Emotion

A mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes; a feeling: the emotions of joy.

This is my goal for my photography. I want each picture to evoke emotion when seen for the first time. Whether it is staring at a beautiful baby, the wonder and amazement in a child's eyes, or seeing a sweet couple connect at a deeper level because they have just been blessed with their first child...

And speaking of being blessed, I was elated to take this little boys pictures. I think I am in love. He won my heart in an instant.


And this may be my new favorite Daddy picture.

Blast from the Past

It was 1985, Ronald Reagan had taken oath for his second term as 40th president, Back to the Future was playing at the theater, families gathered in the evening to watch The Cosby Show and Family Ties, kids were found dancing in their rooms to Madonna, Wham, Chaka Khan, and the Dire Straits, various artists came together to record We are the World, compact discs were introduced to American consumers, Coke changed it's formula, MTV actually played music videos, and my family loaded up the Oldsmobile and made the cross country move from Los Angeles to Small Town, OK (population 22.000). I was 9 years old and had 6 weeks of 3rd grade left. On my first day at my new school, I met Syl. We instantly became best friends and were inseparable. We spent hours playing Knight Rider on the Apple 2e, learned to water ski together, spent recesses with our shoes tied together just so we could trip each other, did silly impersonations of Balki and Larry from the Perfect Strangers TV show, saved up our money every summer for back to school shopping trips in Dallas, spent countless hours cruising Small Town, OK in her red convertible, rode numerous roller coasters together, and went through rush for our high school sorority where we were hazed and humiliated in town. We remained close friends through high school, but then parted ways when we attended different colleges. Now when I see GiGi and her little friends bonding, I often think back of the times spent with Syl as a child. Today, Syl and I live in different parts of the country, and only keep in touch through occasional e-mails. A few months ago, I received an e-mail from Syl stating she would be coming through my town with her extended family and asked if I would be available to take pictures. I immediately cleared my calendar, and anxiously awaited to meet her beautiful little girl for the first time. We realized it had been 9 years since we saw each other last, and talked as fast as we could in between snapping shots of her beautiful family.

Not only did I get to catch up with Syl, but I also got to photograph her sister's family which includes this adorable baby boy who is 4 months old...more to come of him later.

Syl - I really hope it is not 9 more years before I see you again. Keep in touch!

GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS

Since I am behind on posting, I am going to let these pictures that I shot last week do the talking. I am sure you can tell by the pictures that I had so much fun with all these girls. Enjoy the cuties!

Halle - three years old

Every week seems to get busier and more stressful. You don't know how many times I tried to post this week, but was distracted by something else that had to get done. I like being busy, but I will be honest, this week was a little too busy for me to keep my sanity. We are leaving for vacation on the 3rd, so I am trying to fit everyone's photo sesssion in before we leave. The weather has made it difficult since it is over 100 degrees and after the first 10 minutes of photos, my photography subjects are usually red and dripping with sweat, but little Miss Halle did great in the extreme heat. I was excited to shoot some little girls this week (since Miss GiGi is so tired of my camera).

I love these parasols. They make the perfect backdrop and keep the kids entertained. I used them a lot this week which you will see soon in my posts to follow.

I knew this would be a fun shoot when Halle's mom opened her trunk, and I saw all the cute clothes that she brought for our session. Halle looks so good in bright, bold colors which is what I like to shoot.

This shoot was set up for Halle's third birthday photos, and I was so excited to hear that she was having a Minnie party. I still had a lot of the Minnie items from GiGi's 3rd birthday, so I brought some stuff along. I don't know what Halle was looking for, but it sure is cute!

Happy 3rd birthday Minnie HALLE! I hope you have an awesome birthday bash next weekend.

Weekend Update

We were thrilled last week to find out that our cousins were going to meet us at the lake for the weekend. I only worked a half a day on Friday so we could spend more time with them, but before we headed South for the weekend, we had to stop to take care of some important business...

I am happy to report that the stray kid that I found wandering last week has been returned to his family, and I now have my GTO back.

His baby cousin liked his new hair so much that he decided to sport the same mohawk.

I tried convincing this little guy to hide in my suitcase so he could live with me, but he was convinced that he needed to go back to South TX. with his 4 older sisters.

