the best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other

we got lucky in december! it was freezing but we had sun, and no rain! i had so much fun with the this cute family. amazingly polite, sweet children. i could feel the special love and bond they have with their mom, and how much she adores them. here are just a few faves of mr. blue eyes and miss lucy!

miss avery

oh to be two again...with a huge smile, blue eyes & blonde ringlet curls! watch out mom & dad, you might have your hands full in a few years! this little chica kind of reminds me of me when i was little, very independent and knows exactly what she wants. nothing wrong with that right?

can you tell she's sitting in a bird bath?

and she can roll her tongue too, who knew?!

one of my faves, mommy bribery :-)

gotta love polka dots!

like star dust glistening on fairies' wings, little girls dreams are of magical things

i don't have girls so when i get the chance to take photos of girls i l-o-v-e it! the girly clothes, fun accessories, the ringlet curls...they are so precious and yet i am so glad that i won't have to endure high school years with a teenage girl! mainly because i would be a nervous wreck, for YEARS! anyway, these cuties are my friend alena's and i feel like they have become my surrogate daughters after only knowing them a short time...:-)

can you stand her?

i think this one (below) could be one of my all time faves

miss kelli

i L-O-V-E-D this session! so many reasons, the urban location was amazing, i had the best assistant ever on this shoot (my friend, kelli's aunt), great light, kelli's eyes, i could go on and on...i have been so behind on blogging that i won't write too much. here are just a few fave close ups of miss kelli...

the splonski family

i am so excited about these photos and this cute young family. darling children and a mom that is a natural model! bonus: they are also super sweet & easy going - a great combo! i forgot how active two little ones can be but we managed to get a few good ones! here are a couple of my faves from the day...

miss O

i love this little hip chick....she has the SWEETEST personality and and even sweeter little voice. i could just eat her up...

first baby on the way

jeni asked me to take a few maternity photos for her before their little muffin arrives (any day now!)...this is their first baby. chris and jeni have been married for over 10 years so a little anxious to see how this little girl their cookin up will change their lifestyle. what? children change your lifestyle?!? oh...i don't even remember what i did with all my time before kids!! we talked about enjoying every minute of each other right now because those first few months you tend to forget about each other as the babies needs take over for awhile. i can't wait to do their newborn photos soon and meet baby cece....

watch out mom...

...your little girl is growing up! miss red came by with her mom after she got this sassy new hair cut. she is 9 but this first shot i could see the teenager coming out....somedays i am glad i have only boys...

oh, if anyone is actually looking at these posts would you let me know? i need some feedback! thanks much....

one post a month?

what the heck? summer has been sooo busy! i don't know what is going on but i seem to have no time for MY STUFF (ya know, important stuff like blogging & facebook & reading everyones else's blogs & my continued learning of photography!)... keeping these boys of mine entertained is a lot of work! i took these pics in june in hopes of a fun 4th of july post and fun prints for their parents but that has long gone. so here are some fun ones of my neighborhood monkeys. this was all in about 15 min. as gracie's allergies kicked in high gear and we got kicked off this property from some grumpy old lady :-) 

sweet as pie...

i had such a FUN time last week shooting my first senior! this gorgeous young gal is so sweet & innocent (was i feeling old? yes!!)...she's really into doing make-up/hair/styling, I think she would be great and could style some shoots for me someday! her fave show? America's Next Top Model, oh and American Idol (but isn't that everyone's)?