2021 - 2022 Bella's Babe's Parker, Presley & Hunter
It's hard to believe that it's been almost a year of photographing Parker, Presley and Hunter! I still remember how tiny they were during their newborn session. As a mom of 4 kids, all pretty much grown now, with 2 making babies of their own, I have a passion for capturing life's moments. I learned while watching my own babes grow up that time is brief...with a blink of an eye your tiny newborn grows to be a toddler, to a kid, to a teenager to an adult faster than you can wrap your mind around.
It has been an honor capturing these sweet little ladies during their first big year of life!
I seriously cannot put into words just how much I have treasured photographing these 3 babes over the last year! Every session they had changed so much...however, some things didn't change, I knew I could count on Presley flipping me off at least once during each of her sessions, Hunter would sport the most adorable troll hair I have ever seen, and Parker would mesmerize me to the point I would forget to push my shutter as I lived in the moment with her!
Parker - Turns 1 in July - Her first birthday session will be "One in a Melon" themed
Presley - Turns 1 in August - Her first birthday session will be "Donut Grow Up" themed
Hunter - Turns 1 in November - Her first birthday session will be "Winnie the Pooh" themed
In celebration of Bella's Babe's turning one, we got all 3 of them together for a fun DIY Edible Paint Smash Session. Scroll to the bottom to see that experience plus get the recipe we used to make the edible paint AND get our special price for your upcoming smash session. Just mention the special while booking your session and we will take care of the rest.
Hunter's First Birthday Session - Winnie the Pooh
Today marks the last day for the 2022 Bella's Babe's Team! It's bittersweet for sure! Watching Parker, Presley & Hunter grow over this last year has been pure magic!
Sierra pulled up with Hunter and I went outside to help carry things in, Hunter seen me and immediately BEAMED with the cutest smile! I swear she has adopted me as her Bumpy too. Which I absolutely love!
Hunter's 1 year birthday theme is Winnie the Pooh, so her mom brought all her little Pooh friends with her to the session...Sierra and I definitely got a workout keeping her friends on the bed...Hunter kept tossing them overboard. haha
Sierra wanted one specific pose, with Hunter and all her friends sitting with their back to me with Hunter's arm holding them...After picking them up a million times from her tossing them we weren't' sure if we would get it...We got smart and set up all the Pooh friends first before adding Hunter into the mix. we got ONE shot! and it was the very first one I took. haha
The red balloon in the Pooh set was so distracting for Hunter, she was mesmerized with it and didn't want anything to do with Sierra or I any longer, she only wanted that red balloon, even her donuts didn't interest her. haha so we hid the balloon!
I think Hunter's favorite part of her session was splashing in the tub!
Presley's First Birthday Session - Donut Grow up
Today we kicked off Presley's first birthday "Donut Grow Up" session!
The day started with Danielle dropping off the box of decorations so that she could drive around the block a few times...maybe more, to allow Presley to get in some last-minute ZZZ's...we have learned we don't mess with little Ms. Presley's sleep, that's a big no no! haha
After a ridiculously long messed up morning I had had with our animals, (luxuries of working from home) I was convinced the session was going to not go very well because I couldn't get in the right mind space. But those doubts disappeared when I saw Danielle show up with sweet little Presley in one hand and Taco Bell in the other...problems gone!
Let me tell you...This was Presley's best session to date!
A typical session with Presley generally is full blown smiles, then absolute meltdown, back to belly laughing giggles, to the biggest crocodile tears ever seen...but not today, today she went through every set we had planned out, with nothing but smiles and giggles. It was like, who are you and what did you do with my Presley?! LOL
We discovered today that she LOVE'S LOVE"S LOVE"S to cuddle my white furry fluff. She just couldn't get enough of wrapping it around herself. It was literally the cutest thing I have ever seen! Sorry you all missed that visual. Definitely a perk of my job!
I broke her session up in series. Below is the first of five series. My heart can't take all this cuteness overload!
Presley's Journey - The Beginning
My journey with Presley starts with her mom, Danielle. Over a year ago, I setup a consultation call with Danielle to discuss her maternity session. Four hours later...maybe longer, we hang up the call! It was like she was my long-lost sister from another mister. Instant connection. The first time we met in person, she came to my house for a dress fitting. After the fitting, Danielle, myself and the rest of my crew all hung out. When Danielle left that night, I remember us all bantering about who Danielle was going to be besties with. LOL She was def family approved!
