So Kindergarten happened today..and I held it together pretty well. I did cry a little as I drove out of the parking lot. Harrison in the back asking repeatedly for Owen didn’t help either. I was excited for him, though, because he is just so social so I knew he would love it.

Last week was busy with orientation for parents, and then Friday was Meet the Teacher. He was so excited to meet his teacher and find his spot at the front of the room. There were a lot of questions – what do you think the playground will be like? What kind of rules do you think we will have? We read so many books about kindergarten and I found him asleep with all of his books. And Harrison, well, he was right at home in the classroom. He found a spot to sit and was ready to stay.

When I picked him up this afternoon, he was sooo excited. They had chased a gingerbread man all through the school – the office, library, art room, spanish room, etc, and then back to their room for gingerbread cookies. He had such a fun day meeting new friends.

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Rebecca Keller is a Raleigh Child Family Photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including Let the Kids Dress Themselves and Lemonade and Lenses. Contact Rebecca Keller Photography for more information about family photography in Raleigh, NC.

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Oh, I’ve been photographing this little one since he was born and he just has the sweetest little personality. He fits in so well with his brothers and doesn’t seem to mind when they jump all over the place. (These three have so much fun together!) When they are around, he just smiles so big. (ADORBS!) I have been photographing this sweet family for a few years (See a few sessions here and here) and their three boys together are just precious. We had gorgeous light and a gorgeous evening for their family session documenting baby brother’s seven months milestone. Seven months is a great age to photograph because sometimes they are just not quite sitting yet at six months. Usually by seven months they’ve almost got it or are sitting up.

We started with photos at their home, which I love that they have had so many sessions at home. It’s so special to have photos taken at home, and usually the little ones are just so happy. Then we finished the session at a park nearby. The light was just beautiful and the boys jumped and ran all over the park!

Raleigh Baby Photographer | Rebecca Keller Photography

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Rebecca Keller is a Raleigh Baby Photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including Lemonade and Lenses and Let the Kids Dress Themselves. Contact Rebecca Keller Photography for more information about maternity, newborn, and family photography in Raleigh, NC and travel sessions.

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When this mama and I first started chatting about their newborn session, she told me that it was going to be a surprise whether they were having a boy or a girl – how fun! I was so excited when I got an e-mail with a photo of their sweet baby boy. Oh, and how sweet he was for his newborn portraits. He didn’t seem bothered at all by the idea of having his picture taken and was just as content and peaceful as can be. He was happily snuggled with his Mommy & Daddy and his super sweet puppy was all about him, too! We took some photos indoors and out during their session at the beautiful park within walking distance of their home.

According to Mom…

What was the first thing you thought when you saw your baby for the first time? Shock that it was a boy–we were sure Ayan was going to be a girl. Then pure, overwhelming love. When I saw him I just wanted to look at him forever and absorb his newborn features–from his full head of black hair and bright blue eyes to his tiny hands and feet. We just fell in love with this guy from the first look and the love has only grown.

What was your favorite part of our session together? I loved how relaxed everything was. Benson and I were running late and Becky didn’t care, so we just chatted as we finished getting ready and she took some beautiful shots of the baby and our dog and cat. Because our lot is heavily wooded, we didn’t have a lot of natural light within the house to work with, and Becky was more than willing to walk to a nearby park to get some beautiful shots outdoors. The indoor pictures, particularly of Ayan, we were able to get were really lovely, but I’m so glad that she was flexible enough to take the shoot outside as the best of the family photos were out there. I loved having the newborn session at home because I’m not sure we could have made it to a studio even remotely on time and we wanted to be comfortable and taking photos in our home was the best place for that.

How did you prepare baby for our photoshoot? We didn’t have to prepare much, we fed the baby and then wrapped him in our blankets of choice. The baby was perfectly content to have his picture taken–for the most part.

How was your experience having your newborn photographed? Were you worried or anxious before? How did it turn out? I was anxious about the light and as described above, Becky really took advantage of the light available and we also just walked 3 minutes to the nearby park. I was a little nervous that the pictures might look forced, but Becky is so easy going and so personable that she had us laughing almost immediately that allowed us to relax. I loved that she didn’t worry at all about time–she had set aside the whole morning and so we could take breaks, we could make sure we got the pictures we wanted and at no point did we feel rushed. Also, because my husband had already gone back to work, she was totally understanding when he needed to check his email or take a quick call.

What would be your advice to someone having newborn photographs taken? Book Becky as your photographer! My advice would be don’t stress–Becky doesn’t care if your house is messy, she’ll find the best spot and work with it. Becky doesn’t care if the baby cries, she’ll wait for him to calm down. She doesn’t care if your pet is running around the house in excitement rather than sitting peacefully for a picture–she’ll find the perfect scene and capture it. If you feel awkward about any poses, Becky will make you feel comfortable. She’s completely non judgmental about you, your home, your baby. The whole session was super easy and fun.

Did you have a sentimental item at our session? The one thing that we really wanted was to capture was some of my husband’s Indian heritage–it’s subtle, but one of the wraps we used on Ayan had an Indian print and one of the blankets we posed him on was from India. Becky might not know this–but one of the more special pictures we have is the three of us with a framed picture of our dog who passed away a few weeks before Ayan was born in the background. It’s nice to have him captured in one of the pictures.

Was there a sentimental item in your nursery or parts of your nursery that are special to you that we photographed? Our nursery didn’t have great light, but we wanted to have a picture or two in the nursery as we’d spent a lot of time putting it together. So while we didn’t have one object per se that we wanted captured, we did want a nursery picture and despite the lack of light, got a couple good ones.

