Gosh. Looking back through these images to blog, this really does seem like a LONG time ago. They sure make family sessions look really easy, too! Big brother was a hoot...be sure to go all the way to the end to see one of my most favorite family portraits ever ;-)

We've had those alphabet cards since I think my 7-yr-old was a baby. Neither of the boys ever really did much with them but perhaps use them as weapons. But she LOVES them...she could do this all day by herself.

Something else both of these two could do all day is paint. Back when the weather first hit a warm spell (which I think was just a few days after it SNOWED), we dragged out her play table into the yard to let them paint. Gosh it was precious...

She hasn't slept in her crib for several weeks now, so this weekend, after everyone left from the workshop and before the kids came home, we did a little room makeover (Target loves me, by the way):

I'm going to be completely honest here: the only reason I did the makeover was to help me carry through the emotional task of taking that crib down. That's it. That's the last reminder of our baby days. I remember shopping for that crib with my mom. I remember the excitement (and confusion and fear) Virgil and I felt the first time we put that crib together. It seemed like such a foreign object in this house built for two. I remember our puppy dog spent that first night under the crib...she would not come out. I remember my hubby getting projectile poo'ed on while changing a diaper in that crib. I remember how my little Logi Bear used to look in the summer time in just a saggy diaper and rosy red cheeks waking up from a nap in that crib. I remember how excited I was to finally get to put pink sheets on that crib and how Amry would gaze up at her bee mobile until she finally drifted off to sleep.

That crib has been in our house for 7 years. Almost a decade. My mom and sister helped me take it down. I'm glad they were there. I'm also pretty sure my sis didn't see me well up when she asked if we could store it for her to use one day. It would be an honor.

And so while the crib is put away until I get a new niece or nephew someday, my little girl is enjoying her "new pink room" as she calls it. She was so excited to explore all the new things...she was especially intrigued by the dress up trunk at the foot of her bed (hence the leotard and tutu). It brings me such joy to see her so comfortable in the very room that she was born in. Comfortable enough not to ask where her crib was even if I was kind of hoping she would.

My SIL sent me this dress a long time ago and it's been on my list to photograph. It wasn't until I started reading Water for Elephants that inspiration struck for these images. I wish had more vintagy circus things to add in here and I actually think I will revisit someday to carry that out. However, I was proud to experiment more with OCF and I really liked the feel it gave these images.

There were two other dresses on my list, but Amry was only willing to do one more that day: