sent from Heaven

above

Double the Blessings

&

Twice the Love.”

~Unknown

A couple weeks ago I was blessed to photograph not one, but two newborn baby girls!  I was so thrilled as this was my very first shoot with twins!  Georgia & Amalia, it’s pretty incredible how different these two little ones actually look, from their hair, to their eyes, to their skin tone!  And boy oh boy, let me tell you, after just spending a few short hours with both of them, they already have some incredible personalities!  Mom & Dad are in for a treat with these two girls and might I add, they are super lucky too!

his first love

his first friend.

You are his momma

and he is your whole world.

He is your little boy.”

~Unknown

Take a sad song and make it better.

Remember to let her into your heart,

Then you can start to make it better.

 Are you singing along yet?  This will forever be what pops into my head whenever I see baby Jude and believe me, I will see him a lot!  He is my newest neighbor and son to one of my best friends.  He is perfect in every single way, and although his mom has never been a big fan of The Beatles, she may have to be soon.

I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Jude in the hospital the day after he was born, let me tell you all, he was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!  In every single way… from his perfectly circular head to his perfect skin tone!  All the girls were swooning over this little one and he was only a day old!  Well, it’s easy to see and you will see for yourself, this little man is going to be a heart breaker! (not if his mom has anything to do with it of course!)  This is a post I could definitely ramble on and on about because this entire family means the world to me.  I will spare you all the rambling and get you to the good stuff.  I just have to say, Katie, Dom, Jude, & Lucy, I love you all very much and couldn’t be more happy for you!  Baby Jude, you have no idea what you mean to this family and to me.  XO!

To see more of this beautiful family and their journey to this moment in time you can read and see, here and here.

~Mary Grace

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything onto “My World” from the drop down menu.   This is due to the fact that I have been extremely busy!  Remember when I tried to post a new photo for every day of the week?  Ha! Ha! Probably not, because it only lasted about a month!  Ever since baby Ruby’s Story went viral, my life has gone, well…lets just say “nuts!”  I am not complaining!  I am so happy that my photography has taken off the way it has, but today, on this Valentine’s Day, I wanted to take some time for me, and share with all of you a new love and passion of mine. Yes, now I not only love Christmas, Babies, Weddings,  Titanic, (and obviously my adoring husband and family and friends)…my new love is THE BARRE.

When I was little, I couldn’t wait to grow up!  I would play house, have pretend weddings, and tea parties, anything that made me feel bigger and older than I really was.   Now, I’m 31 (not afraid to share that) and simply dream of being a little girl again.  We hear it all the time, sometimes from others, most of the time from our own head, “Life was so much easier as a kid.” or “I wish I was a kid again.”  Those phrases constantly swirl around my head when life gets stressful.  I just always wished there was a place that could bring back that little girl in me, when life was “stress free”.  Well, I’ve found it.

The first time I ever heard of “The Barre”, was a little over a month ago.  My friend Julie had asked if I wanted to try it out with her.  I looked it up to read what it was about…of course looking at the pictures too (the way to my heart).  I saw the mirror and ballet barre and thought to myself, “Well, this looks girly and fun!” Seeing as it had been about 6 months since I last used my gym membership, it was (and still is) the middle of winter in Minnesota, and it’s usually about this time that my winter depression begins to set in…I figured it was worth a shot.  Plus, I needed to do something for myself that had nothing to do with work.  So we both signed up for our first class.  I was pretty excited just to get to use a ballet barre!  In my head I was thinking, I get to pretend to be a ballerina, I even put my hair in a bun!  I felt like a little girl again!  Little did I know what was about to hit me…

It started out with some basic warm ups, kicking your legs, pointing through your toes, swinging your arms and then, BAM!!!  Down you go for pushups and planks!  In my head, I’m thinking, “Where is the ballet barre?  Don’t I get to use the ballet barre? I thought I was going to pretend I was a ballerina today?”  Keep in mind, I don’t think I had done a push up since I was a gymnast in high school…it had been a while.  Surprisingly, I was able to do most of them.  The series of push ups did not last very long and neither did the planks and after both exercises we got to stretch. Ahhhhh…..the stretch, my favorite part!  You see, when we finished the one hour class, I had realized the way these Barre classes work is you push yourself through the short series of exercises.  Every class you work each muscle group, starting with arms, then legs, then butt, and last but not least stomach.  You work each muscle group to the point of fatigue.   It may sound daunting, but it’s really not.  Each excersice you do is so short and then you get to stretch that muscle after.  The object is to build muscle and stretch that muscle out so you don’t look like a body builder.  Instead, you build muscle that helps shape your body into a ballerina-looking body-type.   It is so great because just about anyone can do it.  YOU push yourself to YOUR furthest point.  There are modifications for every excercise that is done, so you get to focus on whatever level you are at.  The instructors at The Barre are so encouraging and supportive and their words are honestly what help me push myself, motivate myself, and get me through each excersice.  It’s so true when they say, “Your mind quits way before your muscles do.”

So, although we do not dance like a ballerina in Barre class, we do get to use the barre every time and for the few short seconds we are standing in first or second position, while we are being instructed what we are doing next, I do feel like a little girl again.  The Barre, to me is that magical place I go to bring out the little girl in me.  I encourage everyone to try it at least once!  Whether you come for the great music (of which I have downloaded many of the songs that are played), the great tea and conversations after class, or to bring out the little girl in you, there is something to love about it for everyone (even if you are a boy)!

Below are some photos taken from one of the classes.  Please note, that this was an actual class!  These photos were not staged to make it look picture perfect, it was the real deal!  A lot of muscle shaking was going on during this class!  I have to thank the owners of The Barre, Paula and Rachel for allowing me to take some photos of what it is all about.  I know a lot of you have asked.  Now you can get a sneak peak inside what all the rage is about.  For more information about The Barre Studio, in Wayzaya, you can click here to read more about it.  I would love to see you all there, so if you do sign up for a class or want to try it out with me, just let me know and I would be more than happy to join you in your effort to bring out your inner ballerina!

With that, I leave you with this quote…may or may not have anything to do with what I just said, but regardless it’s has the words “chocolate” & “love” in it, so it has to be good!

“Love is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off.  It takes you by surprise at first, but keeps you warm for a long time.”

~Krystal Esplin

Violets are Blue

Sugar is Sweet

And so are

YOU.