Do you have any other children? How did they react to the baby? No other kids, just a dog and a cat. The cat is indifferent to the baby, perhaps resentful while the puppy has taken Ayan under her wing and constantly is monitoring him to make sure he’s OK (and if he’s not, will lick his feel to comfort him)

How would you describe your perfect Saturday as a family? Walk in a park or woods, delicious brunch, then an afternoon playing outside as a family.

Any advice to families picking out clothing for family portraits? Don’t worry about how your middle looks–it won’t be in any of the pictures. I’m really happy that Benson and I chose bright colors to wear to the shoot. I think it was a nice contrast to the white of Ayan’s wrap and looked great outside. I would say just wear something that you like and feel comfortable in.

Cary Newborn Photographer | Rebecca Keller Photography

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Rebecca Keller is a newborn photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including Let The Kids Dress Themselves and Lemonade and Lenses. Contact Rebecca Keller Photography for more information about newborn photography and travel sessions.

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Oh, the adorableness of this little one’s first birthday portraits is just too much. Love, love, love, the colors Mom had picked out for them to wear,  (soooo pretty!) and this little one was just on the go the whole session. So happy and full of personality and giggles. She has been just so sweet every time I have photographed her during her first year (see here, here, here, and here) I love how she just loved her bracelet and little crown – ADORBS! I have loved photographing this little one and her family. It’s hard to believe she’s already ONE. First birthdays are just so much much, and since she was trying cake for the first time, it was cute to see her reaction. She had fun for a little bit, and then decided being messy was not the way to go! Sooo sweet!

According to Mom…

Who are the members of your family that were photographed and a quick fact about each one?

My husband, Andre, myself and our one year old daughter, Neva.
This was the first time our daughter had cake. She loved it, but didn’t like getting messy!
My husband doesn’t like to take lots of photos but he always enjoys sessions like these with our family.
I love to take photos, be in photos, etc. I feel like it’s the best way to preserve memories. My biggest fear is I’ll forget a big occasion or even an ordinary day where something special happened. So I take photos to help trigger my memory and record life’s precious moments. That’s why photo sessions like this are so meaningful to me.

Does your little one have any favorites (favorite book, song..) Neva has lots of favorites… she loves fruits and veggies – and freezie pops! (She insisted she get to try one when she saw her big brother with one). She loves her baby doll and any lift-the-flap books. She loves music and likes to dance to it, too!

What was your favorite part of the session? I love to watch Neva enjoy being photographed. She’s a total ham for the camera and smiles and coos. She truly charms everyone she meets with her infectious smile and tilt of her head. No wall flowers here!

Tell me about the outfits you wore to the session – I wore a light blue eyelet dress from J Crew. I liked it because it felt summery and feminine. Neva wore a dress made especially for her (and given to her by my mother) for her first Easter. The dress has tiny rosebuds on the collar and at the band of of the puff sleeves. It is such a special dress to me and one I will always treasure. I knew she had to wear it for her first birthday photos! Her daddy wore a bright pink shirt and khakis because I asked him to – ha! I thought it would be a nice pop of color to our pastel dresses.

What are some words of wisdom you have for other families preparing for a session? Be prepared. Plan your outfit, kids’ outfits, husband’s outfit ahead of time and think of any props you may want to use, bring. Especially anything meaningful to you and/or your family. Then you can enjoy it and not stress!

What baby gear has been your favorite during the first year? Love our Uppababy stroller. It goes everywhere and we love to walk to the park, to dinner, to friends’, etc. But our favorite photographer, Becky, recommended the Little Lamb swing to us when our son was born. It was a life saver – especially when both of our children were very young and didn’t nap well in the crib or at mealtimes!

Do you have any pets or siblings and how do they get along with your little one? Any cute stories? We have a little dog named Leo. He’s an older dog and has never been particularly fond of young children and their rough ways, but Neva is gentle with him and he adores her. He likes to sit by her and watch her play. Sometimes she’ll stop what she’s doing and stick out her hand for puppy kisses. It always make her giggle when he licks her fingers and brings out a little wag of his tail, too. He disappeared for 9 days after the 4th of July fireworks… we searched endlessly for him and called his name so much that when he returned home, Neva said “Leo!”. Clear as day… no “E-O” but “Leo”.

Neva has an older brother, Aidan. They’re 22 months apart and the best of friends. Aidan is so sweet to Neva and plays so well with her and she thinks he hung the moon. Her first word wasn’t Mommy or Daddy… it was “Aidan”. And he was very proud she said his name first. My husband and i recognize how special their bond is and are thankful they love each other so much. We hope it continues this way throughout their whole lives. We know we are blessed!

Raleigh Baby Cake Smash Photographer | Rebecca Keller Photography

 

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Rebecca Keller is a Raleigh Maternity and family photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including Let the Kids Dress Themselves and Lemonade and Lenses. Contact Rebecca Keller Photography for more information about cake smash photography and baby’s first year.

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We have gone to this farm so many times to pick apples, but never peaches and were so excited when I got the e-mail about their peach days. We had peach slushies, took a tractor ride to the peach trees. (Yes, this was Harrison’s favorite!) It was reallly hot that day so we didn’t spend too much time in the peach trees, but did snack on a few of the peaches we had bought. Of course we had a peach slushie and peach pie. (The boys skipped ice cream since they both aren’t so crazy about it. Owen will eat it sometimes, but Harrison is only interested in the cone.) We had no idea some buddies of ours were also going to the farm that day, so it was a super fun surprise when we ran into them. The kids had so much fun on the tire swings and playing in the tire sandbox.

Raleigh Family Photographer | Rebecca Keller Photography 

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Rebecca Keller is a Raleigh Newborn and Maternity Photographer featured in People Magazine and on several blogs including Lemonade and Lenses and Let the Kids Dress Themselves. Contact the studio for more information about travel sessions and family photography.

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