this quiet life (their maternity session at sunset)

to

this tiny innocent little newborn baby (his newborn session)

to THIS! His little-chunker-suspender-wearin-almost-sitting-up-holiday-session . . .

and all in the blink of an eye. Just wait – he’ll be back in a few weeks & I can’t even believe it. It makes me happy and sad all at the same time.

I would give all the money in the world for this last image. I secretly wish I could photoshop myself & at least one of my kids (whoever wanted to cooperate) right in their places.

someday . . .

Families that have 2 daughters (or more even) have a special place in my heart. You just don’t understand the level of whining, giggling, crying, shrieking, pinching, and sassiness that goes on in a house with more than one girl unless you are in that situation. It gets dramatic, emotional, FUN and scary at the drop of a hat crayon. You just never know with girls;o) This session was full of all of those things! And I appreciated every second of it.

And, Parker’s dad looked at me like I was crazy a lot (who can blame him). And, Parker’s mom slapped Parker’s dad on the arm a lot & told him to quit it. And, I stood on the hood of my (white) car to get one of these shots & my boots made a black mark that my husband is still mad about. It will come off I keep telling him, I just haven’t had time to remove it. It will!

And, the best part . . .  they looked cute the whole time. And, I was just a sweaty mess when we were all done.

And, I really do start my sentences with ‘and’ a lot. And, I’m going to work on dropping that habit.

sooooo, I just had to get that out of my system.

It’s that time of year . . . taxes & business plans. bleck.

And, seriously, a lot of things are up in the air for me right now. I know what I need to do . . . but it’s all hard. I’m being fickle. I really need someone to hold my hand & tell me what to do. Who that would be – I have no idea . . . so I just need to get over that fantasy.

BUT, it’s all good news because it will make me a better business owner & photographer for you:o)

So, happy New Year & it will all be in place by the end of the month!

This was truly a “mini” session from the fall . . . it was about 20 minutes & they were done! They did so awesome in 20 minutes that I’m not sure that mattered one bit.

Pretty. Sweet. Simple. baby Cousins.

The youngest baby was just a newborn (her newborn session) a few weeks before this session with her cousin. It never ceases to amaze how fast babies change. Just a few weeks later & she is so bright eyed here! That first year is priceless. Some of you may have read that strange letter ‘on my doorstep’ that was circulating facebook this week. It was an interesting idea, real or contrived?? Maybe it is, who knows. However, another local photographer brought up a good point in her cynicism (which I share, sorry) . . . At least it sparked some interesting conversations this week. And, that’s always fun to watch unfold. Even if you don’t have the means to document your baby professionally with custom newborn or baby photography . . . good grief. Who cares?! Get a decent camera and document each day/moment. Document the ones that frustrate you, make you happy, the quiet ones, the details, the messes of laundry & bottles. All of it. Because it will be gone fast & you won’t remember most of it without the tangible memories, which then wedge themselves into your brain to support your subconscious memories. AND, if you do have the means to hire us to do it for you. HECK yeah, it will be awesome . . . ridiculously awesome and beautiful. And, you sure won’t regret that;o)

p.s., and really . . . don’t leave me a weird letter . . . just reschedule when you realize the error of your ways. thanks.

I’m sorry . . . wait, no I’m not.

. . . but, I’ll never get tired of a dad throwing his little boy up into the air. It’s just always a good shot. Works every time (well, considering I can focus on the flying child). If you’re a parent, you know how much kids like to swing, be swung, be twirled and jump & be caught. The little one always looks back at their dad with this look of sheer trust, excitement and extreme (I mean extreme) unfiltered enjoyment. It’s just one of my favorite shots of little boys.

Aren’t they the happiest looking bunch?! They really are that way. I always leave their sessions a tad bit drained but very happy. They have a lot of energy And, that’s a good thing – they need it! I probably can’t quote this mom’s new tagline for dealing with her guys in public . . . but it’s hilarious & I’ll never forget it. You’ll just have to trust me. Ask me in person & I’ll probably tell you.

Their Christmas card was reeaally one of the cutest this year – but if feels really weird sharing Christmas cards now that it’s mid January – so I guess I’m over that trend.

Allow me to translate ‘baby’ for you . . .

“Seriously?? You sit me in a box in the middle of a field, put stupid hats on me & expect me to smile? I want my bottle & my mommy. Now.”

I really loved their family’s land where we met for this session. It was north of The Woodlands. I’m not even sure exactly where?! But, it was so relaxing . . . it felt like a mix of Abilene with all the memorabilia & my granddaddy’s farm in TN. Not sure it gets much better than that. I’ll house sit any time guys . . . and that rope/tree swing . . . still daydreaming of pictures in it.

And, I really loved their Christmas card & ornament.