Savvy's 3rd Birthday Party

It really feels like just yesterday that my niece, Savannah (aka Savvy), was born.  But, believe it or not, she is turning 3 years old this week!  We celebrated on Saturday with a big birthday orchestrated by my sister Amy (Savvy's momma).  It was an absolute blast!  Here are some pictures from the festivities.  As you can see, Savvy had a fireman's party (she loves fire trucks!).  Check out the burning bushes on Savvy's cake - Food Lion did a pretty incredible job.

After eating cake and ice cream, the kids were taken outside to play some games.  This was secretly just an excuse to get them outside before Savvy's big surprise showed up.  We played some "duck duck goose" until Savvy heard what sounded like a big truck coming down the street.  Look at the expression on her face in the second picture!  Classic!  Amy managed to get the fire department to come out and let the kids see the fire truck.  This made Savvy's birthday extra special and a HUGE thank you goes out to the firemen who made it happen.  You guys are awesome!

(I know I am biased but isn't she the cutest kid ever?)

We closed out the party with Amy's version of "pin the tail on the donkey".  This was stick the sticker on Savvy's face (on a picture, not her actual face...although that could have been fun).  After the games, Savvy opened her presents while entertaining us with the Dora dance every time she received a Dora present.  I think the hit of the party was a gift from Amy's friend Rebecca (or "Pecah" to Savvy).  She got her a microphone which Savvy was super psyched about.  She entertained us with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".  Definitely an awesome party!  Happy Birthday Savvy Girl!!!!

(Dora puzzle - Savvy's doing the Dora dance)

(And there's "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star")

Nieces Shoot

My niece, Savannah, spent some time over at my house this weekend so I took advantage of the opportunity and did a shoot with her and my other two neices, Gaby and Tessa.  We had a pretty hefty list of ideas but quickly found that there was no way we were going to get through them all and some just weren't going to work with a high energy toddler.

Savannah is 17 months old and, while absolutely adorable, has a very short attention span.  It is pretty hard to give direction and take your time with a toddler who is dying to get up and run toward the camera to play with the buttons!  Luckily I had lots of help.  Gaby and Tessa were absolutely brilliant.  They helped to hold her as still as possible while my mom and sister entertained her from behind me.

We didn't get a ton of pictures but the ones we did get were definite keepers (you can click on the images for larger versions).  Here are some of my favorites.  All of the images from the shoot will soon be up on iStock.

Savannah Shoot

I had the opportunity this afternoon to shoot with Savannah and Amy.  We didn't start shooting until 3 PM and Savannah hadn't had a nap all day.  Needless to say, this made for an interesting shoot.  Most of my ideas required that Savannah be awake and happy but this time was VERY limited.  But you work with what you get and I ended up with what I think are some really cute shots of Savannah sleeping.  I pulled my comforter into the studio and laid it out over my reflective floor panels.

Savannah shots are especially important because all of the royalties that they generate go into a 529 plan toward her college education.  I started with shots when she was a newborn and have (admittedly, a bit too slowly) added to the collection over the past year.  She broke the $500 mark a few weeks ago.  If she could continue at this rate (with no growth) she would have somewhere between $14,000 and $23,000 (depending on rates of return).  Not too shabby.

On to the pictures:

My New Niece

My absolutely gorgeous niece has become a new favorite for studio work. At the ripe old age of 7 weeks, she has already experienced the flash of strobe lights more than most people will in a lifetime. I decided to start setting aside an amount equal to the commissions earned on all of her images toward her future college education. Hopefully by the time she is 18, we'll have enough for that Harvard education she is destined for!