The Birth Story of Claire Eloise.
Click HERE to watch the video slideshow. Warning…you may need tissues!
A few years ago, I photographed Roberta and Steve’s wedding. Little did I know, I would have the EXTREME honor of photographing their child coming into this world. It was magical. It really was.
You may recognize Roberta. She joined me a couple of years ago as another photographer and sidekick. Roberta was also Miss Ohio 2007. She’s truly a beautiful person. Inside and out.
Claire Eloise Albert. Born May 8, 2012 at 1:25 AM. 7 pounds, 13 ounces and 20.5 inches. A perfect little baby girl. A little miracle.
First breath. Took EVERYONE’S away.
Happiness.
Roberta and Steve had a list of names for Baby boy and girl, as they did not know the gender. She looked at her little baby girl and said, “I think she’s Claire Eloise.” Perfect.
I really can’t explain to you how much love filled this room. The pictures say a thousand words….
The very proud grandmas get to meet the precious little jewel for the first time. They waited a LONG time for this moment. I could see the shadow of their feet under the hospital door throughout Roberta’s labor. They had their ears pressed up against the door just to get a peep of someone announcing if it was a healthy boy or girl. They waited so patiently…and for this moment right here.
She’s a very healthy baby girl. Thank you, Jesus.
The new little family. So proud of you all. What a little miracle. She is so blessed and SO lucky to have you as parents. XOXOOOXOOOO!
Don’t mess with this proud Auntie, she’ll get there even if she has to RUN! Roberta kept me in her labor loop throughout the day. I knew when she was contracted, when she was admitted to the hospital, how she was feeling, everything. I told her I would be there once she was in active labor. You know, like dilated to 6 or 7 centimeters. Around 9PM she was at a 5 and they were going to check her and break her water at 10PM. So I laid down for a bit of shut eye thinking I wouldn’t be there for at least another six hours. Pfft. I received a text at 12:11 AM. “Holy crap, nurse thinks I’m gonna be pushing really soon..almost fully dilated!” Um, what happened to active labor?! I jumped out of bed, kissed my babies, grabbed my camera and sped to the hospital. I was shaking. Hoping to make it there. I don’t wanna miss this. I DON’T WANNA MISS THIS! I ran into the room and saw the nurse. I looked over and saw a still pregnant Roberta. SHEW! Thank you, Jesus! I started shooting at 12:44 AM. Claire was born at 1:25 AM. That was WAY tooooooo close for comfort, people. Still makes me nervous thinking about it! Roberta, you are soooo lucky to have such a smooth, FAST birth story. And I’m SO lucky to arrive just in time!
Kim and Ryan. Engaged.
Aren’t they cute?! You may recognize these folks from many photos in the past. They have a little girl and I’ve been documenting her life since…well, since she was in Mommy’s tummy. 
We stumbled upon these, uh, what are these things called? Anyway. They make for some cool moody photos.
Oh and they have a little girl and she’s SUCH a cutie patootie! 
Let’s dance. Shall we?
Kim has lost a TON of weight. She looks so teeny tiny in this photo. Kim, you rock!
I love this so.
What’s Mommy and Daddy doing?
The exact location where Ryan proposed. Re-match!
And now let’s propose to Laney Love.
And Delaney gets to wear Mommy’s engagement ring. OHHHH!
Cutest little family ever! I feel so honored to document everything in your lives. Thank you!
I love this little girl!
How did you meet?
Kim: We met through match.com – talked for three and a half months before I actually had the guts to meet Ryan in person! Our first date was over winter white ale at Bodega in the Short North – December 28, 2009
Ryan: We met at the bar Bodega in the Short North.
Tell us about your proposal!
Kim: We picked out my engagement ring only three months after our first date (apparently we’re impulsive?), so knowing he could propose at any minute made time drag on. I told Ryan that I thought it would mean a lot to my mom if he would ask her permission, so once I knew he had done that, the anticipation was killing me! One night, one of my best friends, Rachel, asked me to meet her for dinner at this new place in the Short North, Barrel 44. I wasn’t feeling great and was talking to Ryan about how I wanted to cancel on her – didn’t feel like driving down, fighting for a place to park, yada yada. He was so insistent that I needed to go – couldn’t bail on her last minute. I had a feeling that he was going to propose, hence why I needed to go, so I played along and met Rachel downtown for dinner.
I kept waiting for Ryan to pop out from somewhere with the ring, maybe he’d have it come out on a dessert plate or have the waiter start singing to me…who knows?! So we finished dinner, paid our bills and…nothing. So I figured I’d just jumped to a conclusion too soon and that maybe nothing really was planned. Rachel and I left and started walking down High Street – she asked if I had parked close by and said she’d be happy to drive me to my car if I wanted a ride. It was beautiful outside, so I chose to walk with her a little longer and grab a ride back. We started walking up toward Bodega, where Ryan and I had our first date – then I started thinking, Ohhhhh, I get it…he’s going to propose at Bodega! We continued up the street and walked past Bodega…wrong again!
We turned the corner and started walking toward Rachel’s car, then someone jumped out of a black SUV parked on the street. It was Ryan, ring and all – his friend, Adam, parked his car in the very parking spot we shared our first kiss. He got down on one knee and his friend jumped out of the car, taking a video of the proposal – Ryan said all kinds of sweet things that I don’t remember because I honestly felt like the world just stopped and got really quiet. I know that sounds so cliche, and mushy, but it really did. I even had to ask him a few minutes after I said yes, “What did you say again?” I still don’t remember exactly what he said, but I know what he meant – and he knows that I meant, “yes.” I guess that’s all that really counts, right?
**Shout out to Rachel Gibson and Adam Luck for their help in making this a picture-perfect, memorable day of our lives**
Ryan: I had it set up for Kim’s friend, Rachel, to take her out to lunch down in the Short North and I would propose where our first kiss took place. When talking to Kim earlier in the day, she told me that she wasn’t feeling good and didn’t feel like going out to lunch, especially in the Short North because she didn’t want to deal with the traffic or all the people down there. When I heard this, I assured Kim that she should definitely go to lunch because it would be a good time…I basically gave it away that I had something up my sleeve. Kim finally agreed to go and the plan was in motion. I went to Starr Avenue and met with Rachel my friend Adam (he had the decoy car). The plan was set that Rachel would offer Kim a ride to her car and I would pop out of the car and propose to Kim. Rachel went to meet Kim at Barrel 44 while Adam and I went to have a drink to ease my nerves. Rachel sent me the text that they had just received their check so Adam and I rushed backed to his car and waited. We finally saw Kim and Rachel walking down Starr. Once Kim came close to Adam’s car I popped out of the back seat and finally asked her to marry me…and of course she said yes.
What’s your favorite thing about your significant other?
Kim: Ryan is honestly the most patient, kind person I’ve ever met – I can always count on him to be there for our family. He is an incredible dad, too. Delaney and I are really lucky to have been blessed with such a wonderful man in our lives. I also really love how passionate he is about helping children with special needs – he can be really inspiring.
Ryan: My favorite things about Kim are her determination and creativity.
What makes you guys unique?
Kim: I can’t say we’re the most adventurous couple – we’re the kind of people that could stay in for an entire weekend and have a great time just hanging out. I think that in itself is kind of unique nowadays – to have someone that you can be happy just doing nothing with. We don’t have to be eating out, barhopping or traveling (although we’d like to do more of all of those things!) to really enjoy our time together. Another quirky thing about us is that we’re obsessed with ghost hunting shows and Investigation Discovery (hopefully he’s not getting too many ideas on ways to get rid of me!).
Ryan: Our sense of humor.
How did you find Crystal Jo?
