Trish, Bryon and Baby Molly <3

Hope everyone had a rockin’ Easter filled with many of my nemesis, Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs.  Goddd, why are they soooo gooooooodddddd?  Seriously!  I am obsessed with these even more than the Reese’s Hearts and Reese’s Trees. 

Lots of my high school friends follow my photography and blogs (gracias!!) and those in that category would know the adorable Mama Trish.  : )  They are expecting their first baby SOOOON and I couldn’t be happier for them!

She’s one of those people that truly is just as sweet and genuine as she is beautiful!

 

Needless to say, everyone was thrilled when they announced the big news.  Miss Molly is getting ready to make her big debut just before summer in Chi-town.  This little gal is ready to get her big city shoppin’ on.  And we all know such a stylish couple is guaranteed to be totin’ around a stylish little fashionista!

Note the adorable jewels.  Trish sells Lia Sophia, too, so she has the cutest accessories EVER.  Here is her link if you are interested in a party, book party or just ordering something:  CLICK ME!

 Trish and I have religiously followed each other’s blogs for a few years now…or however long we’ve been blogging.  It was hilarious because when I finally got to meet her husband at their maternity photo shoot, I really felt like I already knew him.  Ha!  I was practically at their wedding a couple years ago in Ireland thanks to the fabulous photos Trish posted after the big day.  If you know Trish, I highly recommend going to her Facebook and getting her blog link.  It’s really cute : )

They actually came out for mini-sessions the morning of her baby shower.  One of her shower guests had purchased a super generous Ann Steward Photography gift card for her as a shower present, so I knew I had to allow some extra time for some additional maternity photos of fabulousness.  Since they actually live in Chicago, I am not sure when else she’d be able to use the card (I know it’s not easy to pack up a baby and drive three hours to someone for photos) in the near future.  At the time, I was hoping it wasn’t obvious I was extending their mini-session a little bit – I didn’t want to ruin the surprise : )

 

During the session, we talked about how Trish and I love spending money and our husbands have heart attacks over it : )  We knew this, of course, from the blogs.  I am hoping Kurt and Bryon get to meet someday – they would get along great.  We won’t let them compare notes too long, though.  It could be detrimental to our shopping funds.  Ha!

 

OMG, look at those little shoes and the “Love at First Sight” frame with the ultrasound pic.  Dying over the cuteness.

Good luck, Trish and Bryon!  We will all be awaiting for the big news of Miss Molly’s arrival and hope to see lots of pics and blogs related to the adorable little princess!! 

Thanks soooo much for coming out to the farm!  xoxo! 

Mucho love,

Ann : )

My friend, Kirby

Kirby is awesome.  I can’t help but call him Kirbs.  Kirby just the CUTEST name for the cutest and coolest kid ever.  I met Kirbs last year when Jen heard about my photography and I did their family’s holiday card photos and Kirby’s photos.  Jen and I have stayed friends and have had some super-fun convos.  NOW, they are MOVING to Champaign, IL!  Waaaah!  I’m sad! 

She brought the Kirbs out for the Spring Mini-Sessions, though.  We took the gator for a spin, too.  Between Kirby’s dad and grandpa, he is VERY familiar with the big green tractors : ) 

Kirby is SOOOO NICE.  When they left, he goes, “Thank you, Ann.  Maybe we can do it again sometime?”  ISN’T THAT SO SWEET! 

Here he is, in all of his cuteness : )

Thanks Chris, Jen and Kirby!  Hope to see you the next time you come through the Quad-Cities! 

XO!

Ann

Pandora and Baby Ashlyn Pics <3

Everyone knows photography is LITERALLY (Evan, ha!) the most expensive hobby and/or job in the world.  Occasionally, I make ingenius business investments that don’t cost thousands of dollars [The husband’s thinking, “Yeah right.”] that I need to share with blog world.  : )

So, I had been using Pandora internet radio for months.  Who wants to know my list of radio stations?  : )  Hilarious!  : )  Kurt makes fun of my stations all the time.  It was pretty bueno except for the fact that Photoshop CS5 doesn’t always like switching between the internet and PS.  Not to mention, I was sooo tired of hearing random snack, insurance and banking commercials from Pandora every 4th song (even though I know that’s how they allow it to be free) and having it shut down every 8th song and say “Are you still listening?”  Then, I’d have to switch to the internet to say, “Yes, I’m still listening” to start it playing again. 

Spent the $36 and have been rocking it out ever since.  Sooooo much better than free Pandora.  Yay!  I am awesome at using computers but not describing anything technical:  so the new $36 Pandora is kind of like the “calculator feature” on the computer.  I have it pinned to my taskbar.  So whenever I want to change stations, I just click the “P,” the calculator-sized Pandora pops up and I change [my awesomely cool] station.  It also has its own sound control so you can still watch something online and turn down Pandora.  NO COMMERCIALS.  No Internet Explorer Photoshop wars.  #amen  #investinthis #pandoraswinning

Pleassssse ignore the horrible-quality blackberry pic.  The left screen is my big photog monitor and the right is my laptop.  The top box = calculator.  The bottom box = Pandora <3  See, youuuu can have Pitbull radio, tooooo!  Oooo baby baby LA LA LALALALALALA!  : ) : ) : )

Anyhowww ~ on to some items of adorableness!

Here are a couple pics of one of my BFF’s super cute little baby, Ashlyn!  <3  Lovvve her!  Bow by Three Little Bows.  Like her Facebook page if you have a girl – Tara’s stuff is beautiful!

