Gone with the Wind

Before Jadon was born, we bought the cutest outfits at Baby Gap. As soon as I saw the outfits in the display window back in April, I was inspired to use them as a theme for our first official family portrait. We didn't know if Jadon was going to be a boy or girl, so we bought one of each, and planned to return the one we wouldn't need, once the baby was born. I knew I wouldn't want to take a newborn baby to the beach, and I would want to lose a few of those 60 pounds I gained(!!!), so we opted for the 3-6 month size.

Obviously, we returned the outfit for the little girl ;-) and Jadon had definitely grown into size 3-6 months clothes, but we had to wait for the weather to cooperate, before we could make our way to the beach. With lots of overcast days and a trip to WV last month, we didn't get to take pics until October 30th. We initially planned for Auntie Em to play photographer, but she had class until 5:45pm that day, so Gramma (notoriously known for cutting heads off people in pics) was the next best thing.

Everything seemed just right. Jadon was in a good mood. Jamie and I matched his adorable outfit from Baby Gap. The beach, waves, and sky were beautiful. But the wind!!! Oh the wind!!! No matter where we positioned ourselves on the beach in Pawleys Island, my hair was a disaster! I had a clip in the car, but we were all the way down on the beach, and I didn't want to risk going back to get it for fear that Jadon would become fussy. This was no ordinary wind; it was fierce! I'm going to swallow my pride and post the HORRIBLE, worst pics of the day. The one of me makes me laugh until I cry. I honestly get the 1st prize for worst face in a pic EVER! Then there is the prize for worst parent ever, when you see the pics of Jadon's eyelids blown back so far he can no longer see. Enjoy (she says, rolling her eyes):
But honestly, it wasn't all bad. My mom actually took some great pics, despite the circumstances. Below are two of my favorites: (1) Papa bear, Mama bear, and Baby bear and (2) one of Jadon first putting his feet in the sand and looking at a seashell. This was his very first trip to the beach, by the way, and he LOVED the sand on his feet. Sooo much fun! So many great memories...many hysterical because of the wind and the priceless expressions on our faces, and others because my mom played photographer. Such a scary thought, but she did great (as you can see below), and we are all so thankful to have shared the experience with her. Love you, Gramma!!!