Birthday Portraits

Every year since the girls turned one I've been taking them to get photos done. It's not like I don't have hundreds of photos of them that we've taken over the course of the years but there's something about having a professional take them that makes it extra special for the girls.

Unfortunately, I was very behind in getting their appointments made so it's really [K]'s 7 1/2 year portrait. I was late on [E]'s too but at least it's closer to her January birthday. The only downside to being late is that there won't be such a big difference in her physical appearance between these photos and her 8 year ones.

Here is [K]'s yearly photo for the gallery wall:

This is the one I selected for a smaller 5x7 frame:

Lastly, I let the girls select one that they liked best and this is the one [K] picked. She told me she liked this one best because she looks so happy. I love that :)

Here's a link to recap how [K] has changed over the years.


This is [E]'s yearly photo for the gallery wall:

Here is the one I selected for the 5x7 frame:

And this is the one that [E] selected for herself:

As a recap of how she's changed over the years, here's the link to her previous photos.

E's 3 Year Photos

Little E turned 3 on Thursday and so, as is tradition, we went and had her photos taken at the JCPenney Portrait Studio. Here is a look back at the last three years up until today.

Birth

One Year

Two Years

Three Years

It's often hard for me to notice how her looks change over the years until I look back at these comparison photos. She did such a great job with the photographer. Lately she has the tendency to make an exasperated expression when you ask her to smile unless I specifically ask her to "make a pretty smile" and even then it may not be her natural look. However, we were very lucky to get so many fantastic smiles out of her and K as well.

Here are the collage photos we chose and the individual photos for a better view:

So there you have it. Another photo session done, until August when K turns 7. Ack!

Take care,
[J]

Happy Third Birthday, E!

It sure has been a busy few days in the JAKES household. On Thursday it was Little E's birthday and Great Grammie and Grampie came over for lunch.

That evening we all went to see Disney's Frozen On Ice. It was a great show!

On Friday I spent all day getting things ready for her birthday party.
On Saturday we hosted her third birthday party.

On Sunday the JAKES and Nana and Papa went to the JcPenney Portrait Studio for E's three year old photos as well as family photos.

Little E, you are an amazing child, a sweetheart of a daughter, an incredibly funny person, and a wonderful little sister. Thank you for blessing our lives with your smiles, cuddles, and love everyday. This world is truly a better place because you are in it. We love you so much!

Fun with Selfies: Photo Booth Style

Wow, it has been a really long time since my last post. Sorry about that :(

I have two Christmas projects and a couple of recipes I've been meaning to share but I just don't have the motivation to do them in the evenings. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that [A] and I have been binge-watching the show Dexter. It's disturbing but strangely addictive.

Anyway, to make up for lost time, and the fact that it's been since Halloween when I last posted any photos of the girls, I present Fun with Selfies: Photo Booth Style!

I simply followed [K]'s lead and copied whatever face she was making. People have told me in the past that we look alike and seeing these photos of us together definitely sealed the deal for me.

I hope you all have an wonderful Monday and in the ever memorialized words of Bill S. Preston, Esquire, "Be excellent to each other!"

K's 6 Year Photos

At the end of August [K] turned six. I have a birthday party wrap up blog in the works for you but in the meantime, here are her latest yearly photos. I'm also including her past photos for a yearly comparison. Since I wasn't blogging when she was one I have to dig out our external hard drive and update this post another night.

Two Years

Three (and a half) Years

Four Years

Five Years

Six Years

Oh my gosh, how did my baby get so big?!? I was SO impressed with her during her photos. She did so well; listening and taking direction, smiling naturally, posing just so... I don't normally buy into their collage photos because (A) they're more expensive, and (B) Usually I prefer the individual photos. However this time, there were so many great ones that I would have ended up with 7 different poses. And that's on top of the fact that she just had her school photos taken.

Here is the first collage followed by the individual photos so it's easier to see them:

Here's the second collage followed by the individual photos:

The girls had a ton of fun eating that cupcake after the photos were done. Me, not so much. First of all, the frosting was starting to melt all over the place under the lights of the photo studio. Secondarily, the dye in that frosting made EVERYTHING blue - tongues, lips, teeth, fingers... It was a hot mess, literally. But, they had fun, nothing got on their clothes or on the studio props and I got some great photos. Yay! Thanks for another year JCPenney Portrait Studio.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Little E!

I can't believe another year has passed. It feels like E has always been a part of our lives but this past year, from 1 to 2, seems to have flown past. I swear it was just yesterday that I was planning her Bunny 1st birthday party. And now here she is 2 already. How did that happen?!? She is talking so much and is just the cutest, sweetest, funniest little girl, much like her big sister :)

The day after her birthday I took her over to the JCP Portrait Studio for her birthday pictures. Last year we didn't go until April (3 months after her birthday) so I wanted to make sure I was on time this year. So, without further adieu, here are her 2nd Year Photos:

I couldn't decide between this one or the one below it for her "2" photo so I ordered them both :)

I thought this background was really cute, especially considering her dress has little foxes on it.

Looking at her daily sometimes it's hard to see the changes from year to year. Obviously from birth to year 1 is a big jump but to me it doesn't look like her looks have changed that much from year 1 to year 2, except that her hair is longer.

Birth

 

Year 1

Year 2

K's 5 Year Photos

Well it's that time of year again when I gussy up the girls and take them over to JC Penney for an annual photo. It's funny how many more photos I have of them now since we go twice a year instead of just once when K was younger.

We had a different photographer this time which I was a little concerned about but I think she took some nice poses and coaxed pretty smiles out of the girls. I put on some music for K to try and make it more fun and that kind of backfired on me because she got too wound up and silly for the remaining pictures. Plus E really just wanted me to hold her the whole time so I had to keep ducking out of sight which was a bummer since I wanted to watch.

The other thing we did differently this time was that there were two sets of two pictures where they were very similar and I couldn't decide which one I liked better so A had the great idea to let K pick. I think she liked having a say in the decision and I'm quite happy with the ones she picked. So, enough talking. Here are her 5 year photos:

Instead of using their wooden number 5 we went with a 5 balloon.
(This is one of the photos that K picked.)

This is the other photo she picked. The other photo had her looking straight
into the camera but this smile is so genuine and her eyes are really twinkling.

This is where the craziness started but I love this picture collage because
K is ALWAYS dancing and twirling with Lily.

We got Sis in on the dancing action too. I love how her little
foot is pointed. She's been walking on her tip toes a lot lately.

I had purchased a Groupon for a photo package and part of it was a 3-image
CD. I chose this as one of my images because although I probably won't
print it to hang on the wall their goofy faces were too cute not to include in
their annual photo book.

I totally got suckered into getting this one on a canvas as part of their monthly
promotion. I couldn't help it - the price was right and it's a great family shot. We
got another family one that's a little different but you'll have to wait until Dec. to
see that one in your Christmas cards ;)

So there you have it. I'm happy with what we chose although it's unusual for me not to pick the more "posed" photos but I've been trying to realize that sometimes a more natural photo will be the one that I'll treasure the most. I love our family!