2009 has been such an awesome year…I’m a little sad to leave it behind. I started teaching 5th grade, we sold a car, we bought a new car, my favorite person was born, I started my business, I quit teaching to stay at home with my little man, we bought a house. So many big things have happened to us in 2009 and I’m so thankful for each and every second of it. There’s nothing I’d change looking back on it – not one single thing. It was such an awesome year for us. I went through all of my personal pictures (aka photos of Will) and picked out my top ten favorites for 2009. It was hard! I can’t believe how much the little man has changed this year – from this tiny, fragile little newborn to this 19 pound 10 ounce bundle of energy capable of moving where he wants to go and feeding himself. It really does go by fast.

So here they are, in no particular order!

The Best of 2009

10. 8 months old. I love this one because you can tell what a complete and total ham he is just looking at it. That mischievous look in his eyes and the impish little grin. He knew very good and well that he was not to be taking his hat off…but what’s he doing? Taking his hat off. Such a stinker!

9. 7 months old. I think this is one of the last times where I had an easy time taking a picture of the little man. He pretty much still stayed where I put him. Now? Now he’s crawling all over the place. I love his bare feet, his sweet smile and just the overall simplicity of this one.

8. 6 months old. How can you look at this picture and not smile? I don’t think it’s possible! The squishy cheeks and the huge grin. Melts my heart!

7. 5 months old. Another total favorite. This picture gets me every.single.time. All I have to do is look at it and I just start smiling. It’s totally Will – curious and inquisitive. Those big blue eyes and the pursed lips. And the cheeks! I love me some chubby baby cheeks!

6. 5 months old. This one comes from perhaps my favorite series of images ever. Since Will was born I’d had this idea of stripping him down to a diaper and doing shots of him on our bed. I finally did when he was five months old and I love each and every one of them. This one in particular stands out to me though…I love the wrinkles in his tummy and his innocent little expression. This is the image I think of when I think of my little boy – sweet, innocent baby bliss.

5. 4 months old. I remember taking this picture and thinking that he looked so grown up sitting up in the rocking chair all by himself. Looking back at it  now, he looks so tiny! I love how his arm is propped up on the side of the rocking chair and the little hint of a smile on his face.

4. 3 months old. I took this while I was going through a really difficult transition time…we were moving Will out of our room and into his own big boy room. Looking back, it really shouldn’t have been such a big deal. But it was to me. I’d spent a year being next to him 24 hours a day – 9 months in my belly and then 3 right next to me in the pack ‘n play or in bed. Moving him (all the way) down the hall to his crib felt like he was moving to China and I’d never see him again. It took weeks (literally) for us to make the transition and once it was finished I was fine. But during it, it was rough! I remember sitting in his room this night, not quite ready to say goodnight to him and just loving the way he looked swaddled in his white and blue blanket with his paci in his mouth. I cranked my ISO up as high as it’d go and lowered my shutter speed as much as I dared and took this standing over him in his crib. The image isn’t technically perfect, but it holds a special place in my heart.

3. 3 months old. I love this one because of his eyes. We used to say he had “Elizabeth Taylor” eyes because they were such an intense, vivid blue that they almost appeared violet. I think it was something to do with the light coming in through the windows in our living room because they really only looked like this at certain times. But I love ‘em. I didn’t touch his eyes – there’s no crazy Photoshop tricks or anything…they’re really this blue!

2. 1 month old. Oh, if you could only see behind the scenes of this little “photoshoot” I put together on Will’s one month birthday! I had my blow-drier going right next to him as loud as it’d go and a space heater pointed on him. I was sweating like a pig! But I love this one…one month old and I was still able to get some of those curly, adorable baby shots. So innocent, so pure, so precious.

1. 30 seconds old. Greg took this one just seconds after they pulled him out of my tummy. I don’t think it needs any words to explain why it’s a favorite…it’s my baby, brand new and fresh into the world. I really don’t think it gets any better than this.

Well, there you have it…my favorite personal images of 2009. Yes, they’re all of Will…but can you blame me? He is the most adorable person residing in our house right now I’m working on my client favorites of 2009 and will blog that before the New Year. Enjoy the last few days of 2009. I’m soaking them up and loving every minute of them!