From 'Roo Mates to a Joey

The cutest Joey!

“First we had each other. Then we had you. Now we have everything.”

— unknown

Meet Grayson!  Isn't he the cutest Joey EVER?!?  

You're probably wondering why I am referring to him as "Joey?"  It has nothing to do with his name and everything to do with his parents, Blake and Katie.  

Blake and Katie met at Austin College in Sherman, Texas - which is located in GRAYSON County.  Blake played football and Katie played softball.  They attended college together and the both graduated in 2012.  They had their "first date" on campus the first weekend they were on campus.  They would get married on this campus on March 3, 2015 surrounded by family and friends.  THIS is how they came up with the name of Grayson.

So how does any of that have anything to do with "Joey?"  A "joey" is a baby kangaroo and the mascot for Austin College is a kangaroo.  Now let's move on to Grayson's parents, also known as "'Roo Mates."

Blake and Katie on their wedding day

Blake is the head basketball coach at Groesbeck High School and Katie is a middle school math teacher for Cesar Chavez MIddle School at Waco ISD.  This will be Blake's seventh year in education and coaching and this will be Katie's sixth year in education.  They both LOVE what they do, which is ultimately to help kids reach their full potential.  They explained that they have had plenty of "kids" along their journey and they're excited for Grayson to grow up with these other "kids" as the first "official" member of Team Doughty.  

The morning of July 10th, 2018 was the beginning of their adventurous day.  One of Katie's best friends and coworkers was already at the hospital because she delivered her baby boy early that morning.  The two constantly joked around saying that they'd have their baby boys on the same day and they'd be delivered by the same doctor.  The doctor did not believe them and dismissed them each time with a laugh as he would say, "What are the odds?"  Turns out those odds were actually pretty good!  

Katie woke up and checked her phone looking for an update from her friend about her delivery.  At this time Katie's water broke!  She sent a text message to her friend telling her that they were on the way to the hospital as well.  Both friends could not believe that their boys were going to be delivered on the same day!  

Blake and Katie left their house for the hospital rather quickly.  This was noticed by a Texas State Trooper!  As the officer approached the window, Blake informed the officer that Katie's water broke and they were on their way to the hospital.  After all, the towels and trash bag that Katie was sitting on was the evidence!  The trooper felt terrible and promptly sent them on their way as he apologized for pulling them over.  

The two arrived in Mart, Texas along their route to the hospital just as the tire pressure light came on in their vehicle.  Blake pulled into a parking lot to quickly inspect all the tires.  At this time, one of Blake's former athletes, Sabion, pulled in behind them to make sure they were alright.  As Sabion got out of his vehicle, Blake informed him that they were alright and they were just checking their tires because they were on the way to the hospital since Katie's water broke.  Sabion quickly wished them well with a terrified look on his face and quickly left the scene.  The Doughy's were back on the road to the hospital!

They arrived at the hospital at 7:30 am.  Their family began the journey to the hospital ready to welcome Grayson!  They had no idea they would have to wait a very long time to meet him.  Grayson was finally born at 8:16 pm.  He is the first grandchild on both sides so we all know what that means!  Blake and Katie describe Grayson as the greatest blessing and he has made their family complete.  

Lifestyle Newborn Photography

As 2017 begins, a few changes have been implemented.  One of which is the type of newborn photography that we will now offer.  Rather than posed newborn photography sessions, we will instead do lifestyle newborn photography sessions.  What does this mean?  Well, the sessions typically take place at the home of the client and the images are simply images of one's real life.

“Lifestyle photography is a kind of photography which mainly aims to capture portrait/people in situations, real-life events or milestones in an artistic manner and the art of the everyday. The primary goal is to tell stories about people’s life or to inspire people in different times.”

— https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifestyle_photography

I love capturing the love a family has for one another!  My number one goal is to provide families with a portrait that shows everyone that views that portrait the love that family has for one another.  If I don't provide this for my clients, I don't feel that I've done my job very well.  I find it extremely rewarding when clients specifically tell me that I captured the personalities of their family perfectly.  THAT is why I do what I do!  

New Year, New Package!

Last week's blog post mentioned a new package that would be introduced.  The time has come for its arrival!  We are excited to announce our "Watch Me Grow" Package! 

Our "Watch Me Grow" Package is designed to document the first year of your child's life through several photography sessions at different stages in their development.  This package will include five sessions during the first year - maternity, newborn, six month, one year, and cake smash.  Each session will include a product credit that may be used towards prints and/or digital images.  The choice is yours!

The Maternity Session is typically done when momma is at least seven months pregnant.  The session includes a $25 product credit.  We understand that some mothers do not wish to have a maternity session, therefore we are providing the option to exchange the maternity session with a family session. 

The Newborn Session is typically done when the baby is about ten days old.  The session includes a $50 product credit.  This session can be done at your residence if you wish, however we will be limited as to what items we can bring.  Some items such as posing beanbags are rather large and difficult to transport.

The Six Month Session is a fun session!  Babies can typically sit up on their own or with minimal assistance at this stage.  They laugh and smile....a lot!  This is such a fun age!  The session includes a $25 product credit. 

The One Year/Cake Smash Combo Session is so much fun!  We begin by taking photos for the one year portion of the session.  Often times parents change outfits and request a certain theme to match the child's upcoming birthday party. Some parents even request a certain setup for party invitations.  After the one year portion of the session, it is time for CAKE!  We get the setup ready for the cake smash portion of the session while you get your baby ready. The cake smash portion can go very quickly or it can take a long time...it all depends on the child and what they decide to do with all that cake!  After the cake smash portion of the session, we move onto the bath.  After all, do you want your child in the carseat covered in frosting??  This session includes a $40 product credit and a personalized 8x8 storyboard of the cake smash.

After all of the sessions have been completed, you will choose your favorite image from all the sessions.  This image will be given to you as an 11x14 canvas gallery wrap. 

Our normal policy for booking a session requires a 50% deposit with the remaining 50% due anytime before the day of the session.  However, since this package includes so much we are offering a payment plan for those that would like to take advantage of it.  A deposit of $89 will be due at the time of booking, with the remaining amount due divided into 4 equal payments of $89.  Each of these payments will be due at the time of each session. 

We are looking forward to watching your baby grow in front of our camera!