the most beautiful light. really.

I was ecstatic when I met this sweet family at their home for this session.  The sun was just getting ready to set over the lake behind their home.  And we took full advantage, let me tell you!!  

The sun wasn't the only amazing thing this evening, however....  I have never seen a brother-sister duo be so willing to give out bear-hugs to one another.  How many moms and dads would cut off their right arm to just SEE their kids be so sweet to each other, much less have the photographic evidence?!  :)

More of that delicious sunlight....

I can't even TELL you how much I adore my job.  :)

a fresh start.

Wow.  What a week!  As I sit here thinking about this week's happenings and activities, I can't help but think that this is a fresh start for so many of us.  Of course, the Presidential Inauguration was the spotlight feature.  So many Americans are filled with new hope and are whispering a prayer for change at this moment!  In our personal lives, my husband Chris started a new job this week (yay!), and we are all four in the middle of the awkward ballet that is our new routine.  Hopefully we'll get it all figured out this coming week.  And I, finally, am back on the Blog Train today!!!  Show of hands, did all (um, three) of you faithful blog-readers miss me?!  LOL!  I promise I'll be a better blogger in 2009.  :) Believe it or not, I still have sessions from 08 to catch up on showing y'all.  So without further ado... 

This little guy stole my heart.  I love this age...  curious, joyful, and so in awe of their little (big) world.

And isn't he lucky to have two parents who are so in awe of HIM?  :)  I love that.

Loved his little curled up toes by the pool!  ;)

Now tell me.... who in the world could resist that face?  Wouldn't it be soooo difficult to say "no" to those big melt-you-in-a-minute eyes?!  I'd have him spoiled for sure!

Thanks, guys, for an amazing session.  I had so much fun with your sweet family!!

A love letter.....

Dearest Coco,   Oh how I adore you.  Thank you for being so sleepy and wonderful and squishy and bendy for our session.  You were a treat to photograph, as were your beautiful parents.  In your beautiful house.  

Give your wonderful, adoring family a big HUG from me for being so well-prepared for our little session together, and for having such amazing built-in props there, just waiting for me to take advantage of them....  :)

And for your Mama being sweet enough to GIVE ME that gorgeous cocoon we snuggled you up in for awhile.  The one that you apparently loved, because you slept so peacefully inside it!I know you'll never wonder for a single second if you are loved.  Because you will be smothered in kisses for the rest of your life.... I'm quite certain of that.  :)  You are surrounded by love, little one!

Hope to see you soon, sweet baby girl.  You were truly the highlight of my week.

Love, Your Smitten Photographer  :) 

Beautiful.

I wanted to share one of my recent maternity sessions with you.  Actually, baby Luke has just been born, and I can't wait to meet him!  Here he is inside his Mama's tummy a few short weeks ago...

Love the image on the bottom right.... see Big Brother's fingerprints on the mirror?  Ahh, that's the best part!!

Doesn't she look so beautiful and relaxed?

Really, she just glowed.  Such a delight to see (and remember!) all the anticipation in those last few weeks...  

And something tells me that this little guy will never have cause for jealousy, with all the snuggling that goes on in this family.  :)  Such a treat for me to see families loving on each other!

Okay, back to my proofing cave for the rest of the week....  I'll come out to blog a session or two every now and then, LOL!  I'm finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel for my holiday orders and recent sessions.  Whew!  Y'all have certainly kept me busy this year, and I can't even tell you how much I appreciate it!!!  XOXOXO!

Now for the boys....

So many families of girls I've photographed recently!  This shoot was 100% boy, however.  Trains (both Thomas and the authentic variety), soccer in the backyard, crazy animal sounds, lots of snuggling with Mama and Daddy, and laughs by the barrel-full.  See for yourself... I think they were pretending to be tigers here.  ;)  LOVE that Mom and Dad joined in, how fun is that?!

Such handsome faces.....  

Hailing Thomas...  ;)

Thanks so much, guys, for an awesome playdate.  I had a blast with you, and all of your boyish-ness!

Caroline and Kate...

This family was super sweet, so very good to me for this shoot.  And I love their girls' names!  (Caroline and Kate were the top two middle names we'd chosen for our own daughter!  You might remember, Parker purposefully called his little sister "Ava Caroline" instead of "Lila Kate" for the first two weeks of her life.  LOL!) 

