Watching Will Grow

It is hard to believe that Will (Bear)is now one. Will is special to me, not only because he is a cutie, and his parents are so super sweet, but because Will was the first baby that I photographed which led to this fun hobby that swiftly turned into a second job. His mom has been kind enough to let me use all my ideas while photographing him, and we have manged to hit almost all of his major milestones. When I first met Will, he was three months old. We did a quick shoot inside his house and captured this sweet face.

Here he is at 6 months old. This became one of my favorite pictures of him.

And who could forget this little hambone??? He had just learned to stand when I photgraphed him at 9 months...

And he loved his feet at our 10 month shoot.

Now he is turning into a handsome little one year old who rocked some pictures in all of his vintage tees that I love so much. (Remember in my previous post when I said I have been known to act like a monkey....well this is the result.) Will loved my monkey sounds and I loved all his big smiles.

He is faster these days. I have to be set and ready, or he will get away from me.

Love him in his Ed Hardy tee.

Happy Belated Birthday sweet boy! I hope you will continue to brighten my days in front of my camera.

Fearless at Four

Have you met my daughter known to many of you as Princess GiGi? Well Princess GiGi is turning into Princess Fearless. She learned to water ski at the age of three, learned to swim unassisted this summer, and now she has become a high diver. :) I don't know weather to be proud or scared out of my mind. What will she try next??? Maybe she could become a pro surfer by the time she turns five. :)

Saturday Smiles

She works hard for the money...

When Trenton's mom told me that he hadn't had his picture taken since he was 5 months old, I was so saddened. Every child should have at least two photo shoots a year (Christmas or Easter and Birthdays). She shyly laughed and said, "oh, you just wait and see. Once you try to get his picture, you will understand. I would be surprised if you can get any pictures of him." I seriously thought to myself how hard could it be??? I do this all the time. I knew he was one month shy of his terrible two year old birthday, but that wasn't going to scare me. If only I had known...

We met at a park where there were lots of bridges. I soon learned that he is OBSESSED with bridges due to being a fan of Thomas the Train, and I also learned that when he says the word bridge, it comes out of his sweet little mouth as BITCH. So I tried my hardest to get him to pause from running back and forth over the bridge for just one instant, but he would look at me and yell, "NO, Bitch!" (meaning he wanted to run on the bridge) I would hysterically laugh and try again and again. After about 30 minutes, I finally managed to get some precious shots of him. Are you wondering how I got these precious smiles???

We sat down near the water, and I gave him LITTLE pebbles to throw in the water. That didn't really work since I needed him to be looking at me and not down at the water, so I started saying, "Don't you hit me with those rocks" in a joking manner which led to me getting pelted with gravel, but it worked, and I captured some amazing smiles....

It was all fun and games, and I was feeling quite proud of myself when I turned my head to ask his mom a question and didn't see him pick up a MUCH larger boulder rock and throw it directly at my head. The boy has some good aim and hit me right square in the forehead....

..Which caused this reaction. Yes, he hit the bitch and thought it was funny. :)

So back to my post title, I do work hard for the money, but it is always worth it.

P.S. I have been known to sing in silly voices, dance around like a crazy woman, wear a giant lobster hat, and act like a monkey as well. Maybe I should get paid more. :)

Canon Rhoads

...Isn't that a cool name, and it belongs to this tiny, little dude. Isn't he precious?

Canon was 1 month old at the time of our shoot. He didn't care too much for my newborn poses, but once we got him all snuggled down in this big basket, he fell right to sleep and looked like an angel.

One of my favorite things about baby photos is seeing new parents in awe of their baby. I love being able to capture that, and these two beautiful parents are completely and 100% in love with this little guy.

It was very nice to meet you Canon Rhoads. I hope to see you again in a few months.

