Yesterday, I gained a new Sister-in-law  And this is some (okay, a lot!) of pictures from her bridal session… as I’ve mentioned before, I love bridal sessions. Since I don’t shoot weddings, it gives me the chance to get a little ‘wedding dress fix’ so to speak

Kristen looked stunning in her gown…

Kristen, I am so happy that you are ‘officially’ a family member! XoXo

I love these simple black and whites of my baby girl…runny nose and all!

As I mentioned on Monday, we are busy (busy) ’round here right now…I know; who isn’t?!  I just can’t seem to make the time to blog a photoshoot. So instead, I am sharing these of my sweet Tenley and a promise to be back next week

I hope your week has been fabulous and your weekend will be even better!
Thanks for looking XoXo

When I feel overwhelmed I crave cleanliness and organization. And right now, my house is neither. Well, Tenley’s closet is clean and organized, but that just happened Friday. I have a feeling that when three certain little girls discover this ‘new’ closet they will successfully un-do each little thing I did

Meanwhile, two laundry baskets (full of clothes) and the vacuum cleaner has been sitting in the exact same spot since Friday. And we have added more stuff (camera bag, jackets, toys, shoes, two containers I bought at Walmart for storing winter clothes in, diaper bags, blankets, the iron, box of cookies, random dirty cups, baby dolls, dress up shoes, hair bows, etc.) as we ran in and out over this busy weekend. Then, I slept through my alarm this morning. Sigh. And I had big plans of getting so much stuff done before I head out again. Hey, at least I caught up on some sleep – the mess will still be here when I get time to clean it up, right?! Yep, I’m afraid so.

Oh, and my ‘feeling overwhelmed’? Nothing big or bad…just life is busy at the moment

Now, I give you an odd assortment of photo’s today (all of my girls). Random pictures from files that date back to (gasp!) October. Hey, it’s my first step in organizing on this Monday morning, I am getting these files off my computer!

Bristol has a great laugh, can you tell?

And a little peek at two shoots I had last week…love these! If you follow me on Facebook, then you may have already seen these….

Thanks for looking…and have a fabulous Monday!

As mentioned here, my brother is getting married. A few facts….
Fact #1. Russ does not like being in front of a camera.
Fact #2. He bullied me during this shoot and told me everything I should do to improve.
Fact #3. Taking pictures of family is not always easy.
Fact #4. I actually did enjoy this shoot.
Fact #5. I lost count of how many times he said “You’ve got to be kidding me” when suggested to do something…such as wrap up in a quilt for a picture.
Fact #6. He was a good sport and may have gotten a new tent by the time we were done.
Fact #7. I am so very happy for these two

I liked this shot in both b&w and sepia…

They are both coffee lovers so we had to include some coffee

Russ and Kristen… Thanks ya’ll XoXo

Have I mentioned that I will soon be gaining another Sister-in-law? Well, I do believe I failed to mention it..but, I sure am – in just two short weeks! My brother and his fiancee will be saying “I do” April 27th, and we are so excited and happy for them! My sister Tressa Ann hosted a shower for Kristen (whom we often call Kiki, nickname from my girls ) and I took a few pictures. I decided to share some of those with you all today, since I still haven’t managed to get their engagement session blogged. It was supposed to happen today, but seeing how it is late afternoon and I am in the middle of a bunch of other stuff (one being a baby who is refusing to go to sleep!) I decided to focus on a shorter blog post and at least get something up today. ha!

Enjoy

First, the bride (left) and Tressa Ann…






Here is the whole bridal party; Tressa, Sarah, Kristen and Kristen…

I remember, before I ever had kids, I said I wanted to take his/her picture every day for the first year. I figured it would be neat to sort of  ’see’ them change and grow in pictures. But once I had kids, I decided that idea was a bit ambitious and decided to try getting one good shot once a week for the first year. (Translation: I decided not to put myself through the hassle and work it would take to get a picture every.single.day. Turns out, it was a good decision, since I probably would’ve failed at the every day thing!)

I try to do these pictures on the same day each week, and eventually I make a hardcover book showing these pictures. (So far, only Kennedy has a book…opps. But, never fear… I plan to get Bristol’s done soon!) Honestly, it is not always easy to make these little weekly shoots happen. Sometimes I have to make it happen, and I only end up with one or two good shots. Other times, it is easy and I have so many good shots I will have a hard time choosing one for her book. As we come up on her first Birthday (how did a year go by so fast?!) I am so happy to have these pictures, and I’m so happy I stuck with it

A few recent shots that caught my eye.. I thought I’d share them here today…

Okay, so this was my first shoot of 2013 and it was wonderful. For January, it was warm! I had a great couple to work with, and with the holidays recently over, it felt good to get back behind the camera and shoot a session again.
I love shooting engagement sessions, but don’t get to often since that is normally part of the wedding package…(currently, I do not shoot weddings)…and so I am really happy that it worked out for me to shoot Dustin and Meghan’s engagement pictures..

Dustin and Meghan…Thank you!! Congrats on your engagement and I wish you all the best together

On Easter Sunday, as we ran out of the house to go to church, I tried to get a picture of all three girls with my iphone… this is what I got:

I decided it is kinda perfect. It is real and so them!

Another shot at my parents house after church with a couple of cousins… (not all the cousins could be there at the same time)

and a few more random pictures from our Easter Sunday…

Bristol singing in the car…

Monday was gorgeous here in North Carolina. Nearly perfect weather! We stayed outside a lot, and I took a few pictures…

I posted a feet/swing shot in my last blog post that I just looove…here are a couple more :)

Thanks for looking!

Today, we welcome another sweet baby girl in our family…my sister and her husband have a brand new baby (as of this morning!) Meet Karis Giana; 8 pounds 4 ounces and so so sweet!

Karis is grand-daughter #5 for my parents… we seem to have an “all girls” club going on! We are totally in love with this sweet girl…

I had planned to get a few blog posts up this week, but with her arrival, I have gotten a little side-tracked…. and this weather? Well, I don’t wanna be inside at all! So we’ve been doing a lot of this:

More to come. Thanks for looking

Well, two of my girlies

Often, I find that some of my most favorite pictures I get of my girls are the un-planned, spur of the moment pictures. Maybe because I am not stressed and planning a shoot with certain expectation and visions…then they just not be into it at all, and I am disappointed. Or, maybe it’s because I love capturing the everyday. The real life. The moments that just happen.

Last week, these moments happened, and I love the images I got.

First, Kennedy actually asked me if I wanted a photoshoot of her when she saw me taking pictures of Tenley for her weekly shot… I was all “Of course!” since she is not always willing. I don’t think her hair had seen a brush that day (in fact, I know it hadn’t!) but truth is, I love them more than if I had fixed her up

Next, Tenley at naptime… I adore these so much.

Thanks for looking and Happy Monday!