Kim: I hired Crystal for my maternity pictures and milestone photos for Delaney’s first year – best decision I could have made! We were so in love with the precious images she captured for us, I knew she HAD to be our photographer for our wedding day (we actually picked our date around her availability – that’s how worth it she is)!
Ryan: Kim found her for our daughter’s pictures and we were really happy with her work.
Charli. One Year Big.
She’s walking on her own. Well, more like running. Mommy was playing chase this whole session. She’s a fast little booger!
Look at this hat! And she kept it on! Adorbs! Session fave, for sure!
And she even matches her Mommy. Daww.
Happy 1st Birthday, Charlit. It has been a true pleasure watching you grow so big. Xoxoxoxo!
Charli and Pix met for the first time. It’s so funny to see two littles staring at each other. What is dat? She’s mii siize!
Courtney and Chris. Engaged.
We traveled all over the world for this engagement session. At least that’s what you’ll think when you see the photos.
A wheat field, an amusement park, a golf course, Paris, baseball diamonds, a park, botanical gardens. You name it, we were there. Really, we just walked around downtown and fell into all of these cool little spaces.
Let’s start with the wheat field…
Then to the baseball diamonds..
They stopped at the bar to have a few beverages to loosen up before the session. Haha…look at Chris in the image on the left. I think he’s quite comfortable in front of the camera. 
They are SO MUCH FUN!
Chris will do anything for Courtney. Even let her lay on top of him in between a bike rack. Even when he REALLY had to use the potty after those drinks he had. Hehehe.
Just so relaxed together…
They are golfers. 🙂 
Silly kids. 
Real laughter = Awesome
Cool shoe alert.
LOVE! 
Chris did this all on his own. So cute.
Courtney… YOU ARE SO ADORABLE!
Reminds me of Paris.
Session fave…
And a fun carousel ride to top it off.
When and where is your wedding?
June 22, 2012 @ Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City
How did you meet?
Courtney: We met at Coaches in Gahanna watching Chris Logsden play. I was there with a group of friends from work and he came was there with a mutual friend. This was not a set up, he was actually wearing an old t-shirt that said “one woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure” (classy, I know). We both had told our friends separately that we thought we had met each other before. To this day we have no idea why we both thought that. That night he took my phone number and we talked about going to some 4th of July cookouts together that weekend. He ended up calling me the next day, the rest is history. Who would have ever thought a night at Coaches would have led to this amazing love!
Chris: I met Court at Coaches in Gahanna on July 3 2008. My buddy Matt was asking to meet him out, but I was tired and didn’t feel like going out that night. When he told me there would be like 50 nurses there that changed my mind. Court was sitting across from me and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. We started talking and decided to meet up for some 4th of July cook outs and the rest is history.
Tell us about your proposal!
Courtney: Well, Chris and I had been together for 3 1/2 years and a proposal was a popular conversation amongst everyone! I honestly thought he would wait until after the holidays because he would think that I would expect it around Christmas. Well, he outsmarted me. On Christmas morning we opened our Christmas presents from each other. He then told me there was another gift over by the tree. I didn’t really think there was anything else over there because I had everything all organized by which house we were taking it to throughout the day. Chris then directed me to the top of the tree, at that point I knew something was up. I couldn’t find anything though so he had to help me, the box had fallen in the tree. He then proposed. The best day of my life, so far….
Chris: I decided to propose on Christmas morning. I got up a 5 am to finish wrapping some gifts and start cooking, and I hid her ring box in the tree. When we were done opening presents I told her she had one more and had to find it. After a long game of hot or cold she couldn’t find it so I got it down for her and proposed on one knee. I had a speech all planned out, but she wouldn’t stop crying. It was the happiest moment of my life.
What’s your favorite thing about your significant other?
Courtney: My favorite thing about Chris is that no matter how long of a day I have had nothing makes me smile more than to come home to him. Everything just seems to be okay when we are together. Even if no words are said, the hug that I get from him at the end of a day still makes my heart melt.
