Pete, Molly, Izzy & Drew

I know I'm blogging out of order, but my mind is being pulled in 12 different directions. Back to mini session posting tomorrow. Promise.
So I'm not gonna lie... I was nervous to shoot this family again. Their shoot last year is still one of my faves, and I was worried this one wouldn't live up to it. WRONG. They are still the same fun-loving, sweet, easy-going people so we got another round of great pictures of them all being themselves. They are so dang easy to photograph and I'm so grateful that the love they have pours out into the pictures.

Thanks so much for just being yourselves guys! Had a great time once again!

Does everything look all pixelated on your screens, people? I feel like the color and quality is getting the shaft when I upload to the blog. Is it just my computer or can anyone else see what I'm talking about? I want a new blog so bad, but oh the time that would take...

Heath is a Big Brother...

...and baby Chase is delicious.


This makes me teary. How sweet are they?






Favorite, I think.
Congratulations Heath, Bill and Kristen! The Schwankes could not be happier for your new little family. Our love to you all.

The Bednarz Kids

In this season of repeat clients, this cute trio managed to squeeze into the mini sessions after another family had to cancel. When they first showed up I asked mom if maybe she could try next time to bring me three kids with prettier eyes. I mean really... check these kids out!



Mom wanted to focus on the babe since as the third child, she doesn't have as many pictures.

Couldn't you just eat her up?!?!

Thank you Nancy for sharing your cutie pies with me for a while. I'm so glad it worked out!

Merry Christmas from the Alberts

Saturday was the make-up day for the families who were rained out a couple weeks ago during the mini session. I had Dara's help again, but we met early to snap a few of her family before the crazy day got started. She really only wanted this first picture (after she saw the Bovender family on the blog), but we managed a few more. :)




You'll be seeing lots of this frame...
Anna Gray, you sneaky little gal!
More soon! I am swamped and feel like I got hit by a bus. Taking pictures all weekend is way more physical than you'd think. :)

Oh the Cuteness...

This little lady is cuteness times 10! And her parents are justifiably enamored with her.
Her daddy contacted me a while back wanting to book a session as a surprise for Mom's birthday! I'm always a little nervous when people do that. I mean, what if Katie opened her card and thought "Damn, I really wanted those fluffy socks from Target." But, thankfully Katie was excited! I know because I ran into her in Charleston, SC (where I was vacationing and Katie celebrating her birthday!) just after he had given her the gift! What are the chances of that???
Meredith was a little shy when I first photographed her this summer (and for the first 4 minutes of our shoot today), but mostly smiles today!


Isn't she a doll baby? I realize I'm a little biased because there is something about her that really, really reminds me of Ella James, but I still think she's so darn edible!
And her mom dresses her so cute!

Meredith got to break in my new purple chair. :)



And finally, I had to show this of her tongue- she stuck it out at me more times than I could count.
Thank you Meredith, Darrin & Katie! I loved spending my morning with you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE!

Okay, y'all I'm off to be well rested for the 11 families I'm photographing this weekend. Gulp. If you don't here from my by Monday, send a search party...

The Loflin Family

It had been a full year since I saw these sweet folks and I had nearly forgotten how dang fun they are! The parents are the nicest. I mean the nicest and the boys are a hoot! Last year I'm pretty sure they would have rather been shot in the foot than take pictures. This year, Jacob was forming his own poses and kicking his brother out of "his shot." :)
Aren't they just cute and happy or what?
Love this. Feeling very black and white tonight- so unusual for me.




You see where those boys got their looks?





Thank you Loflins! You are the best.
P.S. Can anyone help us identify this poor creature that kept trying to sneak into the Loflin's pictures? I have never seen a duck/turkey/alien thing quite like it. I felt so sorry for the bum-winged little homely guy.

Happy 30th!

So that last post probably seemed a little one-sided, but I actually have two awesome parents! My dad flew to NC for the tail end of my mom's trip and we had a fun Halloween weekend.
I bet you never would have guessed that half of me came from a blue-eyed blond, would you? Now we know where Ella James gets it.

If they look uncomfortable it's because they're butts aren't used to sitting on the ground on the side of the road in North Carolina, but rather the back of a motorcycle. They've put over 6,000 miles on this year alone!

Happy 30th anniversary Mom and Dad! Glad you came together all those years ago. I love you both!

I want my Mommy!

My mom just flew back to New Mexico after helping me survive these last few weeks while life has been crazy. Although "helping me" might be the understatement of the year. I can't even explain what a support she was, how grateful I am and how much I'm going to miss her.
Imagine waking up every morning when you want (because your mom is already up with your toddler), then having any breakfast you want offered to you, while you work uninterrupted (except when she asks you to lift your feet up while she mops under you), then loads your car with props before you leave for a shoot, has dinner waiting for you when you return, feeds and bathes your child while you eat rest and maybe nap, unloads your car and repacks it for the next shoot, reminds you to charge your camera batteries and then stays up with you till the wee hours of the morning making you hot chocolate and cookies and pulling an extra chair into your office to sit over your shoulder telling you how awesome you are and how proud she is while you edit. Can you imagine that? That's been my life these days. I have not cooked a meal, lifted a rag, or done much in the way of caring for a child since my mom arrived (okay, I did change two diapers!). We got a new dishwasher installed the day she got here and she literally had to teach me how to use it before she left today. :) And she only kicked me of my computer a few times and that was so she could comment on my blog...
The phrase I'm going to miss you doesn't even begin to cut it. I have the best mom is the whole wide world.
I could write on and on about all the big stuff she did, but it's really the little things that mattered. I just opened my desk drawer to find this:


Once a mom, always a mom, I guess. Even when your separated by 1,856 miles...
I love you mom and can't thank you enough for keeping me sane this month. Hurry back, okay? Ella James is already asking for Dee Dee.

