A double digit birthday to celebrate!

We are celebrating in our house once again....my daughter is turning 10!  She is so excited to be turning a number with double digits.  As her mom, I cannot believe how fast that ten years flew by - it's actually scary.  Especially if the next ten years goes by this fast!  We've had  loads of fun these past ten years and it's been amazing to watch her learn and grow into the wonderful person she is today!  Wishing you all of the happiness on this special birthday!!  XOXOXO

A First Birthday!

Birthday's are fun...especially first birthdays!  And, this was extra fun for me as I was able to photograph this little guy's family last year during a maternity session when he was still in his mommy's tummy.  I then met him at his newborn session and again photographed him at six months!!  He's such a cutie and has gained his own little fan club amongst a few of you that follow my blog!  And, here he is....the birthday boy!!   Happy first birthday! 

Celebrating Four!

Four is such a fun age!  One of my favorite ages for kids.  I was lucky enough to be in AZ to celebrate a special fourth birthday!!  We had fun in the desert with magical gumballs and birthday balloons...even if we did lose one to the blue skys.  Here are a few of my favorites....happy birthday sweet girl!!  

and love this one of birthday girl with her daddy!

Lovin' the Desert Backdrop!

I have a thing for the desert.  Always have.  Not sure if it's the dry heat and gorgeous weather or the unique southwest landscape.  You just don't get the prickly cactus, desert palms and beautiful mountains in the midwest.  The desert makes for a gorgeous backdrop and it feels so good to have a session outdoors again!   I was looking so forward to getting a chance to photograph these sweet girls again.  I'm lucky enough to be their Aunt and I only wish that I could get them in front of my camera more often!!  We had so much fun and it was such a treat to spend a whole weekend with them!  I have so many great images to process....but I wanted to get a quick sneak peek up on my blog!!  Thanks for the super fun visit!!

Amazing Blue Eyes Ahead:

I blinked....I swear I just met this little sweetheart yesterday at her newborn session!  One blink of an eye and now she is celebrating six months!  What a treat to get the opportunity to work with this darling baby girl again.  I couldn't wait to see how she had changed!  Amazing blue eyes and the most content personality ever.....she did make me work for a smile, but I admit I am in love with her serious expressions just as much!   Here's your sneak peek!!  

Her signature move as she likes to grab her little toes from behind.....too cute!!

and her beautiful smile!!

All Grown Up!

This little sweetie turns five in a few weeks and is so grown up!  I've been lucky enough to know her since the day she was born.  I've had photo sessions with her and her siblings in the past but today was just about the soon-to-be birthday girl!  And, she was a great little helper as she posed for a few "Valentine" images that I can use on my Valentine's samples that I will be posting in the next few days....watch my blog!  

Another Celebration in the House!

Well, we have another birthday in the house....they come so quickly around here.  This time my baby turns two!  I attempted a two year session with him.  I didn't set out to capture this image but as you know, it's nearly impossible to take photographs of your own children. It was getting close to nap time and he wanted his 'Bun-yay' (sounds almost French for Bunny) as it's referred to around our house.  My fourth baby has been my only one to suck his thumb.  It's soooo sweet (for now, ask me when he's 6yrs and cannot stop the habit!).  His ritual:  he takes the little tag on Bun-yay and rubs it against his nose and sucks his thumb as his comfort and makes his own little humming noise.  I know someday he will outgrow this....and these sweet days will be a memory for me.  Even though I was going for an image of his smiling face and big brown eyes, I was so happy to capture this moment as he was snuggled up with his Bun-yay and his thumb while getting some kisses from his big brother.  This is one of those images that truly captures a moment, a moment in time that I will treasure!  Happy Birthday baby boy!

Home for the Holidays

Nothing says Christmas time better than spending it with family.  This family counted their blessings as their loved ones traveled across country to be together this snowy Christmas;  a first in many years that they could all be together.  Nothing better than to share in the excitement of little ones awaiting Santa's arrival, stockings filled with chocolate, and an heirloom mistletoe hung for all who enter.  How wonderful to document and capture some of the memories made this special weekend.  Here are just a few from today:

Her Nana's mistletoe....love traditions!!

Love the twinkle in his eyes.....

Winter Wonderland!

Winter wonderland....that is what it looked like after a fresh coat of snow had fallen on the ground!  Taking advantage of the beautiful snowfall, these gorgeous kids couldn't be scared off by a little cold weather. They did so awesome despite our temps in the 20's.  Brrr....but with a warm car and a little hot chocolate nearby it kept them going!  I had a blast!  Thanks so much for braving the cold with me!  Here are just a few from our session:

And doesn't this image just scream winter?  I LOVE these ear muffs and need to get myself a pair!!  Doesn't she have the cutest smile!!

Kids say the funniest things....

While photographing this family I was asking the little three year old what he was 'into' these days.  Fully expecting to hear "Thomas the Train", "Diego" or "Lightening McQueen", I laughed so hard when he gave me a one word answer - "Poop".   The word made him smile to say and the fact that his parents weren't stopping him, he kept smiling as he repeated it a few more times and I continued to have a conversation for the first time about 'poopin on the potty' while taking photographs.  What a hoot!  Seriously, this family was so fun to photograph.  Since I've known them for nine years now, I've known these gorgeous kids since they were babies!  They all have these amazing eyelashes as you can see!!  Here are a few from our session:

six months and sittin' up!

Could this little guy be any cuter?  I think not!  He's my six month old nephew and he's proud to say he has mastered sitting up!  Such a fun stage!  He loves his big sister and loved it when she sang her koala bear song!  My niece was an awesome helper!  Even got some cute ones of her when she flashed me her bubble gum smile in exchange for a piece of my special bubble gum!  Here's a quick peek:

He sure loves his big sister....

Party of Seven!

When this family of seven called to book a session and mentioned they had this old Chevy pickup truck that was her husband's since he was 15 yrs old - I thought super cool.  Then when they selected a location on nearby farmland - I knew I was going to have a field day (pun intended).  I absolutely love the backdrops on a farm!  But looking at these beautiful five children it wouldn't even matter the backdrop!  These kids were amazing to hang out with - the one and only little boy couldn't have had bigger eyes when he spotted the large tractors...he was so excited!!  And, with a first birthday celebration last week for their baby girl, we were able to get some fun birthday photos!!  Here are some fun ones to share....

and this was just too cute for words...