Hazel 11 months

 someone asked me the other day how old Hazel was and without hesitation I said 10 months.

but then I remembered the actual date that it was and I said no she's 11 months and 1 week. I also got an email that describes all the milestones to expect from my toddler, I deleted that garbage.

Her first birthday is 3 weeks away and I don't have anything planned or ready for it. the world needs to stop forcing me to let my kids grow up.

 we will never get this 11th month back.

 so here it is.

11th month up date on my sweet baby Hazelnut.

 she's 21 pounds.

she has three teeth but three more are all poking out at the same time.

she says mama, dada, belle belle, slla (we think that means stella) ea (we think Julia) iyauu (i love you) and just lots of screeches and squeals.

she still eats everything. 

she's slowed down on nursing a lot but still wants to at least 3 times a day.

she sleeps through the night 95% of the time

she loves to swing, play with rubber ducks, crawl freely around the house, and be my shadow every where I go.

she is just so laid back and content.

she doesn't really care whats going on around her as long as something is happening for her to watch.

she just so used to chaos with all her sisters.

 she's not walking yet but her legs are getting stronger and her balance is getting more stable.

none of my kids walked before their first birthday so I didn't expect Hazel to either.

she climbs stairs.

 if your holding her just sitting still she moves a lot. twisting and turning bending backwards and climbing all over. but if your moving she sits still. she's fighting diaper changes. and is only ticklish right on her collar bone no where else. she loves wearing shoes. and even though we have like 15 different binkies she is very particular to the 2 or 3 she will suck on.

 and yes for the most part she is bald but it has grown a lot in the last month. we think she will have Belle's white blonde hair. she gives the best kisses and is learning new things everyday. it's so fun to watch her connect things and figure out the world around her.

she recognizes other people now besides us. like she knows her grandmas and grandpas. her aunts, friends, and when we go to familiar places we frequently visit like church, loved one's homes, library, grocery store, school she recognizes where we are and either gets excited or starts to kick.

(insert monthly picture soon, she's napping right now)

I love this girl so much!

and now that I finally posted on her monthly update 

I have to stop putting off what comes next.

she deserves a great birthday party!

I have to start planning!!!!

photo tip: my edit style

It's been a while since I shared a photo tip 

so I wanted to share something

I have realized that in my photos I like balance.

I like "clean backgrounds" 

my definition of that would be no trash cans, distracting lights, telephone wires, poles, cars, random people and just junk.

when scouting out photo locations I try to find areas that don't have these things

but there are times where it's unavoidable.

so I have to edit them out.

and I also use some tricks to help move your eye away from that area. 

here is an example

Miss Belle was coloring but the light on her face was so pretty I had to snapped a picture. but there was no way I could capture her eyes and crop out the pile of toys in the back.

 so I cloned them out and softened the area to help blend in any shadows. I also like to change more serious expressions in a different tone like bronze

 I know that sometimes the things I notice not everyone else does. I have been told many times that I am obsessing over something no one would see. but it's my photography, my work, a reflection of me. and I want to show what I want you to see.
 I really wanted the focus to be on Hazel's eyes peeping out over her high chair tray. and although I love the giant spaghetti strainer hanging on the wall. I felt like it was distracting in this image.
I could have removed it but it didn't bother me until after I uploaded the images and really looked at them. I again cloned, softened and then went black and white.

   

 but if you know me at all you know more times than not I love a great color picture.

Stella had just finished a glass of juice and had a little pink mustache. but her eyes were so stunning and that's what I wanted everyone to focus on.
As you can see my girls have gorgeous eyes so I'm always wanting to focus on them, not juice.

 I typically lean towards the more blue tones when editing because to me they add drama to the picture and make the colors a little more bold.

These are personal prefrences.
there is no real rule book on what to edit out or how to edit.
 after 5 years ( more on my anniersary soon) I feel like I have finally found a style I love.
 and for the most part I feel like I stick to that when editing and shooting personal and profession pictures. I want to be able to have a portfolio that is cohesive and anyone can look at even one picture and say "yep, That's a Kassondra picture." 

-Julia has expressed a few times that she does not want me to post pictures of her. I am trying to be respectful. otherwise I would have included some of her too. I do love my oldest just as much as my littles.