A BOY AND HIS TOYS…..AJ TURNS FOUR!

So AJ turned 4 in August…we were coming off of our family cruise and his birthday was right around the corner. In the past – I’ve partnered with my fave photographer who has shot AJ since birth...and we’ll come up with great ideas and places to shoot their annual photo shoot. But this time – I was tired and out of ideas…and tired. So I called Erica and decided we would shoot AJ in his element….at home…in his playroom…and with his toys. He had 7-day old pool hair, but I didn’t care…I had a tradition of capturing my kids turning a year older – and this was as real as it was going to get. And I loved everything about this session. We pulled out his favorite car, grabbed his Lightning McQueen jacket and he went to work.

One Balanced Mama_0507.jpg
One Balanced Mama_0508.jpg
One Balanced Mama_0510.jpg
One Balanced Mama_0509.jpg

Of course Bobbi would want in – so she went and dressed herself to get photos with her little brother in their favorite part of the house – their playroom.

One Balanced Mama_0518.jpg
One Balanced Mama_0517.jpg
One Balanced Mama_0514.jpg
One Balanced Mama_0513.jpg
One Balanced Mama_0519.jpg

I loved that we used our home setting…there will be some point where there is no playroom because they will be all grown up. So capturing what their environment looks like at this age is just as important as capturing them. We used our garage for the shots of him and his dinosaurs….and the front of our home for his race car scene.

One Balanced Mama_0520.jpg
One Balanced Mama_0521.jpg
One Balanced Mama_0522.jpg

AJ at 4 is your typical active little boy. His growth from toddler boy to big boy is pretty awesome to see. He loves all things Paw Patrol, obsessed with Hot Wheels…and loves animals. As someone who is fearful of dogs – it makes me happy to see how comfortable he is with animals. I did not want him to take that part of me! He’s in his last year of pre-school and although he’s the youngest in the class – he is holding his own. I love that he still shows that he needs me and wants hugs – just not kisses. When I kiss him on the lips – he wipes it off…and gives his head – not even his cheek. Who wants to kiss hair??

One Balanced Mama_0511.jpg
One Balanced Mama_0512.jpg
One Balanced Mama_0515.jpg
One Balanced Mama_0516.jpg

My baby boy is no longer a baby….so I am soaking in EVERY minute. I’m enjoying this stage of growing pains, occasional temper tantrums, picky eating, and innocent fun. This is Amarii Joseph Metelus…my son!

One Balanced Mama_0523.jpg
One Balanced Mama_0524.jpg

AJ: LIFE OF A TWO-YEAR OLD TODDLER PHOTO SHOOT

Ahhhh….the excitement of turning 2!!!  August 6th. Part of me was a little sad knowing that I no longer have a baby anymore – I have a full blown little boy…and he plays the role to the tee!  “AJ” (Amarii Joseph) was such a calm and low key baby.  I thought…“this is good..I have balance between him and Miss Bobbi.”  But not so fast!  In the last few months – its like he turned on the switch and is now operating on ALL cylinders.  He has such a bright personality to match his big and bright smile.  He’s super affectionate, very independent, makes his voice heard – and is willing to battle for some shine when he is around his big sister.  He started pre-school in May, and that has really helped to accelerate his communication skills…he can now speak in full sentences, knows how to count from 1 – 13 (he’s stuck…he thinks every number after 13 is…13)..he knows his ABC’s, loves books, and loves identifying animals and their sounds.  We’re still working on his colors 🙂

As has been my tradition – I once again partnered with Erica Melissa to shoot AJ in all of his glory.  She has captured every key moment including our birth journey and his first year photo shoot.  For this shoot, we went back to the location of Miss Bobbi’s two-year old shoot in Miami Lakes. FL, a shopping area that has become our little photo shoot playground…we just used different backdrops.  I also (smartly) enlisted the help of my friend/stylist, Toni Lowes to help create the looks, and we bought along his favorite bike, his favorite toy – a football…balloons…and his favorite bear…I’m in love with it all!

Amarii Joseph; Two-year old photo shoot; One Balanced Mama Blog post
Amarii Joseph; Two-year old photo shoot; One Balanced Mama Blog post
Amarii Joseph; Two-year old photo shoot; One Balanced Mama Blog post
Amarii Joseph Metelus; Two-year old photo shoot; One Balanced Mama Blog post
Amarii Joseph Metelus; Two-year old photo shoot; One Balanced Mama Blog post

One-Balanced-Mama_0039.jpg

LINE UP LINE UP…IT’S BUBBLE GUPPIES PARTY TIME!!

What’s every two-year old’s favorite cartoon??? BUBBLE GUPPIES!!!!  Well, its one of many…but since AJ’s birthday falls in the summer – I love having his parties outside.  (Besides, who doesn’t love being out in all of the heat and humidity that Miami has to offer??)  In fairness to all attendees – I do plan it around some type of water activity – and this year’s venue had plenty of that.  We celebrated at TY Park’s Castaway Island where they offered something for everyone!  I rented out two funbrella’s – which perfectly shaded all of our guests (about 60 people).  Kids were able to spend time in the splash pad zone or join in the fun at the swim lagoon.  There’s even a slides area for the older kids.  There was limited décor since the pools and slides were enough to keep the kids entertained.  But I still managed to find ways to incorporate the Bubble Guppies theme.

It was a perfect summer day to gather friends and family to celebrate AJ turning two. Sharing some of the fun!

Amarii Turns Two! Bubble Guppies Party; One Balanced Mama Blog Post
What’s a party without the perfect invite!
Amarii Turns Two! Bubble Guppies Party; One Balanced Mama Blog Post
Cake designed by Divine Delicacies…they nailed the Bubble Guppies theme
Amarii Turns Two! Bubble Guppies Party; One Balanced Mama Blog Post
Even though I had cupcakes…and cake…I still got the custom cake pops – kids love these!
Amarii Turns Two! Bubble Guppies Party; One Balanced Mama Blog Post
I know Finding Dory isn’t the theme, but its all ocean based stories – so we rolled with it!
Amarii Turns Two! Bubble Guppies Party; One Balanced Mama Blog Post
I always find custom labels on Etsy to tie it all together…and the beach pails from Party City was a perfect touch to the décor.

Amarii Turns Two! Birthday shoot; One Balanced Mama Blog Post;

Amarii Turns Two! Birthday shoot; One Balanced Mama Blog Post;

Amarii Turns Two! Bubble Guppies Party; One Balanced Mama Blog Post
Fun shots of AJ enjoying his birthday party with friends and family…he had a blast!