From that moment on Danielle became my go to for all my brainy ideas, and she was totally game for whatever I tossed at her.
The first session we did together was an underwater maternity session. I had NEVER done one before and wanted to give it a whirl. This session is by far one of my most treasured sessions. We had so much fun! I can't tell you the number of times I almost drowned myself from choking because I was laughing so hard. My "Scuba Steve" goggles were birthed during this session. haha
Our next session was the wetlands. I have had numerous sessions there, so I am very familiar with the area. Since maternity sessions is the direction, I am steering La Bella's it was ideal to do a session there. I had the perfect model, a brand-new red dress I just added into Bella's Closet, and the weather was a bit over casted, which I LOVE to shoot in...it was going to be the perfect session!
Except...it was the opposite of that!
This was by far the worst session I had ever had! LOL but in a funny way we can laugh about...now! Let me set the scene. It was mid to late July, so even if nothing else went wrong, that in itself is reason enough not to shoot at the wetlands I discovered. Then you add in there the overcast day, which initially, I was so thrilled about, but when you combine the heat of July, with the water from the surroundings, with the overcast...
the humidity mixed with heat was so thick I could cut it with a knife.
On top of that, as my overcast day quickly turned into a full-blown storm, complete with wind and dark clouds, the ground was covered...literally covered in a bed of ants! Not cutesie baby ant ants...like full grown they will carry you off with them HUGE ants.
did I mention there were HUGE ANTS! EVERYWHERE!
It was too hot and miserable to move to a different spot, so we knew that this was going to be the spot. Even if we got only one shot, this is where it was going to happen. Danielle, myself and my daughter Kaitlyn each had a bench that we were standing on while we waited for light to get right. Danielle was sweating off her face off, her hair was getting flat from the humidity and our water was running out.
The light finally got right, and we start shooting, literally taking breaks every two minutes to kick the ants off of our feet. This experience was horrific, but I got one of my most treasured shots from this insane session. Plus, Danielle still stuck around after what I put here through...winning! I know I will never live this session down, and I will be the brunt of jokes for this, but it was completely worth it, and I would totally do it again...LOL
When Dannielle reached out, she had her own idea of what she wanted her maternity session to be. Which was a boho vibe in the mountains. She was 36 weeks preggo at the time of this session and a super woman for having two other sessions under her belt prior to this one.
She loaded her family up and they headed to Mount Charleston to meet up with me. This was the first time I got to meet Matt and their little guy. They looked so handsome in their cowboy boots, jeans and white button up shirts. Dannielle borrowed a dress from Bella's Closet and also brought one of her own dresses. Which now, she has graciously donated into Bella's Closet and is the most requested maternity dress I have! Thank you so much!
Bella's Closet has a variety of beautiful dresses to choose from for your maternity session, free of charge. We will plan for a fitting the week before your session so you can see which dresses fit you best.
I asked Danielle, "What's one piece of advice you'd give other parents before their session?" She said, "Bring snacks and make sure they take a nap." I couldn't agree more. Two very important things prior to your session. Too add to this, colorless snacks are best, so when they drool or spill it won't stain their shirts. Suckers are a huge no no!
I asked Danielle, "Tell me something Matt has done for you during your pregnancy that showed he supported you?" She replied, "Matt was very supportive, when I got diagnosed with gestational diabetes and had to change everything, I ate he helped with everything! When I wanted something sweet and couldn't eat it, he would find something healthy that I could have."
Danielle gave birth to Presley 2 weeks after our Mount Charleston session. Danielle recalls to me her first ultrasound experience; she was 5 weeks along and her and Matt were excited to surprise her parents for Christmas. Once she seen Presley for the first time, she didn't care if she was having a boy or a girl, she was already so in love and so happy to see her their little peanut.
I had the honor of being in the recovery room with Danielle and Matt after her C-section. (Which in itself was a miracle with the COVID pandemic still happening). I was able to capture the first moments of the three of them together. It was the absolute BEST feeling in the world to document this time for Matt and Danielle. I was actually there to document Danielle holing Presley for the very first time...
IT WAS PURE MAGIC!