After seeing this photo, I think I will make the 8 hour drive to go back and pick him up!

I was excited to see one of my favorite girls again; however she wasn't as excited to see me or my camera. She and GiGi finally became friends after she broke out of her very shy state, and they had so much fun having tea parties together.

And by the last day, she was smiling away at my camera which made me VERY happy.

Sadly, their visits are always too short, but hopefully we will see them again soon!

After they left Sunday morning, we took the kids skiing. Two more weeks and we will be on vacation for 10 days. WOOHOO!

Shout Out

I wanted to give a big THANK YOU to my friends, JPo7, and OLSP, for taking our pictures last week. I am glad you talked me into it! LOL! Thank you for taking time out of your day to spend with us in the scorching heat. You guys rock!

To the MAN in our life...

The three of us would like to wish you...
A HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Photo Opp

One of the best things about getting married is gaining another family and getting to know new aunts, uncles, and a boat load of new cousins. :) Last week, I was so happy to meet this baby girl for the first time. She is my second cousin through marriage, and I love her to pieces. I don't think I am being partial. I mean really, who could resist those precious pouty lips, adorable cleft chin, and big hazel eyes??? She is gorgeous!

First, let me start off by saying it was HOT. I don't mean a little bit hot, it was painfully hot, so we had to work fast, and take lots of breaks, but overall baby A did great. She enjoyed sitting pretty while a few adults entertained her.

About the time it was simply too hot for all of us to keep shooting pictures, I felt a nice cool spray of water down my back. I assumed someone was pouring my water bottle down my back to cool me off and I thought to myself, "how nice", but then out of the corner of my eye, I saw the rest of the adults grab things and run. As I looked around I realized that the sprinklers had come on all around us. It was a very funny moment. Nonetheless, we moved to the other side of the yard and stripped baby A down for a few final shots and some gorgeous light.

I miss you already! Please come back to OK soon!

Staying Positive...

One of the reasons I like to blog and take so many pictures is that it helps me to keep a positive outlook on life. Trust me, if you have been through the week that I have with my darling, not so darling 4 year old child, you would understand that what I would really like to do is show you the extra gray hairs that have popped up on my head, along with a few extra wrinkles, and tell you that I am done having children due to being mentally exhausted from a few very long tantrums (or as my sister-in-law would say, "wild ass fits" (waf), and ask you how to deal with my tunnel visioned child who only sees how to do things one way, which is "her way" or the highway, BUT since I have this blog, and can see the below picture of my beautiful girl, I won't tell you about all the traumatic details of the week. Instead, I will say how grateful I am to be a mom of two outstanding kids who are happy and healthy and who bring so much joy and sorrow to my life every single day, and that I will continue to pray that God will bless me with another sweet, laid back child like GTO happy and healthy child (with big blue eyes of course).

See how that works. It is quite simple to stay positive...just blog away! (and when this doesn't work, I can always go back and read this post to help me)

Wacky Wednesday

All-Points Bulletin

I found this shaggy haired kid wandering around last night, and I don't recognize him. Does anyone know who he belongs to? When he smiles, he has two big front teeth with a cute gap in the middle, and looks to be about 7 or 8 years old. His hair is long with a few curls in the back. On the other hand, I can't seem to find my GTO who is 6 years old with two missing front teeth and perfectly spiked hair. His picture is in the top right hand corner of my header for reference. Anyone who can help me, I would greatly appreciate it.

I seriously think someone has pulled a kid swap on me.

Sweet Baby in a Basket

I have said it before, but I will say it again. I have really loved blogging over the past year. I have read some amazing stories, and met so many wonderful people. The blog world has turned into a great network of friends and resources. While most of my photography sessions (especially the babies) have come to me through referrals, this family found me on the internet through this blog which I think is pretty incredible. I believe she was searching, Oklahoma City kids pictures and came across ME. So without further ado, meet Baby B who is 4 months old and already a charmer!
I believe his mom told me that this outfit belonged to Baby B's grandmother. I love when families incorporate sentimental items into their shoots.

Who says baby boys can't accessorize? A pair of funky baby legs, and a choppers beanie, and he is ready to rock it!

Thank you Rachel for finding me over the internet. I look forward to working with you again in the future!