Griffin

It has been a while since I had little G man in front of my camera. He had grown up a bit and was so easy and fun to photograph yesterday morning. Plus, his mom dresses him so cute and shares my love for hats.
Check out this cute little dude:




I know I have been using the phone booths a lot, but come on! A bow tie and a newsboy hat?!? I had to!
And finally my dream for the light post came to fruition. :) He was perfect for this.



With his sweet mamma. She's one of those people who makes me stop and think about how I talk to my own child. She is so loving and kind and strong and a mom I aspire to be like!




Thank you Griffin and Stacey for a lovely shoot. I was happy to see you both again!

Kacie is a Senior!

Check this beauty out! Can you imagine looking like this with no makeup? Well she does. Kacie is a natural beauty with a sweet, soft spirit and I was fortunate enough to spend a couple hours with her shooting her senior pictures.
She told me in advance that fall was her favorite season and that she would love to find some changing trees. So that's what we did.

PJ and Riley were good doggies and joined us for a few.

She just looks like such a "Kacie" to me. :)



Kacie spent the summer in London so this telephone booth was very appropriate!

It was almost dark by the time we shot these last couple, but I love their moodiness.


Thank you Kacie for such a wonderful session! I'm glad to have met you and wish you the best of luck in your post high school future! (And thank you Kacie's mom for being such a willing chauffeur!)

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Little Red Running Hood! Poor kid can't keep still, even if for just one stinking picture!

Hope you all have a happy, safe day!

Baity & Co.

Poor Baity started the shoot out crying and asking to go home. Mom and Dad had to wake her from nap and she was not a happy camper. BUT, a few rides on Daddy, Mom teaching her how to blow a dandelion and finding a Daddy Long Leg Spider (she loves bugs!) and she was good to go.









Glad we got you before the rain Barksdales! See you soon.

Last but not Least...

... in the "mini session series." The Green kids!
Last time I saw this little man he would not smile! I'm serious when I say we got a (singular) shot of him smiling. Boy have things changed.

And little miss twirling in her skirt. Gorgeous kids, huh?





Thanks Alexandra & Zachary! You two were a perfect end to my day.

And that does it for the mini session pictures. Anybody else sick of that dang sled? :) We will return to regular scheduled programming soon, as the shooting has not stopped! I first though, need to thank my awesome helper from the mini. My friend Dara was exactly the support I needed and a wonderful comic relief. I'm certain she worked harder than me. Dara- I appreciate you more than you know! And thanks again to all the amazing families who participated!

Sweet Sisters

Though I hadn't seen these gals in 1.5 years, they were still the sweet, funny sisters I remembered.
LOVE!





Your girls rocked! So nice to see you both again!

Nick & Co.

Oh Nick... such a sweet, sweet soul. I loved seeing him again this year and was sure happy to break through to the smiles!





Thank you Jacksons! You all are about the sweetest.

The Neu Family!

Hadn't seen these cute kiddos in almost a year either and couldn't believe how big they had gotten.
Kate is sporting the cutest haircut ever and way more into pictures than she used to be.
And Jack looked a foot taller to me:





Thank you Neu family! Merry Christmas!

The Stem Family

This sweet family has grown by two feet since I saw them last!
And two chubby cheeks too! Isn't baby Blake delicious!?!
Clarke:
Larson:

Three boys! What fun, huh?
And the makers of the three cute boys. She doesn't look like she had a baby 8 weeks ago, does she?
Thank you Stems! So happy for your growing family!

Maddie

I'm interrupting my mini-session wrap ups to give this beauty and her momma a sneak peek. Apparently this is what 14 looks like nowadays?!?! I'm pretty sure at 14 I was still sporting a side ponytail and playing with dolls, but moving on...
Meet Maddie. She was visiting from Florida for the weekend and I was lucky enough to be able to squeeze her in for a shoot.

Is she gorgeous or is she gorgeous?



And here's why she's gorgeous!






Thank you Maddie and Tina for making me a part of your vacation! I'm so glad to have met you both!

The Wilkerson Quad

You've seen these two on the blog before, but I hadn't seen them in almost a year and couldn't believe how much they (especially Regan!) had grown and changed!
Regan was much more into picture taking than she has been in the past:
While Gabe, usually the ham, tried his hardest this time not to smile or laugh at our jokes:
It doesn't look like it from this shot, but these two were flying on this trike.


Aren't they cute?
Thank you Wilkerson family! Love watching you grow.

Ellison & Co.

Oh Ellison. Where to start? This precious child is the friend of Ella James and one of the sweetest, smartest gals we know and the most articulate for sure.
She comes from goodness. Her parents are amazing and equally smart and beautiful. Just look how happy they were to receive this empty box from Elli:


Aren't they smokin'?


LOVE how she's peeking:
Wouldn't it be awful to have to be the one to say no to these eyes?


Thank you beautiful Soto family! Love you guys and hope to see you soon.