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Broderick:: The Little Things

I am lying in bed listening to thunder and rain outside my window. Nap times lately basically consist of me walking from Brody’s room straight into my room and into bed. My body needs this rest and I’m happy to give in:)
Brody’s naps are a great time of reflection for me and as I lay here, I am thinking of all of the cute little things that Brody has picked up on the past few weeks. Because I do not want to forget this age of cuteness and because I want to celebrate the little things, I thought I’d share them here! So here are some of the every day little things that Brody is doing at 17 months that we love! 
The Little Things

–He now asks for our hands when he wants us to go somewhere with him or needs our help. We just think this is so adorable!
–When he put him to sleep for either naps or nighttime, he says “bye mama” or “bye dada!” with some serious excitement. This makes us laugh because he is acting kind of excited to go to bed. I am so grateful for the times that Travis held his ground about bedtime routines–Brody has his times but overall is really good about laying in his crib until he falls asleep.
–Every morning when travis walks out of our bedroom in his work clothes, Brody automatically runs to the front door yelling “bye bye dada!!”. He knows just by the suit that it is time for Trav to go to work. This is sometimes followed by tears but daddy’s kisses help:)
–He tends to walk off into an empty room of the house then returns with a full diaper. This is hilarious to me that he needs his alone time to do his business ha! If only he understood that us adults want that too! 😉
–He gives me kisses on the cheek. Which make me actually kind of sad because he is such a sweet little gentleman:)Well, he really actually has to be reminded a lot during the day about gentleness. He gets pretty excited and the arms start swinging!
–Brody is obsessed with being outside. He looks out our front windows and yells “RO-RO!”. This is our neighbor friend and Brody is constantly asking to go play across the street. It sounds like “RO-RO. Outside. RO-RO!Mee. Mee .(please)” His friend’s name is Rowan and they play really well together.
–He has become quite the wrestler with his daddy. He is so ticklish and loves to roll around on the ground and growl. He is still ridiculously obsessed with sports balls and it is typically the first thing he says when he wakes up from naps. “BALL!” 
–This is one of my favorite things that Brody has started to do. He will randomly walk by me and ever-so-nonchalantly say “hi mama” and just keep on walking. Oh this melts my heart!!! 
This age is a lot of fun and a lot of tiring! He is a really fast runner and it is tough to keep up with. We are working on patience(all of us) and learning to sit with our hands in our laps when we are waiting for something. He is good at sitting down with his hands in his lap but it lasts for about 5 seconds then he is up whining again. I guess it is all about consistency and repetition at this age! 
I’m already so glad I wrote those things out because it is so easy to forget the sweet little things with each stage. Thanks for reading!

Broderick:: A Reminder in Capturing the Memories.

I wrote a whole blog post about an update on our lives and then I realized that I just really wanted to share how I’ve struggled to take a single photo of Brody over the past few months. My camera hasn’t left it’s home in the office except for work-related projects. 
I told myself that I have to take more photos of my boy–And NOT on my phone. Having an iPhone has a lot of perks but it has definitely put a damper in my motivation to take photos with my DSLR.
So today, despite it being hot and bright out, I took my camera out. Just take it out. Put your camera on the counter and I promise you will use it more! 
Brody has cuts on his lip and chin from being quite overzealous while throwing a baseball. His feet came out from right underneath him and his face caught his fall. All this to say, even though your kids might not be picture perfect–are they ever?!–take out your camera. I am so guilty of justifying with “The sun is super harsh” or “He isn’t matching” or “He is literally covered in dirt”. 
That’s life and if we only took pictures of our children when they were cut-free, dirt-free and mix-match-free…well…we would miss out on capturing the memories. 
So here is what our little boy looks like these days–Rosy cheeks, scrapes on his face and playing with water out of an old Dutch Bros cup. 
And in case you are wondering–Brody has a HUGE head and Travis found this hat on Amazon for $8. It is youth size and is perfect for Spring….when he actually leaves it on his head!
Looking back through these photos of moments from our every day put a smile on my face. I can honestly say I don’t think you will ever regret taking photos of your family. 
I hope this encourages you! I know I needed the reminder:)
April 25, 2014 - 9:27 pm

Alana T. - Danielle – He is absolutely adorable! He's growing so fast! You and Travis make beautiful children :) Hope all is well! Take care, xoxo

Chico, CA Birth Photography:: Emma Jean

You guys…I don’t know how to start this post. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and I am definitely on that after-meeting-a-fresh-baby high. This job is too good:)
I have been blessed to be a part of many births and I have to say, I don’t think I have ever witnessed a mom work so hard to meet her baby. Jenny, you are strong. From the moment I walked in the door to the moment we hugged goodbye, you never doubted your capability. I am so impressed. 
Here is Emma Jean’s story of how she entered the world. Good work, Mom and Dad. And a BIG congratulations to your whole family!!
 
