A Trip to the American Girl Doll Store

Our youngest turns 8 next month, something I'm still shaking my head about.  She's such a fun little girl, but for some reason has never really been "into" dolls, seldom playing with the few she has over the years.  Imagine our surprise when a few months ago she started pulling out her dolls, along with the doll bed, swing, etc. to play house, salon, school - toting them back and forth in the car wherever we would go.  It's been so fun to watch.

Somehow we ended up on the catalog list for American Girl several years ago.  I have to admit the stuff is amazingly cute, they think of every little detail.  But...cough, cough...the prices!   Wow, you could spend a small fortune.  Elise would look at the catalogs when they arrived, but then that was that.  I'm pretty sure I enjoyed looking through each one more than she did.  However, the last few catalogs she looked through, she REALLY looked through, and each page had something circled.  Then she declared she knew what she wanted to spend her swap-money on.

You know, swap-money?!  For the past few months she has been going through her toys, books and clothes and with my help, has been selling them on one of the Facebook "buy/sell/trade" groups.  The deal was that anything she sold, she could keep the money - and her little pile of cash grew pretty quick!

We had a long discussion on the price of AG dolls, comparing them to the off-brand line of dolls at other stores, how she could get more accessories if she chose the cheaper doll, etc.  Ultimately she made the decision to purchase Julie Albright from American Girl.  It was big afternoon!

As soon as we walked in the store she found Julie's section and picked up her girl.   

Her little face makes me smile.

There is so much to see - a little girls fantasy store.

She wasn't letting go of her doll once she had her!

The gymnastics set is incredible.

Love this sign.

More of Julie's accessories.

At check-out they will take your doll out of the box so you can walk out with them.  Yes, please!

Of course the obligatory last picture as we left - even though it was 10 degrees outside!

I am so very proud of her, this was a big purchase.  Of course she walked out with a list of many, many other items she wants and is already thinking of ways to make more money for them.  Plus, she knows her birthday is coming up - smart girl.   :-)

Catching Up

Oh my, has it really been so long since my last post?  *hanging head in shame*  I guess it really has been that long.  My goal for the remainder of 2015 will be to have a new post up each week, even if it's just a short post with a few new images.

So much has been happening at KatMahoney - lots of family sessions, Luke is now 6 months old (what?) and summer is upon us.  I made the decision to slow down a bit for the summer, to give myself a chance to unwind and focus more on family for the next few months.  I'm still here though, just not going a million miles a second like I normally do.

Here are a few of my favorite images since I last posted!

This awesome couple had their maternity session...

.... and then welcomed their baby boy.

He just happens to love fishing like his Daddy!

Had a fun play-date with this awesome 4.5 year old!

Met up with an old friend for a super-secret Father's Day surprise!

Had a great family / 1st birthday shoot with one of my favorite families!

See this guy here - the one on the right - FIRST Birthday!

 Luke turned 3 months old!

 ...and then 4 months...

...and 5 months! 

Spotted a unicorn - on a bike....

Did something completely different for a senior - in her high school theater! 

Had a family reunion - and lived to tell about it.  I kid, I kid!

 Spent a great evening with these 3 beauties - and their big brother Brody!

And traveled to a galaxy far, far away!  More on this one

Thanks for your patience!  It won't be so long until the next post...
xoxo
Kathi

Luke - The First Year | Wentzville Newborn Photography

Such a sweet baby boy, little Luke arrived right on time back in December - and I've been privileged to document his first year ever since.  Last week marked his big TWO month birthday, so I wanted to catch up with a blog post of those first two amazing months.

In case you're new here, this little guy happens to be my grandson - perfect in every way.  Take a peek at some of my favorites to date:

~ Brand new ~

~ 6 Days ~

~ 1 Month ~

~ 2 Months ~

 .... after 15 minutes he wanted a nap, just look at that sleepy little face!

Seven

Parents say it all the time .... "Where does the time go?"  It's so true, I'm having a hard time believing our youngest turned seven last week.  The weather has been bitter cold and snowy the past few weeks, so my amazing idea for her birthday pictures was just unreasonable (for now, but wait).  So on a whim the day before her birthday, I asked if she wanted to take a FEW in the studio.  To be honest, it didn't start out all that great - it was late and we were both just a little cranky.  After a few minutes of her LESS than enthusiastic antics, we started to laugh and have fun.  So, here a few of my favorites from our impromptu birthday shoot. 

See - grumpy.

There, a cute pink heart-hat helps.

So, we ended up a with a few good shots after all!