I still get teary eyed when I think back on it. My all-time favorite photo is when Presley was placed in Danielle's arms for the first time and Danielle had a single tear of absolute joy on her cheek. I asked Danielle how the experience was for her with having me in the recovery room with her and she said, "Having you in the room to capture all the first moments was amazing! When they brought my sweet girl in to me to hold for the first time you captured that moment. I will cherish these pictures for the rest of my life"!
Side note; This is the first of many images that Presley flipped me off. It has turned into quite the tradition. LOL I'm sure I can put them all together and make a series out of them from this past year. LOL
Parker's First Birthday Session - One in a Melon Milk Bath
I look at Parker and I'm not sure if I'm in disbelief that I'm a Grandma...aka "Bumpy", or that this precious little girl is my Granddaughter. Either way when I look at her, I am mesmerized and get swept away in her while the rest of the world fades away when she is in the same room as me.
She is the daughter of my youngest son Matthew and his Fiancé Taylor. (I actually helped in the delivery of Taylor. We have some of the sweetest photos of Matt & Taylor as little Babes.) It overjoys me to see the two of them as parents. They are doing a wonderful job with her. I am very proud of them both. I love them so much!
Taylor was asked, what advice she would give other parents preparing for their baby's session, and she said, "Making sure they nap and eat!" I couldn't agree more. She went on to say, "to let Gwen do her thing, she is the best with all her clients! But don't be afraid to tell her you have ideas!" She is very correct; I love hearing your ideas and I am 100% always willing to hear them. I've made some of my best magic because of the ideas my clients bring to me.
Okay, enough chitty-chat for now. Let's move onto more of the pictures. I can't wait to show you how they came out.
Here's Parker in all her 1-year-old glory!
Paint Smash Session...SUCCESS
Moms, mimosas and 3 adorable monsters...what could go wrong? LOL
The day of our 3 Bella's Babes Paint Smash is finally here!!! EEEEEEEEEEEK!! It's going to be so much fun! I wonder how the babes are going to react to our DIY edible fingerpaints...will they go all in and get super messy or will they just look at us like we are weird? We will find out in a few hours!
A bit of back story on how this event came about. Dani and I were chatting one morning about fun ways we could celebrate my 3 Bella Babes turning one when she mentioned a paint smash. Immediately I was like YES!! She did some research and found a recipe for some edible fingerpaints, I reached out to my 3 amazing mama's and we all ran with it.
The coolest thing about this journey for me so far, is the group text message I have with myself and my mama's. The interactions, funnies and the bonds that are forming with the three of them is priceless to me. I love seeing moms come together to support and lift each other up. Each of my mama's have stepped in to make this experience an amazing one! I am so lucky to have so many awesome people around me.
If you are interested on how we made the DIY Edible Fingerpaints I have the supplies and the steps we did below. Forgive the photos, I took screen shots from the video as I didn't think ahead of time to post it here. Whoopsie!
Woofers....this past Saturday we hosted a celebration for our Bella Babes who are tuning one in the months of July and August (Hunter is tuning one in November, but I had to have her in the festivities too haha) Let me tell you, my little trio
SMASHED IT OUT!
Hats off to Taylor, Danielle and Sierra, these three mamas sure were on top of everything. Each of them worked together to make this session a huge success! Special thanks to Dani, Anthony and Melissa who also were there to help wrangle in these adorable monsters when needed. Anthony actually got smack down in the center of all the festivities with the little ladies.
My little trio had a packed photo day, and they soldiered through it like tiny bosses!
Here's how the day broke down;
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Individual clean shots of each girl in their colored tutu dress
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Group shot with the trio in their dresses
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Snack break...yummy watermelon and treats
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Paint Smash with all 3 bebe's
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Bubble Bath with all 3 bebe's
OHHH and my prediction of the trio came true...each of them did exactly what I predicted. HA one point for Bumpy~ haha
Here are the girls solo shots in their cute tutu dresses before they did their paint smash session. Enjoy! More pics to be posted soon!
It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...
What is a Bella's Babe?
A year ago, I stumbled around with the idea of a Bella's Babes Program, similar to my Senior Squad Program, but with babies. Not really knowing how it would all come together, I reached out to 3 amazing moms who took a leap of Faithe with me in this crazy journey. And let me tell you, it's been one hell of a learning experience. LOL
Just recently for example, during Parkers "One in a Melon" one year old session, I learned that you can't mix citrus fruit in a milk bath...why do you ask, because you make curdled milk. ewww. As poor little Parker sat in her tub of curdled milk, her mom, dad and myself scrambled frantically trying to correct the problem, with the intention of still saving the session...