Chris: My favorite thing about Court is her kindness. She is the most loving person I’ve ever known and I’m a better person for having her in my life.
What makes you guys unique?
We are both completely Type A personality but we get along great!
How did you find Crystal Jo?
Courtney: I had looked at many different photographers websites and couldn’t find someone that I totally loved their work. Crystal and I are both from Grove City and I knew that she was a photographer. Once I went to her site, I was in love with her work because it looked like she had fun with her clients and that was expressed in her work. After doing out engagement session and getting to know her better, Chris and I knew we had made the right decision. I told Chris the other day, it will be so fun because we can have Crystal Jo do all our “life” sessions (maternity, newborn, family etc), and his comment was “I think that goes without saying.”
Chris: Court found Crystal through some mutual friends.
That Gym on Grandview. A great place to be.
Motivating. Happy. Exhilarating. Fun.
Ashley and Demi. Two fabulous trainers. One fabulous dedication. Our health.
Ashley and Demi gave a fabulous gift to the competitors… this awesome photo shoot. Good luck Sam, Sarah and Michelle. You have worked so hard with intense training and dieting. That takes some serious discipline! Go kick some bew-tay!
Wanna read more about these hardworking athletes? Click HERE for Ashley’s blog. 
I just celebrated four years with Ashley. I’m a very proud little trainee. 🙂
It was a rainy, rainy, poo, crummy day. And we had already rescheduled due to bad weather once. Craig was about to go back to Afghanistan so we didn’t have the option of trying to meet again. Oh wells, let’s just bear the crummy weather.
Well, guess what?! Besides the wet ground and extra-humid-mess-my-hair-up-humidity, it was PERFECT! Like top-notch perfection. And that perfection all started with this perfect couple.
Meet Erika and Craig.
They are silly. And fun. And happy. And, the best part, IN LOVE.
Thank you, Craig, for your service. We are all very thankful. God Bless America.
Erika pointed out this flag. Good eye! She says she notices them everywhere now. An Army wife would!
I am a woman with a penchant for men in uniform, I stop and stare. And clearly, Erika is one of these women too. 
Tee hee hee hee.
I love this so much. See. There was a reason we had our photoshoot on this crummy, wet day. Just for this awesome photo right here…
Adorable. I love the body language. Their hands. The way Erika is kicking her little foot. Speaks volumes.
And, I’d say with that BIG smile, Craig is pretty smitten.
Oh NO you di’int!
Love. Love. LOVE.
Double, triple, dog LOVE.
Just having a little fun. 
And one thing Craig loves about Erika…her “bubbly and outgoing personality”. I think that is SO obvious. 
5/25/13 can’t come soon enough.
When and where is your wedding?
Our wedding is May 25, 2013. The ceremony will be at Liberty Presbyterian Church and the reception will be at the Columbus Athenaeum in the Olympian Ballroom.
How did you meet?
Erika: I was apartment searching and my mom called me to tell me to go look at Hickory Creek Apartments. . so I did 🙂 I walked into the leasing office and a handsome, young man greeted me to find my perfect apartment. That handsome, young man was Craig 🙂 I rented from him a couple weeks later 🙂 A year after renting, I transfered into a different apartment with a friend, with Craig’s help. We started talking more and more. . the rest is history.
Craig: We met in April 2009. I was working at Hickory Creek Apartment Homes in Columbus, OH as a leasing consultant. I just got back from basic combat training and my AIT (medic training). A cute blonde girl walks in and I show her a couple of apartments. I didn’t think much of it because I was just doing my job. She rented an apartment a few days later.
Tell us about your proposal!
Erika: Craig was away preparing for a deployment to Afghanistan. I didn’t think I would get to see him until April of 2012 when he would come home for leave. He was given a 4 day pass for the weekend in September and took the red eye to Columbus early Friday morning. All I knew was that I was going to dinner with my parents and Craig’s parents. When I got there with my paretns, the hostess said that the table wasn’t ready yet but that we could take a look around and see the Grand Ballroom. As I walked outside and around the corner to the ballroom, Craig popped out with a dozen red roses in hand. I was shocked! As the shock wore off of him being here, he grabbed my hand and got down on one knee. So I said YES!!!!! It was one of the most romantic proposals that I will remember forever!!
