The Orr Family!

One of my greatest memories of my childhood is my first house.  We lived in the house from the time I was born until I was 8 years old.  It still holds such a special place in my heart.  One of my memories of living there was our neighbors, the Bartletts.  Their kids were older than me, but the youngest, Evan, played with my older brother.  And their daughter, Karen, babysat us.  Evan even painted my Barbie jeep black one year and that was the big thing for the boys… I definitely regretted giving it up.  

Well, God bless the world of Facebook, because some odd years later, we were able to chat it up again!  It was so fun to see how much they’ve changed…married, with families…. grown up!  And, as I’ve had it with others younger than myself, I’m sure it was funny for them to see me, too!  

So, a few weeks ago we got together to do some family photos. It was actually Karen and her husband Scott’s entire family.  I love it when people take time to do stuff like this!  It’s so great to have everyone together!  However, the only challenge is where to find a spot for umpteen people in the middle of winter.  We got creative and actually went to a skywalk downtown.  It turned out to be a great spot, and even had enough room for the kids to run around. 

Thank you, Scott & Karen, for inviting me to spend some time with your family! It’s a great one!

First with the whole group!

We did lots of portrait-type shots, which are so wonderful, but mainly just for those who actually know everyone. So, I won’t share all of them. Elizabeth, Karen’s middle daughter, was by far one of the most animated little girls.  She was always striking a pose, so you just have to keep your eye on her!

My former neighbs and their fams.  

Henry is 6 months old!

Well… 6 months and a couple weeks.  At least this time I took the photos close to the mark, just a little late on blogging.  But that’s progress, right?!

Either way, he is big and cuter than ever!  

This past month was a big one for Henry.  First of all… his first Christmas!  We had so much fun with him, and only makes us more excited for next year!  

He also made lots of progress in the baby world… He consistently is rolling over both ways, and with great ease.  He sits up for a few minutes at a time (but then flops over as soon as he sees anything that he could put in his mouth).  He finally got to ride in the front of a cart at the grocery store without being in the carseat.  He started really jabbering some syllables (lots of da-das!).  And he started getting his first tooth!  It’s taking a good ol’ long time, but it’s definitely poked through and I think in the next week or so, others will be able to notice.  It’s so cute!

We’re still doing cloth diapers, but definitely did quite a few disposables during the holidays.  With all the parties, and unfortunately, sickness for Patrick and I, we just didn’t always keep up with the laundry.  But, it was a good reminder of how expensive diapers are and how grateful I am that we don’t have to buy them on a regular basis!  Henry’s still exclusively nursing, too, but I think we’ll probably start some vegetables by 7 months.  He’s really getting the spoon thing down (we let him play with one whenever the kids are eating).

And now onto the photos!  Watch out… there’s a lot!  This month I did some with some of his daycare friends (who he loves SO much), and some with Patrick and I.  It’s hard to remember to get us in there all the time!  Anyway, here they are!

Look at my blonde, blue-eyed little guy! He’s so handsome!

Henry and Lucy. He really does love her… I just couldn’t get him to show it.  

Just today Dexter was making Henry crack up.  I love their relationship… it’s so sweet!

Chase could have cared less about me… he’s ALWAYS excited to see Henry.  

And I think Henry will probably out-weigh Ashton within a few months. ;)  

This is the swim…. Henry puts his arms back and kicks.  I don’t know how he thinks he’s going to move by doing this.  Silly boy.

Oh. My. GAWSH.  Watching my husband be a father is the most amazing thing in the world.  Henry can only hope he gets his daddy’s charm. ;) 

Hands down he thinks his dad is the funniest.  I mean, he knows I’m really funny, too, but for whatever reason he thinks his dad is a little more…

My heart…

Me and my baby.  I just couldn’t imagine life without him!

Christmas post (just a tad late).

So, I’m finally back to reality, and I wanted to share a little bit of our holiday photos.  I actually remembered to bring my camera along with me to my mom’s house on Christmas, so I was able to get some of Henry’s first Christmas on camera!  (So proud!)  And I’ll be sure and post a New Year’s post, too, but that is definitely all iPhone photos. :)

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!  I’m so excited for what’s in store for the coming year!

