessed!

Here's a little collage of photos of our sweet boy from the past year. LOVE.

That last one was him at 9 months. I don't have the last couple months of photos organized so that will have to do for now :)

Tomorrow we celebrate with family and friends at our home for his 1st Birthday party. We can't wait! I ordered him a Lincoln Logs cake - seeing as that nickname has stuck with us since the nurse who helped deliver him called him that the minute she saw him :)

In other news, life is great! Gracelyn is flourishing in every way and oh so beautiful. I haven't taken many recent pics of her lately since her 3 year session, so forgive me....and trust me when I say she gets more beautiful as the days go on :)

Ethan is thriving and started preschool this past week. He absolutely loved his first day and I think it will be great for him. He's ready to meet new friends, and get out and do more than just sit home with mom and sister and brother....although he loves that too :) He's just going 2 days a week right now for a couple hours - but we may be switching him into a different preschool in the coming weeks that is 4 days a week and free :) Just waiting to hear back on that one. Here's a few photos from his 1st day.

Here are a few photos of ME - that I got from Molly, the girl I mentored under a few weeks back. She did a great job and it's so fun having some new cute pics of me :)

Here's my favorite of me and my most loved Nikon!

This is cute too :)

Loved mentoring with Molly!!

Here are a few photos from recent sessions I've done:

Phew. That was a lot of photos for one blog post :)

In other news, Jeremy and I enjoyed our birthday/anniversary weekend away together. While it wasn't totally relaxing since we had little Linc with us - it was still a nice break. Thanks so much to my sister for watching our other two and doing so many fun things with them while we were gone! They loved it!

Well, it's time to finish up lunch with the kids and get them down for their naps. We are getting new carpet installed today in our family room, living room and stairs so I am SUPER excited. The carpet the house came with was white - which has been horrible with having little ones. I got a much warmer tan color and am excited to get it installed today.

Have a great weekend!
Momma Keri

Mentoring with Molly...

Yesterday I had the privilege of doing some one on one mentoring with a photographer in the Bay City area. It was so much fun! I heard about her through a friend a few months back and started following her on facebook. I quickly grew to love her photos and felt we were very similar when it comes to our photography. From shooting with the same camera and lens, to the way we casually pose our clients, and our editing styles - she just reminded me so much of myself as a photographer....but better and more experienced.

I've been wanting to do some one on one mentoring with a photographer for awhile now, and she just seemed like the perfect fit for me.

So, I saved up some $ for her mentoring fee and decided to do it! I headed to Essexville yesterday and our session began at 2pm. I started by asking her to tell me her story, and how she got started in photography. Her story was so similar to mine, it was so funny. We chatted for the next hour and 45 minutes and then we headed out to a local state park to do a family shoot together. It was great being able to watch her and just compare our settings, etc. Here's a sneak peek from a shot I took of the family we photographed together.

After they left, it was time for a mini session of ME! :) It's included in her mentor fee. It was fun to get dressed up cute, put on a little make up and curl my hair....seeing as most days I'm still in my pajamas and often don't get a shower until late afternoon, or some days have to skip it all together. That's just the season of life I'm in right now being a mom of 3 kids under 5....and soon to be 4 kids under 5 :) She posted a sneak peek last night and I absolutely adore it! Here it is, me and my beloved camera :)

The image looks sooooo much better when not uploaded to the blog or facebook. It just messes with the pixels and clarity - drives me crazy! I'll be sure and post more from the session when I get my hands on them. I'm anxiously waiting but know she has many sessions to edit before mine.

After we finished up my mini session, we chatted for another 30 minutes or so until it was time for me to go, because she still had another 2 sessions that evening! She's one busy girl!

I left feeling very encouraged because while I definitely learned some things that I think will help me improve, I didn't feel completely clueless and was already doing most things the right way. I was even able to teach her a thing or two - which felt great! We definitely hit it off so easily and started a friendship - which is so awesome! I hope to have her do a shoot of our family this spring, once our little one arrives. I'm saving up for it :) I may assist her in one of her weddings this summer. I told her I would do it for free, because to me I will gain more knowledge and more experience and we work so well together!

I'll leave you with a photo from a wedding I assisted with back in July. I absolutely love this shot! This stunning bride was just hanging out on the golf cart, not realizing that I was sneaking up behind her to capture this image. This is why I love candid shots - they turn out to be some of my favorites!

Much Love,
Momma Keri

Just dropping in...

To share a photo I took tonight of the girl who has my heart.


Amazing.

Yup, I'm thankful she has 2 brothers. They are going to come in real handy in about 15 years ;)

She truly is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. So blessed she's mine!

Love,
Momma Keri