Crista Acosta Photography »

On a whim this morning, as I was taking pictures of the kids running around outside, I asked S.G. to take a few quick shots of me… my FB picture was a snowy one, and I’ve been so loving our Spring weather.  She was a trooper, and wielded my big old camera with the heavy 70-200 lens on it, and got some really great shots of me.  Then, out of the blue L.A. came barreling into the frame and wanted to take pictures with me.  He’s been avoiding my camera since he was about 18 months old, so I’ll soak up any chance I get.

And I could not love these more.  My first baby, who has no baby left in his face… he’s all boy, through and through…. and yet sometimes at night when I’m doing my last round of kid checks, I find myself standing over him in the dim light of the boys’ room and I swear I can still see glimpses of his tiny newborn face.

That bottom right one?  S.G. has such a knack for the in between, and this is the second incredible shot she has taken of me with one of the little dudes.  That one might just be tied for this one she took over the summer.  So.incredibly.blessed.

Last night I was having girls’ night in with a few friends when I got a text from C that said “Call me ASAP”.  A text of that sort after 10 pm when you have 3 little kids at home is usually cause for alarm.  So I called him as soon as I could, and when he answered the phone he yelled “YOU WON!!!!  You were voted Best Photography Blog!”.  I was shocked.  Since I hadn’t even known I was nominated until the very last minute, I never really thought that I would actually win. 

How exciting!  More so, how humbling – because I have many amazingly talented photographer friends who weren’t on that list, and if they had been – they totally would have had my vote.  There is a pool of incredible creative genius in this state, and I am so grateful to call many of those artists my friends. 

To all of you who voted, and whomever nominated me, to those of you who stop by on a regular basis – thank you.  From the bottom of my heart, thanks for following along with my story as I chase a dream and do what I love. 

Check out the other winners from The Hartford Courant’s Top Blogs of 2012.  I was super psyched to see that one of my favorite parenting blogs – CT Working Moms also won.    : )

There were two amazing little boys.  Brothers of the best kind.  They love and fight fiercely, argue, and play with great imagination.  Sometimes when I watch them together, I’m so in awe of their vast differences.  I can’t help but compare them, though I try not too – it’s a futile effort any way, because they are each their own individual little people, joined by the gene pool that created those big brown eyes, mile long lashes, and silly smiles.  Yet still, I can’t help but take note of L.A.’s overzealous excitement about most everything when he’s in a setting where he feels comfortable – bookended by his reserved observation when he enters a new situation.  Then I think of P2’s silly sense of humor and knack for entertaining, the way he sneaks off to quietly play alone for a while only to run back and start singing and dancing for all to see.

As they get older, I let myself start to imagine them heading out the back door together in matching uniforms to baseball practice, or rough housing around the back yard in the way that only brothers do.  I look at them, and I’m hopeful that they will be best friends, that they will look out for each other, that they will always know that the other one is there for them.  And sometimes, I let myself think back to the days when I was pregnant with P2 and so scared that I wouldn’t be able to love him the same way I loved L.A. … and though it seems like a such a silly thought now, in some ways it’s true.  I love them each wildly and in such incredibly different ways.  They occupy different places in my heart, (S.G. too – she just wasn’t outside this particular afternoon), but all those chunks love make my heart so, so full.

Mamas of two boys – I highly recommend the book I Love You The Purplest – it’s a steady favorite in our house, and we swap the little boys in the book to our munchkin’s names.  The first time I read it to them, I choked through the ending, because the description of loving each boy was so intensely accurate.

I had no clue until just about 10 minutes ago, but my tiny little comfy corner of the internet was nominated as one of CT’s Top Photography blogs by the Hartford Courant.  Voting has been going on all week, and closes tonight.  I have no clue who nominated me, but I’m guessing it was one of you sweet readers out there, so thank you.  Thank you for reading, and sharing, and taking the time to pop over here and see my latest work.

If you want to vote for this blog (and lots of other awesome local blog categories) click here.

Christa… otherwise known as the best friend that I met so much later in life, joined by a passion of photography and the quirk of sharing a name.  She’s the ying to my creative yang, and when she told me she was pregnant months ago, we started planning all these amazing non-traditional maternity session ideas.

What really happens in the lives of two busy photographers though?  All those wonderful and and crazy ideas went out the window when we realized in our collective schedules she was nearly full term, and we hadn’t done a thing!  Instead, we wound up getting together just six days before her little man made his early arrival into the world and spending a grand total of 7 minutes in the woods documenting her beautiful belly.

I love her.  Did I mention that?  Isn’t her smile so stinking cute?  As I was editing these pictures, I swear I can hear her contagious laugh.  C & J – so happy for you guys… from long nights in the tent, concerts together, and just a whole lot of strangely crossed lives (another weird one… Christa and her husband happened to go to the same college my husband did, years apart)…. to welcoming your little guy into the world.  I am so incredibly thrilled for you.

Little Phoebe.  The baby I’ve been hoping to meet for quite some time now.  I am so grateful to be a part of this little girl’s first year, and that she has reconnected me with some really amazing old friends.  Scott and Dianna, congratulations on your beautiful amazing little girl.  She may not know it for quite some time, but she’s pretty much the luckiest little girl in the world to have the two of you as parents.

And as an aside, I must make note of baby girl’s first set of pearls that her Dad bought her before she was born… possibly one of the sweetest things ever.

Most people around here know how much I love snuggling and photographing newborns, so when you have twins and I get to basically snuggle one baby or another the entire time?  Heaven!!!  Boy/girl twins usually amaze me, because they look so similar and yet so distinctly different.  Little Madden is such a tiny peanut compared to her brother, and I loved trying to capture their differences before they even out as toddlers!

I can’t believe that this little peanut is already a year old!  When her mom contacted me about doing a quick little mini shoot to celebrate her first year, I was so excited to see her again.  Her hair, and that sweet little smile, I couldn’t get enough of her cuteness!