I FEEL LOVED

All of you helped to make me feel so loved yesterday. Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes. I can't begin to express to you how much all of your comments brightened my day. Even the comment about UTenn fingernails. Not only was I showered with wonderful comments from you, but I also received cards from across the country (THANK YOU STACEY AND TRUDY), and lots of phone calls and e-mails wishing me a happy birthday.

I was spoiled with cards and yummy cupcakes from the kids, my mom, and hubby, and was treated to lunch and dinner at two of my favorite restaurants.

I even blew out a candle and made a wish. Do you want to know what I wished for??? Now remember it wouldn't be right if I told my wish, because it might not come true. So I must keep it a secret for now but....

I could possibly give you a hint and tell you that it will take 9 months or more to get here, and I would prefer some chubby rolls, but I won't be too picky about the variety (M or F), and if it happened to look like the below picture, that would be wonderful, BUT remember I will keep my wish a secret and only fill you in once it is has come true. :)

Thanks again to all of you for showing me so much love on my birthday. I am forever grateful!

Treating Myself...

...something I don't do very often because I would much rather treat my kids, but since I am another year older younger today (Aug. 26), GiGi and I did visit the nail salon to get manicures and pedicures. I think this may be her favorite thing to do. And today, I would like nothing more than a new camera lens to receive some birthday wishes from all of you. Please make my day by leaving me a birthday wish in the comments. Is that too much to ask? C'Mon show me some LOVE!

GiGi was very proud of her orange nails...something I don't quite agree with since it is the start of football season, but whatever makes the princess happy, right? A nice crimson color would have been so much better.

Photo of the Day

A Quote from Little Bit

"No Mom..., I will not crack a smile until you give me something to cover these little bits. "

Simply Couldn't Resist...

...posting this picture on a Monday. This sums up how I feel about Monday too.

Eight must be GREAT

I am used to working with younger children, so I didn't know how this eight year old would react to all my hats and props. Lucky for me, it turns out she is a girly girl who was so excited to see my basket full of dress up items, and I was so excited once she got in front of my camera. This girl can work the camera like no other and loved every minute of it.

Finger Licking Friday

A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.

Piggies, Pouts, Ponytails, and Pretty Faces

Guess who is sporting her first ponytail?

It's little Miss Gracie Rae showing off her new style, and a serious pout. Isn't she yummy??? Yes, I just about ate her up last night.
But don't let that little pout fool you, because this tiny thing sure knows how to put on the charm.

See?

Simply charming, that little Gracie Rae.

Sharing my wall....

I know I have stated before that I am horrible at printing off pictures after I take them. Yes, it is obvious that I take my kids' pictures all the time, but I usually post them to my blog, file them away on my computer, and soon forget about them. I hated the fact that I never had any recent shots of my photography in my house. When I came across this idea, I knew that it was perfect for me. I call this MY BLOG WALL. I ordered my favorite pictures on foam board and arranged them on my shelves. It is great, because I can easily switch out my pictures when I take new ones, and I don't have to mess with frames or finding a spot to hang new portraits. I still need to order a few more pictures and arrange them a little differently, but I am happy with the way it is turning out.

This idea is perfect for a family with a newborn. Just order a board print with each milestone and by the time the child turns one, you have a beautiful display of the child's first year.

Pre-K HERE SHE COMES!

Tomorrow GiGi will start a new school. She will be going to Pre-K this year, and I am quite nervous about it. It was a spur of the moment decision enrolling her in a new school...a decision that I just made on Friday, and while I know it will be the best option for her, I am a little scared for her. She helped me buy her school supplies over the weekend and picked out a new backpack (pink, of course), so I think she will be excited to start a new adventure tomorrow.

I hope the day will bring lots of smiles...

...And laughter

...And a bit of SASS.

Foto Face Friday

Countdown to 2nd Grade - Four More Days

New Glasses - Check

Back-To-School Clothes - Check

Haircut - Check
School Supplies - Check

Ready to conquer the 2nd Grade - Check

Mom looking forward to getting back on a schedule - Check