Turns out it was a lot!

Her big sister got in on the action too. I just love her mischievous little look. Something tells me this is something her Mom and Dad see a lot!

And let me tell you, this next shot was a beast to get. She kept rolling over every time we put her on her tummy! Any of you mamas of babies out there able to relate?

I already can’t wait to see these girls again!

Oh you sweet girl. You sure know a good thing when you’ve got it, don’t you?

Two doting parents are certainly something to smile about!

And turning one is pretty special too.

Which is a coincidence because special is just what you are!

Happy Birthday!

The winner is….

MENDY - I like the city plates

I will email you details Mendy!!

Good Monday Morning to everyone! Can I just start out by saying how great it feels to be back with you guys! I have a total renewed spirit and am really enjoying being back in the saddle!!! As I mentioned last Monday we are taking the whole month of May and featuring the different shops within H. Raines located at 2336 Whitesburg.

Today we will be combining 2 of the unique shops that go hand in hand!!!!

Gigi’s Corner is a perfect little spot with precious baby gifts. They have some of the best finds in Huntsville if you ask me!!( see for yourself on their Facebook page!!)

They have the highly sought after Aden & Anais products including their skin care line. 

Having a new baby myself I am here to tell you that if you are expecting or know someone that is, these swaddling blankets are the BEST!!!

They are big enough to get a great swaddle and so soft that you feel great about tucking your baby away in them!! 

Some of the other fabulous lines they carry are: 3 Martha’s, Maison Chic, and Reese Li!!!

They just have some precious things!!

The owner Gayle mentioned that this Tickle Monster Kit is a wonderful gift!!  (and yes the diapers bags are currently still 25% off!!)

The second part of this post is something that Huntsville desperately needed and that is a local maternity shop with CUTE, trendy maternity clothes! I am so happy to say that Bump Nine is a spot where you can find just that. You can stay up to date with their happenings on their Facebook page.

Of course I didn’t find out about this spot until I was about 37 weeks pregnant and by that point lets face it I was over trying to look cute!!

However I was so excited because I had a friend who just found out she was pregnant and wanted to know where to get some cute clothes and I was so happy to share this spot with her.

Owner, Jennifer Bludsworth, opened this shop after realizing that there was no where to get cute maternity clothes. Then after a devastating event in her life she decided to get her mind off of it she decided to fix this problem and opened Bump Nine!

Something so amazing about this booth is that a portion of all of Bump Nine’s proceeds go to 2 organizations, Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep and Resolve Through Sharing. These 2 organizations  mean a lot to Jennifer and her husband after helping them so much while in the hospital after the loss of their child.

Bump Nine also sells a cool line of jewelry called Chewbeads. This line of jewelry is “Mommy Chic, Baby Safe”

It is safe for your baby to play with and even chew on!  The jewelry is made out of the same material that pacifiers are made from. They are BPA free and dishwasher safe! SO SMART and cute!

Thank you Gigi’s Corner and Bump Nine for letting us share your greatness!! Oh and of course for the 2 giveaways!! (How lucky are we that our MAT features are so giving!!)

Gigi’s Corner is giving away a single swaddle sleep bag and Bump Nine is giving a Chewbead Hudson necklace.

Here is how to enter:

1.  Leave a comment below letting us know what caught your eye in this blog post.

2.  Like Erin Cobb Photography on Facebook (or tell us you already do) and leave a comment letting us know.

3.  Follow Erin Cobb on Twitter (or tell us you already do) on Twitter and leave a comment letting us know.

4. Like Gigi’s Corner on Facebook (or tell us you already do) and leave a comment letting us know.

5.Like Bump Nine on Facebook (or tell us you already do) and leave a comment letting us know.

And don’t forget about the big giveaway:

H. Raines is also going to have a little contest of their own that will be held at the end of the month. To enter like H. Raines on Facebook (or tell us you already do) and leave a comment letting us know and we will enter you to win a gift basket from H. Raines.

Good Luck!!

And when they smiled their mischievous little grins I recognized those looks too. I’ve seen them so often on the faces of their cousins who are near and dear to my heart!

Although when that BFF of mine started demanding this sneak peek after I’d been home a mere 12 hours I thought I might have to start blocking her calls!

But then I remembered those cute kiddos of hers, and this cute niece and nephew of hers, and I thought better of it.

I think instead I’ll just give her a friendly little 6 a.m. wake up call tomorrow morning to let her know the sneak peek is up.

That’ll work, dontcha think?

Starting with this one, back in Chicago…

I’ve photographed a ton of kids in my day, and these two had some of the biggest personalities I’ve ever seen! Big sister was a ham from the word go…

And her little brother was in a permanent state of “monkey see, monkey do”…so he was cheesing it up for me too!

Of course, it didn’t hurt that his daddy was like the grand master, toddler cajoler…

Think he wants a side job?

Do you have you boys? Do you know any boys? Have you ever seen any boys?

If you do then you know how long it took for this bro hug…

to turn into this neck squeeze…

followed by a head butt.

Two and a half seconds.

I was just telling someone today how much I love having a boy of my own. He has brought so much into this girly-girl’s life that I never even knew existed. And I have a feeling the mama of these two sweet guys knows just what I’m talking about.

There’s just something about being loved by a little boy with his blue jeans and bright eyes,

chubby fingers and pensive stares,

that does a heart good.

Everybody needs a little boy in their life.

Amen?

Although when I asked big sister if she remembered before her siblings here born she said no. But she DID remember that she was in the hospital from a unfortunate horse accident when her mama went into labor! Something tells me it will take a lifetime for that story to stop being told!

At first glance I thought these two were twins…

But as it turns out they’re just carbon copies born in different years!

Here’s one last shot with their sweet mama just for kicks…

Thanks for the fun friends!

We dodged a bullet with this session since one of these sweet babes was sick just days before. The chances of him getting well in time and not infecting his twin were slim…but they beat the odds! Both boys were healthy and smiley when they showed up on Saturday morning. Hooray!

They must have known just how much their sweet mama was looking forward to this session! (And me too for that matter!)

We started shooting just minutes before their typical nap time, but that didn’t seem to matter one bit. I guess when you’re in Daddy’s arms, all is right with the world.

Be still my mama heart…

This family was so fun and loving…and I think that shows in this shot!

Thanks for making the drive you guys…I hope our paths will cross again.

Photographers: Interested in how this session was edited? Find out more here.

The first family we caught up with bright and early on Saturday really kicked things off with a bang. I mean, if cherry red pants on a super fly four year old doesn’t start your day off with a giggle then I don’t know what to tell you.

I do know that my husband spent the rest of our trip looking for his own perfect pair of red pants. I’m not sure they work the same magic on a super fly 36 year old but at least he was willing to try.

This sweet big sister totally had me at hello. And the way she beamed in those multi-colored braces took me right back to third grade when I would have keeled over from happiness if I had been granted my own mouthful of shiny metal. She rocked those brackets.

Then there was little sister who I’m pretty sure was plucked right out of Hope Floats (only my favorite movie of all time). Beautiful and lovable Bernice Matisse anyone?

Her mama came so prepared for the session…she even brought along a pair of lens-less glasses to minimize glare. How thoughtful/smart was that?!

Brent and I hit it off instantly with this sweet family. We caught ourselves wishing they would decide to be Huntsvillians. Chicago to Huntsville, what are the chances? We are getting an H&M afterall (who I hear carry super fly red pants), so maybe there’s a shot.

And speaking of shots, this is one of my favorites. The daily life of a mama…

right in the beautiful center of everything.

(More Chicago sneak peeks coming!)

Psst…Photographers: If you’re interested in how I edited this session (and all others!) click here.