My absolute {favorite} to date!!

So, now that I have my photography blog, I don't share many client images on here...

BUT I had to share this one! It is one of my {FAVORITE} images to date!!

It's from a session I had last week with two year old, Lauren!

I met Lauren and her mama through Barrett's playgroup. Lauren is simply adorable, and so mature and well-behaved for her age. I had a blast chasing her around at this session. Her mama, Monica, had planned some super cute outfits, and we had major fun with BUBBLES at the end of her session! I loved the idea, and the bubble machine worked perfectly for it. I'm very much considering adding bubbles to our family session in October!

I think I love this image so much because it is so full of expression! When you're photographing children, you have to become quick friends with them. It's the only way to get them on your side. Doing all sorts of goofy things, and making wacky noises helps too! I didn't have to work too hard with Lauren. She knew me as "Barrett's mommy" and was cooperative from the beginning.  But I still like to make kids feel like we're just out playing, and not worrying so much about the whole picture taking thing. During this shot, we were playing peek-a-boo with each other. You can tell her little lips are saying "boo."

A green one, and a yellow one

Skittles, that is! We have a BIG BOY at our house now, and his favorite reward for going pee-pee in the potty is Skittles! He'll do his business, and then say "me have Skittles now?" I take him to the kitchen for his reward, and he politely requests, "a green one, and a yellow one, peese."

We started potty training last Monday. It was one LONG week, but so worth it. We started to get cabin fever by the end of the week, but I think I kinda liked having an excuse to just stay in, and not get dressed til late afternoon. I'd been reading the 3 Day Potty Training Method for about a month. One of my blogging friends had done it with her little boy, and it sounded like a great method. I knew as soon as our summer vacations were wrapped up, we were going to just do it! I'd shared the 3 Day info with one of my good friends, Kelsey, and it worked like a charm for her little girl. It was just the push of encouragement I needed, to know that it worked for them. So, Barrett and I headed to Walmart to stock up on a few necessary items (LOTS of underwear, candy and gift rewards, laundry detergent, high fiber foods, and beverages),  and then got right to work!

We started out Monday morning by getting all of the diapers in the house and throwing them away! Even the ones hidden in the diaper bag in the closet, and the ones in Mommy's purse. We put them all into a grocery bag, and Barrett threw them into the kitchen trash. He said "bye-bye diapers." *I of course went back and dug them out later that day, while he was napping. There weren't very many, but I didn't want them to go to waste. I will give them to a friend.

After that, we got out all the new "big boy underwear" that we'd bought, and looked at each one, getting really excited about the characters on them. His favorite pair, from the beginning, was Lightning McQueen. He's never seen the movie, but for some reason still LOVES Lightning McQueen. This worked well for me, because he DID NOT want to get Lightning McQueen wet. We talked about keeping our underwear dry, and making sure to tell Mommy if he needed to go potty. Then, I just started giving him all kinds of beverages, so we had plenty of opportunities to go.

For the first day, I did no photography work,  and was only on the internet a few times to check client emails. We played together all day, making sure that I never let him out of my sight. The key to the 3 Day Method is to catch them in the act of having an accident, so you can get them right to the potty. You don't just take them to the potty every 20 minutes, and force them to try and go. You TRAIN them to get that "I've got to go" sensation, and run to the potty. It clicked with Barrett in no time. He would holler out "me go potty," and we would run to the potty. For the first day, his underwear were getting a little wet on the way to the potty, because he was still learning the control part, but for the most part, it went smoothly. I made sure to celebrate BIG every time he went in the potty, and of course he would get a Skittle!

On day two, he woke up dry from his 3 hour nap, so he got to open a special surprise from Mommy and Daddy. He was soo excited! 

I got very tired of saying "be sure to tell Mommy if you have to go potty" during those three days, but it was worth it. By day three, he was waking up from naps and bedtime DRY. Since then, we've gone out of the house a few times...to the grocery store, and today for lunch with Gigi. He stayed dry, so we'll slowly keep trying new places. We have yet to go somewhere long enough that he'll need to use a strange bathroom. I'm nervous for that day! We are still working on the #2 in the potty, but that will come soon.

