morning tea with miss p

I shared a tea party with Miss Peyton on a very chilly November morning.  Well, mostly I took pictures while she played, it's kind of what I do. :)  And believe it or not, this girl did NOT want a coat or shoes!  Her momma warned me that she doesn't get cold, but wow!  I was all bundled up. 

How precious is she?!? She's about to be three in December and was soooo good during our session!!

And then she got changed for some rockstar woodsy glam photos.  Her mom even brought a disco ball!

Thanks so much Michelle, for letting me photograph your beautiful girl and for being so prepared with lots of awesome props and pez!! :)

two + two = family

I met up with this great family on a gorgeous Friday afternoon.  I didn't realize just how much kissing went on during this session until I got home and started going through the photos.  Lots of sweet kisses and moments between parents and brothers suits this family.  Joey and Cindy love, love, love their boys!  And their boys?  Well they love each other too. :)

This next photo is totally an idea I got from Pinterest.  I've been seeing lots of maternity photos with numbers.  And though these four aren't currently expecting a fifth, they very much make up a family.  Thanks to Cindy for bringing the chalk because I forgot mine and Walgreen's didn't have any!  I can always count on the mother of toddlers to have some sidewalk chalk. :)

Joey and Cindy, thanks so much for letting me photograph your sweet family this November.  I enjoyed this session just as I have the others and I hope you guys have a fabulous family-centered fall!

the stuff nightmares are made of

Who else closes their eyes when washing their hair in the shower??  I feel like that's a pretty common thing to do, you know, to avoid soap in the eyes and all that.  And more often than I'd like, I turn and open my eyes to find my husband standing there, face an inch from the glass, just trying to scare the bejeezus out of me.  This happened once again last night and it makes me mad. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.  Mostly because I should know better, and partly because HOW RUDE!  How many scary movies include creepy shower scenes?!  And I can't even tell you how many bathrooms I've walked into over the years and immediately checked behind the shower curtain, just waiting to find someone hiding out waiting for me.  What I would do should I ever come across said shower lurkers, I have no idea.  Demand they remove themselves from my bathroom probably.

So Avery was in the tub, I was blindly washing my hair in our clear(ish) glass shower, there was a lull in the conversation and BAM!  Deran creeped me out.  Again.  My senior year of college my roommate and I liked to one up each other by hiding behind bathroom doors, bedroom doors, in closets, wherever.  It's fun to scare people, I get it.  And I like to be scared as much as the next person, except that I DON'T LIKE TO BE SCARED.  My heart doesn't actually need to pound that hard and my throat could save those screams.  Adrenaline rush?  No thanks, I'm fine!

I've decided that should we ever build another home, nothing about the shower will be see through...except the peep hole that I can peek through to check my bathroom surroundings.  Perhaps solid marble, and while I'm at it I think we'll hire a towel boy who can stand outside the bathroom door and inform me of any visitors.  Or at least the next house will have a bathroom door with a lock so I can keep a creepy creeper husband out.

And this post has no pictures because shower scenes are not family friendly...or to be photographed.  I was going to post a peek of some of the upcoming sessions I have to blog this week but they're really sweet people - definitely not the stuff of nightmares.  So instead I'll leave you with a cute video, just a little pick-me-up on this Monday morning! 

peyton is one!

I've been photographing so many birthday boys lately, I was ready to photograph this sweet birthday girl!  Miss P has been on my calendar for quite some time and I was so excited to finally meet her and her awesome momma.  

I'm telling you, I don't know how I've been so fortunate - but the babies I've photographed lately are AMAZING.  Peyton was such a good girl and didn't fuss despite being swarmed by mosquitos.  They're always the downside to the much needed rain.

LOVED this outfit for her cake smash, it was almost hard to watch it get covered in cake and icing but I think it just made her even cuter!

And then she was done. :)

Sarah, thanks so much for making the trip out to the country.  It was so nice finally meeting you and P.  You have one precious baby girl!

happy day of thanks and giving

I hope everyone has a very happy Thanksgiving with emphasis on the thanks and giving.  Be sure to take a minute to assess your situation and be thankful for what you've got.  And if you find yourself with extra, maybe give some away.  Soooo many places are taking donations at this time of year, or maybe you know someone who could benefit from something you don't really need.  Or maybe it's nothing to do with things.  Maybe just listen to a friend in need or grab a family member and give them a hug.  

At this time of year it is all too easy to get caught up in the shopping and the spending and the never ending cycle of more, more, more!  And you guys, my house is full of stuff - I'm no better than anybody else.  But I recently saw this quote from the big O and it really stuck with me.

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. - Oprah Winfrey

So today, like each day, remember to be thankful for all the good things that make up your life.  Only today maybe add a little extra turkey and a slice of pie! :)  And just for fun, here's a look back at last Thanksgiving.  I sure do love my little turkey!! 

And here's a look at yesterday morning when we decorated turkeys.  Please note the wattle placement of the turkey on the right.  She told me that's where it goes.

Our day will go much the same as last year.  Pancakes are a cookin' and the parade will soon be on, then it's off to lunch with family and hopefully a nap later.  Back to business as usual for me on Friday and Saturday with several great families.  Then another Thanksgiving celebration with our family on Sunday.

Doesn't she look so conflicted?!  Deran had just told her she was going to have to take a nap and she told us she didn't want to, that she was happy. :)

Enjoy the day and the yummy food!

carter is one!

We've been having the craziest weather around here and the night I met up with this sweet family it was really cold.  Of course the next morning I didn't even need a sweater!  Mr. Carter was a trooper and made it all the way through the smash cake but when he started to shiver we called it quits.  Such a cute cute baby boy!

How cute are the matching outfits on the guys?!  And I know you can barely see him in that Carter sandwich but I really love the look on his face. :)

I really love the photo below even though there's not a bit of it in focus.  Just something about that moment when he was trying to get to his daddy, it's one of my favorites.

And one last set of his lovely parents.  

Thanks so much Tamara & Cory for letting me photograph such a special time.  I really enjoyed meeting you guys and I think first birthdays are definitely cause for celebration!

she just may be my favorite

I've had the opportunity to photograph lots and lots of beautiful people over the last couple of years, but this gorgeous girl may just be my favorite model. EVER.  I've been photographing her for the last three years and I always look forward to our sessions.  She is not your typical five year old and after a session with her I'm like, STOP THE PRESSES! I just want to specialize in children's portraiture!  Or more specifically, I just want to focus on five year old's named Ivy.  Because she's that awesome!  I will say though that lately I've been blown away by the fantastic kids I've gotten to photograph.  And I don't just mean totally cute, because have you seen the photos?!  They all are!!  But I mean well-behaved, happy, actually looking at the camera - AMAZING kids these last few months!!  And thank goodness, because Ivy?!  She sets the standard pretty high.

 

The next series of photos was taken at a local landmark on the brink of demolition.  It holds a special place in her mom's heart so of course we had to include it for memory's sake!

LOVE the next one!!  One of my favorite images of all time.  She truly is a beautiful little girl, but she's also a great kid where it counts too. She is polite, friendly, respectful, and pretty much just a dream to be around.

When the skies turned gray we hurried to the stadium to end our session with a little cheer for the home team!

Krystal, thanks so much for sticking with me over the years.  I am thankful for your family for more reasons that you could possibly think of, y'all have truly been a blessing to my business and my life.  I can't wait to see what our year six session has in store!