beach sunsets

We're down here in Siesta Key! Our home away from home :) It's so nice to experience some much-needed family time in our little paradise. 

One of our favorite things while down here, is to watch the sun set as often as we can. Sunsets hold special meaning to all of us. And to enjoy it here...icing on the cake. 

Our August Hangout

So far this month, we have ventured to Traders Point Creamery a time or two. On Fridays, they have live music throughout the year, but August has been so darn beautiful that we haven't been able to resist frequent visits. We love the creamery because everything is quaint, organic, kid friendly and its a literal farm to table concept. The kids love to visit the cows. On these Friday nights, they even have a mini petting zoo which is extra bonus points. 

I brought my big camera to one of our visits, because I'm guilty of taking client photos and not enough of my own family's (the reason I learned to love photography). So here are a few I took and plan on printing to display at home. I love candid shots of my kids. This is who they are right now and I want to always remember that.

I love their relationship. I'm probably going to canvas this one, actually. 

The relationship he and Kerigan are forming makes my heart explode. When I catch him dancing with his little girl...game over. I fall more in love. 

These goofs. 

The essence of B + K

A close up of the stinkers. What is she plotting?

I'm so thankful for this beautiful month of August and places like TPC. Making good ole family memories this month.

I am a MOMpreneur (Contest + Giveaway)

Hello. My name is Krista and I'm a MOMpreneur. Ever since I was a little girl, I have collaborated the creative side of my brain and the entrepreneurial side. I remember sitting in my 5th grade class, taking orders from my peers to create their name in 3-D block letters for a quarter (what a deal, right!?). I remember feeling so fulfilled when I saw my classmates happy with the finished product.

I believe this balance of my brain is what helps me be a successful Realtor. I truly love what I do and love that I have the flexibility to creatively market and sell homes. But the creative juices do not stop there.

I have recently been asked to hop on board as a Stylist for an incredible company, Stella & Dot. Stella & Dot sells beautiful accessories (such as jewelry, bags, scarves, tech accessories and more) while also doing some amazing charity work such as fundraising for the HollyRod foundation for Autism Awareness.

As of late, I have also been asked to photograph babies, families, friends and more which has jump started KristaKPhotography!

So here is the dealio friends, I have been wracking my brain for a new blog name. I want it to encompass a page for my family blog, my real estate page, my photography page and stylist page! Something very simple but makes an impact. I am also going to be changing it to a .com and get rid of the blogspot.com to make it cleaner. [Clarification: I want the family blog to be the main hub- so this is the one I am essentially wanting to rename. The real estate page, photography page and stylist pages already exist and will just have buttons off of the main hub- hope that narrows it down for you!]

(I know this seems like a lot but the beauty of being a MOMpreneur is that I get to create my own schedule. So the zoo dates, swimming pool days and park play are still at my fingertips at any time)

So here's the contest: Comment below or email me at krista@carlvargasteam.com with your blog name ideas! The winner will receive a $25 Visa gift card 

Thank you all so much for your support! (And if any of you know any web designers out there to help me organize everything in a wordpress.com- I could do a photo shoot for them as collateral!)

XOXO

-Krista the MOMpreneur

**UPDATE: WE HAVE A WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER....WORKING ON THE NEW LAUNCH-STAY TUNED**

Kerigan's 3 Month Photo Shoot

I wanted to make sure I have "photo shoot" for Kerigan as a newborn, 3 months, 6 months, 9 and 12 months. A lot of photographers offer packages like this but I'm beginning to gain confidence in my own abilities.

So in order to practice (and save money) I decided that we were going to try them on our own. I was pretty happy with the results but could not get her to smile! Her big beautiful smile is part of her charm at 3 months so I wanted to be sure to capture that. So we waited to complete the session until Daddy could be home one Saturday. That's all she needed. You'll see towards the end her little giggle fit. Perhaps this little Bear is becoming a Daddy's girl?

I love this doll babe so much- sometimes I think my heart may burst. Enjoy.