 
 Jenny’s husband, mom and sister were great coaches. 
Moments after finding out they are parents to a baby GIRL! 
CJ, I loved hearing you encourage Jenny throughout labor. Your “you’re doing great sweetheart” and “you can do it” brought tears to my eyes.
   
 A full head of dark hair…
 Family came in to meet their new granddaughter–the “ooo”s and “ahhh”s were so great!
 Emma weighed in at 8lbs and 11oz! 
Happy Birthday, Emma. 
We’ll end with one of my favorite moments of the day–it doesn’t get much better than this. 
 
Thank you for inviting me into your lives. You made me feel welcomed. You are beautiful family of three and congratulations!! 

March 8, 2014 - 4:56 am

Mark Heringer - Fantastic series of pictures! Congratulations to Jenny and CJ!

Chico, CA Portrait Photography:: Rollins Family

I was so excited to get to photograph Keith, Meghan and their two boys out on her family’s land! She had me giddy when she told me the almond trees were blossoming!! The drive out to her parent’s house was so gorgeous with white blossoms surrounding the roads–I got more and more excited. 
It has been a blessing for me to photograph this beautiful family over the years. To be asked to document the lives of growing families over and over again is such a privilege and honor. 
Here’s a little peek into our time spent together. Thank you so much Rollins family!
 Then brothers kissed–maybe with open mouths– and thought it was super funny:)
 This next picture should go in daddy’s office–he is the Wrestling coach at Chico High and I think his boys are learning some moves! 
 The sweetest pose ever!
 This is the cutest thing! Matching John Deere Sweatshirts and the coolest tractor!
 I love to get a few photos of just mom and dad–it is where it all started:)
 If you follow my Facebook page, you saw me talk about this Willow tree that Meghan grew up playing under. She explained to me that you used to be able to hide under these leaves and someone couldn’t see you–I imagine an umbrella of green leaves. There are wooden steps up the tree where she says they used to play for hours. I’m so grateful we took photos under this tree. What a beautiful image to capture–thank you for sharing this with me.
 I love these photos of Keith and Meghan–they’re a beautiful couple!
I am so grateful for this family and the times I’ve been able to photograph them. Thank you so much! And thank you to Papaprentice and family for your help!:)
February 26, 2014 - 1:47 pm

DoolittleDesign - Those all turned out SO good! May have to do our sooner than planned! Love the
almond blossoms

Five on Friday

Well, it has been quite a while since I have done a Five on Friday post. I know…you were hanging on the edge of your seat this WHOLE time!!:)

One.
I’ve indulged in FAR too many coffee shop treats this week. It’s been totally worth it. 😉
Two.
I cut out one of Brody’s feedings this week and apparently all my worry was for nothing. He did great! I had been postponing it for weeks only to find out he would have not cared less!
Three.
I have been loving this stage of Brody’s life. He is still pretty fussy due to his chronic ear infection BUT he is such a joy to be around most of the time :). He plays in the backyard pretty independently and laughs on command. He also now laughs when he “toots”, which has me rolling on the floor!
Four.
Really looking forward to a Marriage Simulcast tonight and tomorrow through our church. Travis and I love getting encouragement on how to make our Marriage more of how God intended it to be. It will be a great time together and we could use the wisdom!:)
Five.
I took Brody to a coffee shop yesterday for our first little mommy-son coffee date. You know how you picture moments like this to be so perfect? Expectations are evil. It was super sweet for about 2 minutes until he no longer wanted to calmly sit in my lap and read a book. Exploring the coffee shop was much more exciting! It was still a fun putting and I do love this little boy so much!
Instagram–albiniphoto
Have a great weekend and enjoy this beautiful weather!