Everything in the tub, including Parker was covered in curds!!!
It's all a blur to me how we cleaned it up...because my mind blocked it out lol...but we managed to salvage the set and capture one of my most favorite sessions to date!
During Hunters sitter session I learned that space matters. lol I had finally gotten the in-home studio finished and was so excited to start shooting in it. Initially, the studio was my office space, so I had my desk in there too. Well...after we squished me, my assistant, Sierra, her other half, her mom and Hunter in that space...the very next day I made changes. The desk and all office related items were pulled out and it opened up a whole other half of the room. WOW so much room for activities now! lol
And then there's Presley's sessions...Poor Presley! haha She has been through everything with me. I have learned and tweaked and grew as a photographer with Presley and her amazing mom Dannielle. If there was a new anything Ms. Presley was there to try it out. Perfecting it for everyone else. Her mama was my first underwater maternity session...Scuba Steve was born with her.
So, when you ask what a Bella's Babe is, it's someone who's willing to go the extra mile!
Bella's Babes are the face of La Bella's Photography by being active on social media, bringing visibility to their friends and family, creating excitement about their session experience and images. The past year, and even beyond, Danielle, Taylor and Sierra have shown up and represented La Bella's Photography. They help me work through the sets and tweak them before I launch them. They are priceless to me!
Cake / Paint Smash $99 Deal...see below
You wanna know what one of the best things in the world is? Your one-year-old nugget going full throttle on a delicious, frosted cake...or in this case edible paint! That’s right, we’re talking cake / paint smash pictures, and right now La Bella's Photography is offering $99 30-minute MINI cake / paint smash sessions through August.
Because let’s be real, that cake / paint isn’t going to last for more than an hour, and you’re definitely going to want to document this milestone.
Session Includes
$99 - 30 minutes mini session
5 - edited images, with option to purchase more
Access to Bella's Closet
Parents provide the smash item and decorations
I'm excited to hear from you! Reach out with the contact form on my website or shoot me a text at 702-250-1111 -Gwen
DIY Edible Finger Paints Recipe
YEILD
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Makes 24 squares - I had extra left over that I put in paper cups so the girls could dig the colors out to paint
SUPPLIES
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3 Large Tub Cool Whips
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2 packs of Gel Food Coloring - I did bold color and pastel color packs
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24 Popsicle Sticks
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Square Rubber Ice Molds
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8 Mixing Bowls - One for each color
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8 Mixing Spoons - One for each color
HOW WE MADE THEM
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I divided each tub of Cool Whip evenly into three different bowls.
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I added the gel food coloring. I initially added a little and added more if I wanted a darker shade.
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Stir until the color and Cool Whip blend together, and set aside
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Once I had all your colors blended with the cool whip, i started spooning the color mixture into the rubber ice mold
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I added a popsicle stick to the center of each square
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I put the mold trays into the freezer over night to harden
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The extra-colored cool whip I put into paper cups and put in the fridge overnight. I wanted the cups to be softer.
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I popped the finished squares out the next day and put them on a serving tray for the lovely little babes to paint with.
TIPS I LEARNED
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I used generic Cool Whip. Initially because it was literally almost $2 cheaper per tub, but after I started using it, I realized it had way less of that "greasy" after taste that the name brand stuff has. For what I was doing one large tub was able to fill up 3 of the popsicle squares in the rubber ice trays
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I put the Cool Whip in the fridge after I bought it so that it would soften up for when I was ready to use it.
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I used gel food coloring instead of the liquid because I wasn't sure if I added liquid to the Cool Whip if it would thin it out or not. And I wanted to have a fluffy/full feel to the whip. So, I didn't chance it with the liquid.
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I used 4 square rubber molds. I had two already and I bought two more. They were the most expensive thing about this project.
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I tested the colors as I was making them on paper. They actually do work. I am excited to see how it will look with the girls
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It did stain my skin initially, but I used soap and water and it came right off.
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I don't know yet if it will stain fabric or not. Once I know I will update this post with the outcome
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