...like father,

like son! so i think that caden needs a post all to himself. this handsome guy joined in on the fun of his aunt lala's baby bump portraits. and he was great, and i told him at the end, he could do whatever he wanted, and he did! he is a total ham...and made me laugh, REAL belly laughs! and that's just what i needed. caden, you are your father's son, and that's a good thing!

first comes love...

 second comes marriage

third comes the baby in the baby carriage (((or bun in the oven)))

not just

yet, but in the next couple of months, laura and darrell will be having a baby girl!

to say that i am excited for this adorable couple is an understatement. to say that i feel privileged and honored to be there for them through these HUGE milestones would just touch on how i feel. the best part of my "job" is that i capture these memories to last a lifetime. i can't imagine a passion that is more fulfilling.

so enough about me, lets talk about laura! she is hands down, rockin' this pregnancy. i just kept staring at her (((because i was in awe of how humble she is, and how she has that glow)))

oh and 8lbs, or what i gain after a "splurge" day is what she has gained throughout this pregnancy. no, that's not a typo,eight pounds.

and kudos to darrell, who is always such a good sport! there may or may not have been bribery involved. i'm excited to meet lil' miss. and judging from her sonogram picture, she is her daddy all over again. laura also wanted to include her nephew caden, who just loves his aunt lala. he even brought a teddy bear, that was his that he is giving to his new cousin. (((sweetness ALERT))) these two share a really special bond, and i was thrilled to have him join in on the fun! 

::may need a kleenex, or two::

our BIG girl abby earned her angel wings in december. it was a total shock to all of us. we took comfort in knowing that we gave her amazing memories to take to doggie heaven with her (yes, there is such a thing). richie and i lost our daughter, and bella lost her best friend. as the days went on, bella would sit and stare at the front door, as if she was waiting for abby to come back in. she missed her, just as much as we did. bella was use to having a sidekick, and although she loves her momma and poppa, i'm convinced that we are no replacement for the real mccoy, and we both understood that. although at first we were hesitant to bring another kiddo into our house, we knew that it was right for bella. i equate it to loosing a friend, or family member....just because the are no longer with us, do you stop loving? not hardly! they say that time heals everything, however not a day goes by still that we don't think of abby. i will never forget, the day she earned her wings, it was cold and rainy. the sun peeked out for about a minute, literally....i told rich, well she's just letting us know she made it.
richie found an amazing rescue organization, Adopt a Boxer Rescue. it took us months to actually submit an adoption application. i can't even count how many times i filled it out, halfway, 3/4, and just couldn't hit [SUBMIT]. i don't think that i was completely ready to love. or perhaps i thought i wouldn't be able to give enough love. but eventually, we sat down together, i filled out the application, and richie hit submit, and that was it. i stalked their site on a daily basis, seeing who i though would be a good match for bella. the amazing thing about this VOLUNTEER (that's right, they get paid not a dime) is that it's not first come, first serve. it's a best fit for your family. so we waited, and waited, had our references contacted, completed our home visit, and waited. they would only allow us to adopt a male, which was fine because as long as we were saving one furbaby, we didn't care. and kinda had our hearts set on a couple different ones, only to read they were adopted. but hey, that's good right! they found homes! yippee. and we waited, and waited and waited a bit more....(((so maybe it wasn't THAT long of a wait, but sure did feel like it))) our coordinator kept us informed the entire time, and was as eager to find a good fit for bella as we were ready to adopt. and then i got the call when i was at work, "hey amanda, there is a brand new guy coming to us, i emailed you his picture, let me know what you think."
and that was it, it was a picture of the most handsome guy named brodi. he had cropped ears and a mean mug. (((he looks very intimidating, really i kinda like it BUT is the biggest snuggle bug you can imagine))) so this was great, i had a picture, and a name and a date set to meet him. richie and i coordinated schedules so one of us would be home for the first week or so to address any socializing issues. we were told not to bring bella with us when we went to meet brodi. so we didn't. the WHOLE ride up, was full of what if he doesn't like us, what if he doesn't like people, what if bella doesn't like him? what if he has anxiety issues? since he was so new to rescue, even the rescuers had limited information on him. 
we headed up on a sunday, gave ourselves plenty of wiggle room and arrived about 45 minutes early, before the shelter even opened. talk about nerve wrecking. and then we met with another coordinator who brought brodi out to us. he was a powerhouse! my first memory of him was the coordinator handing the leash over to richie, and brodi just showering him in kisses. it's like he was just freed from doggie jail. we knew that brodi was coming home with us that day. no doubt about it. we made it home, kept brodi outside and brought bella out onto neutral ground and attempted a walk. keyword attempted. i heard noises that would make anyone shake in their boots. but it was ok, because i had read up on this and knew exactly what to do if bella had issues with her new brother. he just wanted to play, and she had no desire, at all. so my kind neighbor let me use her baby gate, and we kept brodi in the kitchen. that lasted all of 30 minutes.
and bella sat at the gate and whined, like a baby. with some coaxing from richie, i let the gate down. that was all she wrote.
really?!? yes really. by the end of the evening they were on the sofa together with me. ((and a bowl of popcorn)) and now, almost 4 weeks later, it's as if he's been here all along. i NEVER expected the transition to be this, dare i say, easy. so here we are, and he's already warmed up to the camera ((i think bella explained to him that if he gets his picture taken he gets treats)) haven't gotten the two of them together yet, but that will be soon enough. so without further adieu, here is the newest member of our family, brodi abner.

 and of course, big sister bella!

what a little gem...

ALL kiddos are amazing. they all have something special about them that makes them unique. jd is no exception. this guy stole my heart. he is wise beyond his years and has a heart of gold. he shares a special bond with his grammy, and i think it's amazing that she is such a big part of his life. jd came over to visit, we played ((he picked out grammy's funny wardrobe)) and he met my furbabies (((who absolutely loved him as much as i do!))) then we went out and he treated me to ice cream (((look out richie!))) and when i told him i was going back home, he gave me a HIGH 5 and said, "i love you" and blew me kisses. if that didn't make me feel incredible, jeesh. jd you are an amazing lil guy, i can't wait until our next date!

birthday,books and belly laughs

made this session incredible! lilly celebrated her first birthday the day before. we had a blast, enjoying the nice beach weather. ((((finally))) here are some of my favorites! oh and i should add in the title (((baby BROTHER))) sooo excited for this amazing little family. lilly will be a big sister soon!