Welcome Itty Bitty Charlie!

Meet Charlie.   He was our little Valentine Itty Bitty.   And what could you possibly NOT fall in love with when it comes to this little guy!?!?    Alicea and I gave our Valentine an A+ LeLe Report Card!   Charlie's mom gets an A+ on the personalized nursery too!   Not only was it my favorite.....gray with pops of color......but I knew I had to incorporate it into his announcement design!   Here is the front.....

 And then you flip it over and the awwwwww's continue.....

I have seen so many different nurseries, and I can only imagine how difficult it is to decide on what theme and look you are going to go for.   I am amazed over and over again by the LeLe mama's who put so much time, effort and personalization into perfecting their Itty Bitty's room.   I absolutely loved every single thing that Kim did to make Charlie's room his own.   :)   

LeLe Photographers.  St. Louis Newborn Photography by Ash-a-ley & Alicea

Blogged by Ash-a-ley

Sara & John: Ripe Belly

Sara and John decided to wait to find out if they were having a Mr or a Miss.  I think there is nothing more exciting then not knowing and when mother and father finally see their baby and they are like what is it, what is it!!! And of course there's the excitement of the family in the waiting room with their bets made...  Sara and John choose LeLe to capture the BirthStory of their first child and here is a little sneak peek of their Ripe Belly session.  We started at their home and let me tell you Sara was SO prepared!!!  She had the kitchen table FULL of outfits, details, props and even pictures of parks and local spots she liked.  As I took their pics we chatted about possible locations for the end of their session.  They mentioned a few parks and also Orange Leaf.  I was like, WHAT is Orange Leaf?  They informed me that it is amazing frozen yogurt and how they have a Sunday ritual in which they go there with John's truck, pick their favorite flavor of frozen yogurt, add amazing toppings and then sit on the tailgate and people watch.  I immediately said, "uh yeah, we are going there!"  I told them not only will these pictures be fun, they are unique to you guys and your very own little ritual.  I love incorporating things that are unique because those are the moments and pictures that will remind them of the Sundays they spent together sitting on the tailgate, laughing, talking and just being together.  

you. are. beautiful.

 her wedding veil

Sara and John, thanks A LOT for treating me to Orange Leaf!  Now I am addicted... :)

Sarah & Pat: Ripe Belly

I fall in love with my clients all the time. Sometimes I meet a couple, and within minutes, I feel like they have been lifelong friends of mine. Sarah and Pat are one of those couples.

I do not know what there is not to love about these two:

1.They are "ridiculously good looking".

2.They are incredibly in love. Like seriously in love. The kind of love that makes me know it exists. He looked at her like she was his world, and she looked at him like no one else could ever compare. I could feel their love by simply being in their presence.

3. They are FUNNY. Make sure to check out the outtake collage at the end of the blog. We did not stop making jokes. "Pat, EYES ON THE GROUND!" :)

4. Girl has style. Seriously. I religiously read In Style and Glamour, so I always appreciate someone with a sense of fashion. I love love love pairing outfits together. It's always an adventure looking through my closets (Yes, I have two of them), and pairing together something I hadn't thought about piecing together before. They have an entire room in their home dedicated to "Sarah's Getting Ready Room." An entire room. Accessories, shoes for days, clothes, jewelry, a vanity for hair/makeup.......I need this. :) Sarah really needs it though....she owns the FABULOUS Cha Boutique in Ladue. If you haven't been there, you need to go there. :)

5. And these two are every photographers dream. I think they may have been supermodels in a past life. She rocked out the poses the entire time, and Pat gave the "GQ look" like nobody's business!!! I could not STOP capturing these two.......

I LOVEEEEEEE This one......

Another fave.....

Seriously!?!? Sarah!!!! WORK it!!!!

I need to get a hat like that......

Pure Beauty.

And a shoot is never complete with out a little behind the scenes fun.......

This is how gracefully Pat moves from one pose into the next...... :)

The dog whisperer.....

Sarah & Pat- thank you guys for all of the JM advice. :) I'll be sure to use it next week when I'm in New York. Love you both and can not wait to capture the rest of your BirthStory. :)

Welcome Itty Bitty Damien!

I could not be more excited or proud to welcome Itty Bitty Damien to the LeLe baby club!! :) One of my best friends happens to be Damien's mama. Here is the front of his personalized announcement design....

and the back........look how cute this little chunker butt is!!! :)
Now for a little background info.... uh-oh..... :)

Some people walk into your life, without you realizing how much they will mean to you one day. That is my favorite part of this life, the unexpected and unplanned. Everyday, my job gives me the chance to meet new people who may or may not change my life. Niki is one of these people. Looking back, the story of how we met is actually pretty funny. She used to live with her sister, Mindy. Mindy had a few people over one particular night, and I ended up sleeping on the couch. Niki came down in the morning, and I woke up, and was all, "Hi!!! My name's Ashley." Keep in mind, this is when I was 18, entirely way too cheerleadery/perky, and quite frankly if today me met 18 year old me....I too would be annoyed. lol :) Niki was all, "Who is this girl in my house?" She did not like me. Shortly after, the first impression wore off, and she got to know the real me. Niki, Mindy (Niki's sister), and I became inseparable. It is really quite humorous looking back, because the three of us were so alike. We started telling people we were all sisters. I was their baby sis. People believed it, like really believed it. How could they not, we had the same laugh, the same sense of humor, and we could finish each other's sentences and thoughts. They were they when I graduated high school and I even transferred colleges so Niki and I could have classes together. :) We spent many a weekends at the lake and countless evenings at Katie Valley....ohhhhh and the times down at Mizzou ("How Come You Don't Call Meeeee, Vanilla Smirnoff, DALO, just for starters....)

Spending all of this time together, there is one thing I always knew....I knew Niki would make a wonderful mother. She always had such a nurturing soul. She was like the mom of our friends, always ready to take care of someone else. Always ready to put someone else's needs ahead of her own. Always thoughtful and full of empathy if someone else was hurting. If anyone ever needed anything, she wouldn't complain or ask questions, she simply acted. Niki is full of love. So full of love. Because of this, I know how lucky Damien, Charles, and Keegan are to have this love. She is as loyal as they come.

Niki, thank you for coming into my life that morning in Mindy's kitchen, whether you liked me at first or not. :) I love you and your little chunker butt, Damien! :)

The 3 "Sisters"- Niki, Mindy, and Me

This is one of my favorites of us from Mindy's wedding. I love you girls. :)

Nah Niki! :)

View Slideshow of little Damien HERE.