Craig: We said our Goodbyes and I left for my deployment to Afghanistan. Before we left, we had to do some mobilization training at Fort Lewis, Washington. The training was around 3 weeks and we were granted a 4 day pass afterwards to do whatever we wanted before we actually headed to Afghanistan. Erika wanted me to come home but I thought that it would be too hard to say goodbye twice and we could save some money by me not purchasing a ticket home. Little did she know, I was planning to come home all along. With the help of my mom and Erika’s mom, I was able to pick out her ring and book my flight. Erika’s parents planned to be in town the weekend I was coming home. Not just to see Erika, but be apart of the engagement. Erika, her parents and my parents planned to go to dinner at Cimi’s Bistro in Grove City. I went to Cimi’s earlier in the day, after I arrived in Columbus, and planned out the engagement. The hostess was supposed to tell Erika that their table wasn’t ready. At that point, Erika’s mom was to ask Erika to see the ballroom since she had never seen it before. I was in the ballroom with my grandparents, dad, sister and a good friend of Erika’s. While Erika was leading our parents down a covered outside walkway, I popped out from a side door and surprised her with a dozen roses. She was in tears and very excited. Earlier in the day, I found a picture online of the space station in Seattle and texted it to her to make her think I was sight seeing in Seattle. So she was shocked to see me. After a few hugs and kisses, I got down on one knee, with our families watching, and proposed. She said yes and we had a wonderful family dinner afterwards. We were able to spend a few extra days together before I had to make my trip to Afghanistan.
What makes you guys unique?
Erika: We have been thru sooooo much that we have become so much stronger than any relationship only 2 years old. Break ins, robberies, moving, and deployments. It’s been hard, but Craig makes everything SOOOO much easier. Besides, we are 2 pretty awesome people.
Craig: Erika and I are like two peas in a pod. We have the same common interests and are usually the life of the party. We’re both outgoing and love to be goofy. We’re unique in the fact that we are going through a deployment. Which, unless you’ve been through it, is very tough to understand. We lose a year of being together so that I can do my part in Afghanistan. Erika is taking great care of our 2 dogs that are our babies. We’ve been through life, death and a robbery together. In the 2 years that we’ve been together, we’ve welcomed the birth of my niece Emma, lost my father, and had our condo we were renting robbed where our 10 week old boxer puppy was stolen (with the help of the Columbus Police, we were able to get him back). We’ve stuck strong together and pushed through it all. She really is my best friend and unique in her own way with her bubbly & outgoing personality.
How did you find Crystal Jo?
Erika: My friend used Crystal Jo for her engagement pictures and wedding. I was impressed with her work :-
Craig: Erika is in charge of the wedding planning. It is her thing. From my understanding, she found out about Crystal Jo through a friend that is using her for her wedding. Erika liked the work that she does and looks at her as a fun photographer. Erika wanted someone to make it fun for the both us so we can enjoy our special day.
Huh? An Easter Patty? What kind of crazy title are you coming up with now, Crystal Jo?
Well, I never blogged St. Patty’s Day. And I never blogged Easter. So today we are having an Easter Patty. Served up over medium with two slices of provolone and some cranberry juice. Sounds de-lish.
Enough with the rambles…
Here’s our wonderful St. Patty’s Day goodness…
Lucky lips.
First haircut. She looks scared to death. She just stared and stared at Kelley. 
“Whaat in da werld yew doin’ Ant Kwellwey?”
It’s a big deal around our house when you find a really good $5 holiday shirt at Walmart. We jump up and down and do dances. Here’s Jason’s new patty’s threads. And a full ink sleeve to go with it. He’s so macho, you know. 