Kerigan's Newborn Photos

Hi friends!

I am really behind in posts but I swear I have an excuse for it! (Besides the whole working mom thing) I have a COPIOUS amount of photos on my Mac and ran out of room on my hard drive...soooo had to order an external hard drive blah blah blah blah.

Anyways, as of last night, we are back on the grid! So be watching out for some fun posts of the bebes.

In the meantime, I realized I never posted Kerigan's Newborn Photo Sesh captured by Loree Alayne Photography (who also took our maternity photos).

We could not be happier with the way these turned out- there are poster-sized  copies of these around my house!

Love this sweet little newborn. She has stolen all of our hearts.

A Maternity Photo Shoot for Baby 2

At 34 weeks into Baby Two's pregnancy, we had our maternity photography session with the very talented Loree Alayne Photography. We met at Beasley's Orchard and Briggs could not have been more excited about all the "punkanns".

When I went to Loree's house for my ordering session, I couldn't help but cry. I was completely overwhelmed by HIS grace. These pictures incapsulated such a special time in our lives. I'm incredibly in love with my hard working, witty and loving husband. Plus, life with this amazing little boy is so incredible. And to think, we are multiplying this feeling in a few weeks with another...I cannot fathom the blessings. What a beautiful life we live- I am soaking up every.single.moment.

Kinsie's Newborn Photos

My sister asked me to take Kinsie's newborn photos before Little Miss was even born. I love photography and am learning more and more every day. I was happy to take Kara's maternity pictures because there was less pressure, I guess. However, I have never done a newborn session and I know how stressful Briggs's session was (at least from a mother's view).

Newborns do not sleep through photography shoots. Period. They do not let you put them in positions that you see on Pinterest, they are hungry as soon as you want to begin and they always pee as soon as you take the diaper off. I remember by the end of Briggs's session I was literally sweating because I didn't want to take up any more of our sweet photographer's time. 

From the photographer's standpoint, I honestly didn't mind if I had to be there all day. I just didn't want Kara to stress out if I wasn't able to get any great shots. But with a lot of cooperation and patience, we were able to capture some beautiful moments of my precious niece. I know Kara was happy which was the ultimate goal.

Here are a few of my favorites:

She has quickly promoted herself to one of the loves of my life. I love you always, baby girl! I'm so glad I can be a part of so many of your precious moments!

My Sister's Maternity Photos

I am by no means a "professional" photographer. However, I do enjoy taking pictures as a hobby. As you all know, my sister and her husband are due with their first baby in September. I figured there was no better way to show them my love then by snapping a few of these short and precious maternity moments. 

My little baby niece is already one of the most loved creatures on the planet. I cannot wait to be a part of her life! (Briggs is pumped to be a big cousin too) We have decided Baby Matthews is going to be his practice baby before he becomes an official big brother in November. The biggest challenge? Learning to share his "Yaya" and "Bapa" (my mom and dad) with another kid.

Until then, here is to a beautiful pregnancy and a few more short weeks before this little one arrives. Praying for a healthy mommy and baby every step of the way...

Fun with Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom was one of my favorite Christmas presents I received this year. So much possibility! However, I am just now getting to play around with it. I have SO much to learn and have so many ideas but just don't know how to get there quite yet. 

I have been watching some of Lightroom's video tutorials, but I still feel overloaded.  Is that the best way to learn though? I wish it came with an instruction manual...ahhh! help!

Here I was playing around with some of the "Cabin Fever" pictures from the other day. Doesn't it make him look like a different boy? My little model baby!

16 Weeks Photos

At 16 Weeks, our little guys is getting such a personality! It brightens my day every morning when I wake up and see his smiling face. He is laughing so hard, he screams. He is so dramatic...I don't know where he gets that from. :)

Thursday, our good friend Ally Dant came to take his 3 month pictures. He is 16 weeks but won't officially turn 4 months until May 20. We are IN LOVE with these pictures. Briggs was fascinated by the clicking of the camera...he was quite the poser. I'm so thankful we were able to capture such precious memories. We will treasure these always! I hope you enjoy!