Okay, I have to start with some of our presents.  I was in love with the wrapping paper I found!

The tags were downloaded, but all the names were written by yours truly.

We bought Henry a couple things, but didn’t wrap them.  It was still fun giving him a new toy, though!

Henry’s cousin, Brendyn, loves him so much.  He spent lots of time playing with him.  It was so sweet. 

And I of course love any photos of my mom with Henry. (Also, you must note his adorable shirt he got from some really great people. ;)

The lighting was bad, there was no set up, and we were in a rush, but this is our family photo of our first Christmas with Henry. And I love it. 

Ah!  My two favorites! 

Best of 2011

2011 was definitely a unique one for Katy O Photo.  We made great strides, met some wonderful people, and made it out with some great photos!  I’m so excited to get back into the swing of things next weeks, with lots of updates for you all!  But in the meantime, here’s a year in review from Katy O Photo.

Wishing you and yours a very joyous and blessed New Year filled with the greatest of health, wild success, and most of all, a whole bunch of love!  

katy o

Cheers to the New Year!

The Pyper Family

The Pypers are one of my favorite families…ever!  Sarah and I have known each other for years.  We met as teenagers when we worked together, and have been friends ever since!  She was the photographer for my wedding, and I did photos for her reception.  Then we both got pregnant and had babies just 6 weeks apart!  Sweet Olive is so adorable!  And one of Henry’s best pals.  I am so exciting to be doing family photos for the Pypers.  Oh, and Jarrod is making the new Katy O Photo website (coming soon)!  See?  Amazing family!  Us O’Dells love them lots, and I’m sure you will after you see these photos, just radiating their awesomeness. 

So, Olive was quite the trooper, but had just had it with the photos.  Such is the life of a 3-month old.  So, we took the opportunity to take some photos of Sarah and Jarrod.  I think it is so important that couples have photos together, and Sarah and Jarrod didn’t get a lot when they got married.  And I’m so glad we did!  Look at this smokin’ couple!

Alaina Jo

Sweet baby Alaina was only 5 days old when I had the privilege of meeting her.  She was so precious and did such an amazing job.  And not to mention, her first-time parents who were total pros.  They were so calm and relaxed—what a feat with a 5-day old!  And it never ceases to amaze me how a brand new baby who has never known this world, knows her parents in an instant.  Anytime she started to fuss, she would settle right down if she was with her mom or dad.  I have a feeling that her family is feeling awfully blessed by their new little bundle. 

The Cox family.

I am so glad it finally worked out to meet with the Cox family.  I can only imagine how much there is to schedule with two teens and a pre-teen.  But it was well-worth the lead up!  I worked with Steve for a long time, but it was so great to see him with Kris and the kids.  They are such amazing parents and you can tell their kids love them that much.  If we can get Henry to like us that much when he’s a teenager, we’ll be golden!  

Now onto the photos! We took a couple of just the girls while the boys ran back to the car. 

Aren’t they such a good looking family?!

And we didn’t quite make it to the end in time.  And the waves were pretty giant.  So, I just snapped a quick few like this before we made our way back.  But I love this shot.  I think it definitely showcases their family. 

The John Family

What can I say about this dear family, but that I love them so!  I have watched Chase & Ashton ever since they were a few months old and have just loved being a part of their lives.  The Johns are such an exceptional family and I was so excited when Tami asked me to take their photos again this year.  I just love being around them!

So a couple weeks ago we headed out to their grandparents’ house (my aunt & uncle), for some photos.  They live out in the country, so it was so great to let the boys run around, and spend some time with my Uncle Charlie’s horses.  We had a wonderful time!

The boys did great, too.  They are getting the whole sitting still thing… for the most part.  But that doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty of rocks and sticks and running involved to keep everything going.  That’s just what boys do. 

Love to the John family!  I hope you enjoy!

Catching Up.

You’ll get a real, full post here soon.  Promise.

Until then, here’s what I’ve been up to…

Finishing editing this cute session with my favorite twins…

An lovely time out in Grand Haven with a great family…

And hanging out with this fabulous couple for a completely stunning engagement session…