We strolled the girls down the the neighborhood wine cafe. 
Fiona and Pix had a ball running around the patio. Parents had a bigger ball watching the girls find their footing over the new terrain. 
“Lites = Crwismas. Oh my. Do we always wear dis gween stuffs on Crwismas?”
“Duz Daddee alwaaz drink gween beer on Crwismas?”
Momma’s comin’! Yay. A couple weeks before Easter, Momma and Richard made a special visit so we just HAD to color easter eggs!
It was such a beautiful time. I love seeing Pixie and Momma interact. So much love. It really makes my heart melt. Richard (Paw Paw) likes to stick his tounge out and Pixie, of course, mimics his silly action. Here she’s trying to get Gramia to stick her tounge out. By literally pulling it out herself. Funny little girl!
We started Easter how every bunny does….eating carrots. She’s waiting, very wide-eyed, for her next bite. This little bunny sure does love those carrots!
Love love lovin’ on my baby girl. (thank you, Amy, for this photo! love it so!)
The Seese’s had us over for Easter brunch. Amy always has quite the unique spread.
Here’s Pixies Hippity Hoppity Treats. A chocolate bunny, peter cottontails (marshmellows), rabbit food (orange bunny crackers), and bunny pellets (raisins). ADORBS! 
It’s time for the egg hunt! And a little bunny showed it’s shadow. Does that mean we’ll have an early summer?
“Eggs. I got me sum eggs!”
Yes, I pulled out the diffuser to block the sun for our mini photoshoot in the middle of our easter egg hunt. Our children need the BEST photos possible, right?! It was pretty hilarious watching the adults try and collapse it.
ADORE THIS PHOTO SO MUCH. Us mommies with our babies. 
Hoppy Easter. (Yep, early summer!)
The girls had fun playing with toys. The boys had fun playing with their toys…the kayak and the grill.
Easter egg hunt numero dos at my sister Deana’s. Mom usually hosts this big event with all 28 grandchildren, but since she moved away, Deana is bravely taking the reigns. And she did a WONDERFUL job, I might add. 
And our next stop…Nana and Poo Paw’s. Lots of goodies here!
I love this photo. This little bunny knows to go for the GOOD STUFF!
Shew, a long, wonderful Easter weekend had by all. Bathtime and bedtime are always a highlight of the day for Mommy and Daddee. 
And I’ll bring this blog to a conclusion with the cutest photo of all…
A big kiss from the Birdie.
Doug Ganim. Class of 2012.
I love confident high school seniors. Especially guys. Doug is one of those outgoing guys that can talk to anyone. Already so successful in his education and sports career in high school. He has even set huge personal goals… losing over 20 pounds! I have no doubt he’ll reach for high stars after high school. Congrats, Doug!
He’s so handsome. Athletic. And personable. The full package!
Good luck, Doug, in all of your future endeavors.
Eden. Nine Months Big.
“Yay, I’m THIS big.”
Hi, Munchkin. 
Adorable little family, eh?!
Love the rolls on her legs!
Pretty girl!
She’s standing. So big.
A look at those kissable cheeks from the other side of the fence. 
I’m aware this is uber blurry…still uber cute. Eden likes my earrings. (And Mommy’s necklace, she broke a few minutes before.)
I’ll see you for the big ONE YEAR, little Miss Eden. Love you! XoXo.
The Zerby Family.
Cute clothes alert! Cute family alert!
SOOO much fun. Really. Just so full of energy and with the biggest hearts in the world. I love them!
Jack, Jill, Bob, Ruby and Sydney. Perfect pretty family!
Loving little Ruby. Doesn’t she just steal your heart!
Nothing like a Momma’s love. 
Bob and Jill did this thing with their arms all on their own. I love it. The girls on one side and the boys on the other. 
LOVE! Fave from the day.
Jill owns a salon if anyone wants a makeover. zSalon is da bomb diggity!