Utah Birth Photography by Red Bean Photography

A baby's birth only happens once and nothing compares to those first moments of newness as a child comes into this world.  I will forever treasure the images I have of the births of my two children. I would love to capture the journey of your baby's birth and document the magic as you meet your baby for the first time. 

Now that Miriam is getting older, I am really excited to announce that I am going to start photographing births! My first one is scheduled for next month, and I can't wait. I am super passionate about birth and am honored to be able to capture such an intimate life moment in beautiful photographs. 

I am currently working out several birth photography packages in my new pricing sheet coming soon. Watch my photography blog and site for info. 

If you or someone you know is having a baby this year and would like to have it documented, please contact me at redbeanphoto@gmail.com.  Because my children are so young, I will only be able to schedule one birth a month, so please contact me early to save your spot!

what miriam has been doing since 2 pm

Sleeping on mama.

Maybe someday she'll sleep alone again for naps.

Me: Asher, did you know that you're my favorite little boy in the whole wide world?

Asher: Yeah


Well I'm glad that's settled.

christmas number two

We had a second little Christmas with the older kids after we got back from NM. 

Here are the pics from that morning.

somewhere in northern new mexico

Taken from the car on our way home. Northern New Mexico is strikingly beautiful. I wish I had taken more photos on our drive. The light was really pretty that morning and we drove through some really beautiful parts of New Mexico.

all worn out

Asher has NEVER fallen asleep on the couch like this. He was playing with my mom's ipod and next thing we knew, he was out. Some kids do this all the time, but in case I never see it again, I had to take a picture!

nativity gnawing

 

  Miriam chewing on part of a wooden nativity puzzle.

christmas 2010

We spent Christmas with my parents and siblings in New Mexico this year. Because the big kids spent Christmas with their mom this year, we had room in our car to bring my two brothers down with us. We were going to leave Monday the 20th but heard snow was on the way so last minute we decided to leave Sunday night and drive through the night! I have never done that before but the idea of having Asher and Miriam sleep most of the way and not having to drive through snow was enough to tempt us. It actually went quite smoothly although it all sort of felt like a dream once we got there in the morning. And we beat the snow!

I'm really bad about taking pictures when I'm with my family. We mostly just hung out a lot at my parents house. Of course I did take pictures on Christmas eve and morning. We actually opened presents about 8 which is SUPER late for my family. Usually someone wakes everyone up by 6:30. Opening presents in daylight was great!

These first three are from Christmas Eve.

I love these pics of Miriam with my dad. Adorable!

Trick rider!

Asher's new bike!

Christmas dinner with our crowns from the poppers.

By the end of the week, Miriam was finally letting my mom and sisters hold her for more than a minute. She got her first taste of sugar on accident here. My mom didn't think she'd be able to break through the plastic. And the fact that Miriam actually laid her head on my mom's shoulder is a huge deal! She usually doesn't cuddle with anyone but me.

resolutions

I've never been real big on New Year's resolutions but this year the start of the new year just happens to coincide with a natural desire on my part to make some improvements, so resolutions they shall be!

I am going to make 2011 the year of developing better habits. I really hope to make some positive adjustments in some little things that I think can make big differences in my quality of life.

So here we go in no particular order:

1. Posture. Since having children my posture has seriously deteriorated from my ballet dancing youth. The combo of breastfeeding resulting in much larger breasts and always carrying a baby plus weaker ab muscles has not been good for my back. Some crunches may be in order too.

2. Housekeeping. I am admittedly not an obsessive cleaner. I am pretty good at ignoring messes in exchange for doing something more fun. However, I really do believe that having a house of order lends itself to inviting the Spirit and allows for more love and peace in the home. I want this more often. I am going to make a concerted effort to change my housekeeping habits to facilitate a more orderly home. This is a big one for me so wish me luck!

3. Spirituality. I really need to work on making this a priority in my daily life. I have been very hit and miss for the past several years with my prayers and scripture study. I haven't come up with a specific plan yet, but am going to ponder how to make this happen pronto. I'll let you know.

4. Art/Photography. Now that Miriam is getting older I'm feeling a real desire to get more serious with my photography again. I've loved doing the breastfeeding project and will probably continue this to some extent, but I want to work on growing my business this year. I will be expanding into birth photography which I am SO excited about. I am scheduled to photograph my first birth the beginning of March. This is an area I would really like to focus on since it combines two of my passions. I also want to explore the artist side of myself more. I will probably be dedicating a future post about this later. And I just want to improve and get better at making beautiful photographs.

5. Mothering. Perhaps especially step-mothering. I find myself getting frustrated with the older kids more and I want to improve that. I need to work on my tone of voice and increase my patience. I want our home to be filled with love, not annoyance and contention. Finding the right balance as a step-mother can be a tricky business, especially it seems as the kids get older. I think it was easier for me when they were younger and talked back less. :-) I have to work harder to like them some days. All parents feel that way though, right?

I feel like these are realistic and manageable goals. I am excited to get started with this new year!

What about you? Have you made any resolutions?

what a start

This morning at approximately 2 am I awoke to the panicked sound of Asher's voice calling for his Daddy. Jared discovered Asher had thrown up all over himself and his crib. He cleaned him up and brought him into our bed. Thus began our 2011. Asher threw up pretty much hourly until 7 am. I had a towel and bowl ready but our bed still managed to need some serious laundering come morning. Luckily, after the first two rounds all that was left in his tummy was the little bit of water and breastmilk he drank during the night.

He's refused all food today but did manage to keep down water and milk for most of the day- he only threw up once this evening. We spent the day on the couch cuddled up watching movies--Star Wars and Wall-E. I'm hoping tonight is not a repeat of last night and that tomorrow Asher will be back to his usual self. And I especially hope that the rest of us don't get the same bug.

And just because she's pretty, here's a pic I snapped of Miriam today.

I should also note, that despite getting woken up several times during the night by her sick brother, she was always super happy and has been a peach all day.