Isn’t she the sweeeetest!  Can’t wait to see her again <3

Happy Tuesday to All!

xoxo!

Ann

Crowns <3

I shall post some photos of what I’ve been doing as of late over the next week or so. 

I was by no means deprived as a child.  My parents always let us be involved whatever we wanted but my dad always just told us to figure out a way to be really good at it…post-haste.  And not care what anyone thinks about it, either.  I still have that attitude and it has saved me a lot of time by focusing on things I really like and that I’m good at…like accounting.  Ha.  Bad example.    

No, seriously.  It wasn’t too long ago I was blowing dust off the SLR camera that had been in the bottom of our living room closet for two years.  Find what you love.  Go psychotic obsessive crazy-in-a-good-way learning everything about it and love it even more.  ; )

Growing up, I LOVVVVED dance, tumbling, cheerleading, flute-playing and whatnot.  I never played sports because I already knew I hated them and wouldn’t be good at them anyway.  I’m 4’11”!  And I am not a fan of anything involving me being in direct sun, dirt or shin guards.  Or round flying objects.  I am a little sad, however, that I never got to wear the cute little volleyball shorts.  In lieu of having to serve, spike and suffer the “achy wrists” from “bumping” the volleyball, the shorts can go.  There are only 3 things, really, that I was deprived of doing in my ENTIRE life that I know I would have LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVED: 

1.  I just KNOWWWW I could rock Tootsie’s in Nashville with my amazing singing voice.  Every single night from 6-10 or 10-2.  The occasional guest appearance at The Stage or Legend’s.  Except the fact I’m a TERRIBLE singer!  Terrrrible!  Horrible!  No bueno!  Saddness!!!

2.  I am the PERFECT sorority girl, Elle Woods style.  Except that my parents aren’t billionaires and I didn’t have a hot-pink convertible.  Elle = SOOO ME.

3.  I would have LOVVVED to be in pageants!  If I were a foot taller and had nice, fluffy, gorgeous hair and perfect cheekbones.  :)  The getting dolled up, wearing evening gowns and being on stage  = > DREAM!

Needless to say, I was sooo excited to do some pageant photos for this lovely girl!  I got to photograph her crowwwwn and her beautiful gowwwwwwn (sorry, the gown photos are on lock-down)  She is just SOOO DARLING, isn’t she?!  I absolutely loved working with her and her mom and wish her the very best of luck in the pageant!  <3

xo!

Ann 

Not That Anyone Cares…

…BUT…

I think I shall throw-back to my old blog of randomness and make some random Ann facts:

1.  I love mustard.  Like, a lot.  All kinds.  Lot lot lot.  I DETEST ketchup (catsup, etc) because my dad used to work at the Heinz plant in Muscatine back in the day (pre-moi) and would never eat it, even twenty-fiveish years later.  Eventually, I put two-and-two together.  I would continuously (I’m talking over the course of several years here) ask him what was it he didn’t like about ketchup and he would just say “because some things slip through the cracks,” “not everything bad makes it off the conveyor belt,” etc, and wouldn’t tell me.  Finalllllly, FINALLLLY, like four Thanksgivings ago, after I said “Like what?  Bad tomatoes?” about three times he just goes, “Like snakes.”  We haven’t talked about it since.  ::shudders::  ::ughhhh::  ::hate snakes::

2.  I was a Psych/Soc double-major for 3.5 years before I decided to make some real money and switch my major to accounting.  Moral of the story:  Don’t do what I did.

3.  My first concert was Boyz II Men in like ’87 in Iowa City.  My dad got tickets for him, me and two extras so I could invite two friends.  I was only in fifth grade.  Now that I’m the mom of a fourth grader, I can appreciate how awesome that was of him to do for me.  Does this mean I’m supposed to buy 4 tickets to Taylor Swift for Belle and her friends?  =(

4.  I went from a Canon Rebel to a Canon 7D to a Canon 5DMkII in a matter of three months.  Moral of the story:  Don’t do what I did.  I am sensing a pattern here involving me making quick decisions.  Just go for the MkII and buy two of them.  The 7D is a fabulous camera but once you start rollin” a full-frame, using a crop is weirdddd.

5.  I rock Calligraphy.  I took it in college and got 100%.  For my final project, I wrote all of the words to Montel Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It,” on the hugest piece of paper with the curliest baroquesty font EVER.  OMG, embarrassed.  However, my grandma (R.I.P.!!!!) had bought me a professional calligraphy set from an art store when I was like 7 with real inks and whatnot so I taught myself back then.  I think those skills really added to my Montell masterpiece.   HAHA.

6.  Right now Kurt is five years younger than me.  It’s his favorite two months of the year.  :)

7.  I lived in Seattle.  I was supposed to take Belle for her tenth birthday but she decided she’d rather have a slumber party instead.  While it’s sad to know my place in the heirarchy, I am happy to save a grand. 

8.  My true dream is to have a southern accent.

9.  My three favorite movies:  Dirty Dancing.  Breakfast Club.  Legally Blond.

10.  I love the song Let It Rock by Kevin Rudolf.  There, I said it.  Because when I arrive – I I bring the fire.  Make you come alive.  I can take you higher.  (etc)

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Tuesday!!  Love to all!  xoxo!

Ann

P.S.  Whenever I’m totally M.I.A. you can bet I’m working on a photography project, researching something photography-related to buy or have a sick little farmboy on my hands.  All 3 in this case  = /

P.P.S.  Mini-sessions went awesome!  Thanks everyone who came out for them!