I just wanted to put them in my pocket and take them home with me.  (Much to Parker's dismay, I'm sure... "Ewww, more girly stuff!"  LOL!)

Aren't they absolutely beautiful??  I loved Baby Kate's sweet expressions.... 

And I LOVED this outtake!!  Caroline was just too cute.  While proofing this session, I giggled every time I would scroll past this shot.  So I just HAD to include it in their gallery!  (I wonder if Mom and Dad see this same face from time to time?)  ;)

And who could resist a sleepy girl with a tiny thumb in her mouth?  Oh, be still my heart....

Huge thanks to this family.... I had a blast with y'all, and I hope you enjoy your gallery!  :)

A delight.

Meet the fabulous Jill Somers, owner of the equally fabulous Somers Salon and Spa in Clearwater, and her sweet, adorable family.  (You MUST pay her spa a visit, by the way.  Her Stylists and Spa Staff are all incredibly amazing, and you will leave her spa rejuvenated, refreshed, and relaxed, I PROMISE!  I always do!  ;)  Her mantra at the Spa is to bring "Beauty, Style, and Relaxation to the World, One Person at a Time".  And wow, does she ever!  Check out Jill's blog as well, to get salon updates and promotion details, spa information, as well as "hot tips"!) Anyhow, Jill and her family (including their ever-charming terrier Rex!!) are always such a delight to photograph.  (Check out how much little Ella has grown since our session last year!)  A few weeks back, we headed to Phillippe Park again and played in the sand, hiked up the stairs of the Indian Mound (and back down... and back up... and back down), relaxed under the shady trees, and even made friends with a spider.....

Loved the way she was telling Rex to "stop!"  :)  That chubby little hand, oh my goodness.

I just love-love-love the image above.  :)  Totally makes me smile!  

What a gorgeous little girl she is.  Just absolutely precious in every way.  And wouldn't you know it, she has the best hair.  :)  (Thanks, Mom!)   

I get all mushy when.....

...I photograph Mamas and their baby boys.  Takes me back to when Parker was a little chubby mover and shaker himself.  (His "chubby" days may be long gone, but he is still a mover and a shaker of course!)  Anyways, I loved this session.  Such a gorgeous little boy, and a very beautiful Mama indeed.  I'll let you see for yourself:

I am in love with this moment...... his sweet laugh and closed eyes.... cracks. me. up.

Can you believe Mom painted the giraffe herself??  And the monkey, and the bees, and the rest of the beautiful "jungle" that surrounded this little man.  

Such scrumptiousness... I love my job!

Simple fun.

I have met so many wonderful families this season.  I always love to photograph sisters, since I have two of my own (with whom I chat on the phone at least every other day!), and it brings back so many sweet memories for me.  These two were darling as can be, and were so fun to play with that evening.....

Talk about a heart-melter, huh?!

The sunset over their lake was so beautiful that evening.  I loved the reflection of it in the water!

This next one completely reminds me of my sisters and I.... holding hands and running through the garden, from our house to our grandparents' house.  We lived next door to them when we were little.  The three of us would sit on the back of our gold velvet couch and watch our grandparents' house from the window -- and as soon as we saw Momaw & Popaw step outside to hang up laundry on the line, or mow the grass, we'd wave madly and shout to them and ask to come over and visit.  I don't think I can ever remember a time when they didn't say, "Why, sure!  If your Mommy and Daddy say it's okay."  :)  Some of my best memories growing up....

I've got lots more sessions to share.  More tomorrow, stay tuned!

fresh and new

I had the pleasure of photographing this tiny little girl a couple of weeks ago, and oh my, she completely stole my heart.  She was sooo so good for her big photographic debut, and slept almost the entire shoot.  What a sweet little bean she was!  

And of course... I had to photograph those sweet piggies.  :)

Just totally sacked out here....  She was such a great sleeper, although Mom says she has her days and nights a little mixed up right now.  I'm sure that's not so much fun in the middle of the night, as it was for me those couple of hours during the day.  ;)

And I absolutely LOVED the dramatic light here..... 

I have so many amazing images from this session.... but I don't want to spoil the surprise for Mom and Dad!  So hang on guys, your gallery will be posted NEXT!  :)