I am so proud of my little man! I think he was probably ready for this a long time ago, but Mommy just wasn't quite ready :) I'm VERY happy that we won't be buying diapers or pull-ups for quite some time! I told Barrett that Mommy and Daddy could go out to a nice dinner at least twice a month, with the money we'll save on diapers! 

 I won't show a picture of him on the potty...but this one is just too cute not to share!

He looks so proud of himself!!

If you're planning to potty train soon, I would highly recommend the 3 Day Method. I purchased the E-Book, and it came with free mentoring and one-on-one coaching. I didn't really need to use that, but it was nice to know it was there.

Favorite Things::Late Summer

I planned to do this earlier in the Summer, but you know how that goes! Here are a few of my current favorites things! PLEASE join in, and comment if you're sharing your own favorites on your blog. I would love to come check them out. Always looking for fun new stuff :)

If you'd like to see my {favorite things} from the winter, you can go HERE

{1} Ottoman tray

Found this at Bed, Bath & Beyond this summer, while purchasing some wedding gifts for friends. I'd been looking for something for awhile. We're still enjoying the ottoman in the center of the room, instead of the coffee table. Less for me to dust! So, I wanted something sturdy (and easy to clean) for sitting our drinks, remotes, etc. on. It's heavy plastic, so it's held up to Barrett's abuse for a couple months already.

{2} OPI

When is OPI polish NOT one of my favorite things?!? I just spent the weekend in Manhattan with my girls, and enjoyed a kid-free trip to Target. Of course I had to pick up a new color. It's not quite Fall yet, so I stuck with something bright! This one is: Manicurist of Seville

{3} My new baby

Finally got a new vacuum at the beginning of summer. You might remember Kermit (the old green one) bit the dust several months ago, and I'd been using one of my parents' old vacuums. We gave this one (Dyson Ball) a test drive at Lowe's, before purchasing. It was the most I've ever spent on a vacuum, but well worth it to know that: there will be no future investment in bags, no future investment in replacement filters--they all just wash in the sink, and it came with a 5yr warranty. It's already gotten a lot of use, and I love it. Very lightweight and easy to maneuver. The canister comes off the vacuum, I hold it over the trash, press a button with one finger, and the bottom drops open to dump all the yuck. It's nice to be able to dump that after each use. It's my favorite part :-) She needs a name though! 

{4} Burt's Bees Repellent

My sister-in-law, Kim, got this for me last summer. It's Burt's Bees Herbal Insect Repellent. We've used it a lot this summer, and it smells so good!

{5} Scentsy Warmer

Umm...love this thing! My favorite scent bar is: Coconut Citrus Parfait. I got several different scents, when I bought the warmer (in February, I think), but this one is the only one I've used. Maybe this Fall, I'll try out something else. I also have the car tins in Leather, and love those. 

{6} My flops

I pretty much live in flip flops during the Summer (and most of Spring and Fall too). Last year I found these at Old Navy in brown, and fell in love with them. Super comfy, and not just your regular 'ol flops. My brown ones are getting pretty worn, so I got this pair of gray ones online a few weeks ago.

{7} Cinnamon Sugar Kettlecorn

One of the few reasons I don't mind going to Walmart! I found this popcorn a few weeks ago, when we were shopping for our family vacation groceries. Barrett loves this stuff, and it makes a great afternoon snack! Besides dog food, Walmart found one more way to get me in there...I just went back for bag #2 of this stuff, and noticed they have a couple other flavors.

{8} Burt's Bees Lip Balm

Another Burt's item! I ran out of my Mint Tingle lip balm, so I found this to get me by until Bluegrass.

Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil.

{9} Mountain Spring

Since my pregnancy, I became super sensitive to scents in things like lotions and detergents. I switched to All Free & Clear early in my pregnancy. Then I used homemade detergent from a friend for quite a while. I would love to have kept using that, but the truth is I just don't have the time to make it. So, I finally found a detergent with a light scent, that I can stomach! Tide Mountain Spring.

{10} M&M's

M&M's with pretzels...need I say more?!?!

Off to make dinner and prepare for a photos session in this awesome cooler weather! Who's ready for FALL???