Click the link below if you cannot see the 16 week slideshow
BBR 16 Weeks

Newborn Photo Sesh

I knew about a week before Briggs was born that I wanted to have a newborn photo session for him. They typically recommend that you get these done before they are 14 days old because they lose that "newborn look" by the third week, which was definitely true for Briggsy.

I had a few people in mind that I wanted to ask, and luckily we were able to find one of my friends (Cassandra Ginter) from the high school that could do it! She did an amazing job capturing some of our first moments with Briggs. She was also very flexible and patient that day because B was very fussy at that time and I was still dealing with the recovery of my bells palsy (as you will be able to see). I wanted to include those photos of me too because I figure they are a part of his birth story. So thank you Cassandra!

I hope you all enjoy the pics! These are so precious to us.

 

Our precious boy at 9 days old.

If the slideshow doesn't work, click on this link to view: 

Briggs's Newborn Picutres

And just as a comparison of how QUICKLY things change...this is what he looks like right now at approx. 45 days old. I am so thankful we had his newborn pictures taken when we did. It makes me realize I need to soak up and enjoy every moment along this journey with him.

how precious are those chubby cheeks and wrist rolls? love our big boy. this is why ryan calls him the monster baby.

What's in a name?

Many people have been asking how we came up with Briggs's name. Well here is somewhat of an explanation and meaning behind our son's names:

We came up with Briggs because the girls I hung around with in college had a friend named Briggs. I always loved his name because it was so unique and very masculine. The name was always in the back of my mind. And plus I thought Briggs Robinson sounded good for a little guy or for an adult. Ryan makes fun of me because I had a 4-step test for our baby's first name:

Test 1: Can you picture him with that name as a baby? 

Test 2: Can you picture using his name at a parent-teacher conference for elementary school?

Test 3: Can you picture the announcer saying his name as he steps up to the plate in his high school baseball game?

Test 4: Can you picture him introducing himself as a young adult at his first real job interview?

"Briggs" passed all the tests with flying colors...so that is how it became official!

We came up with Beto (Bet-oh) because it was my grandpa's name on my dad's side (Roberto but people only called him Beto). If I am the clone of my dad, dad was the clone of my grandpa- both in personality and in appearance. I was SO very close to my grandpa Beto. One of the last things he said to my dad was how he was proud of who he was and that he was just like him. And then he went on to say and then there is Krista...she is just like us. We live on! So I knew I always wanted my grandpa to "live on" with my first son. So thats why Briggs is my little Beto. 

On my dad's way to the hospital the morning I was in labor, the song that reminded us of grandpa in his final months came on the radio. When dad came and told me while I was in the delivery room, I started crying because I was filled with so much joy because i definitely felt my grandpa's spirit with me when little Briggs was coming into the world. 

Kara, my lovely Grandma, me, my cousin Lorin, and Grandpa Beto

Also, I still plan on posting his birth story soon, but in the meantime here is a sneak peak of one of Briggsy's newborn photos. As soon as I receive the rest, I will post those as well. 

He honestly is the best thing that has ever happened in my life. Here is my life:

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new." ~Rajneesh 

Love Shoot

At 30 weeks and a few days, Ryan and I met Alyson Dant downtown at one of our favorite places in Indy. The Canal Walk has special meaning to us because it is where our reception took place on the night of our wedding. Since then, it continues to be a special local destination for the Robinson family. Ryan's office is right on the canal, so in the summer I often bring Lola and we will go for a walk on his lunch break and then set up for a picnic. It is also the location of Tri-Indy where Ryan competed this past August in a Sprint Triathlon and where I will be next year. It is truly one of our favorite places in our city. So this is why we chose to have our maternity shoot here. Alyson did an amazing job. I would recommend her to anyone! She really captured the love between us and for our little one. I can't wait to show these pictures to him someday.

You did an amazing job in capturing these moments. It is truly a gift. Thank you, Ally. XOXO