Tate Boy, 1 year old

Oh sweet Tate. I have no idea how a year can have gone by already. I tried not to take the moments for granted and I knew it would go fast, but somehow time still got away from me.



You have a little bit more hair. You have rolls for ankles. You have the softest skin and the squishiest cheeks.



You are talking a lot. You love saying "hi" to everyone we see and "bye" to anyone we leave. You say "no" more than any other word. Sometimes if we tell you we love you, then you will even say it back.



You are walking quite a bit, taking up to 10 steps at a time now. You get so tickled when you walk and giggle the whole way.



You have made this year fun for all of us. You've kept us smiling and laughing. Happy Birthday tiny man. We love you.

little miss Lucy

When I first met Alyssa about a year ago through a mutual friend, she told me a little bit about herself. I was (extremely) pregnant with Tate which got us talking about kids. She shared with me a little bit about her and her husband's journey toward parenthood and their desire to have children. So, when I got an email from her several months later I was elated to hear that they were expecting their first baby.

Little miss Lucy arrived on St. Patrick's Day. She is a tiny little sweet thing and has been spending her days working her way up to 5 pounds. Mom and Dad are smitten.



She was so sleepy. Perfect for her first photo shoot.



Then she even opened her eyes a little bit for us.



fav...



Alyssa's mom was there and we talked her in to getting in a few shots. I'm so glad she agreed because I love this three generations photo...



Congratulations guys! She really is adorable!

Tate Boy 10 mos 1 day

Hi Tatey. Can I take a few pictures of you?

Sure, Cheeeeeeeeeese.....



Oh that's great buddy. How about a close up?

Cheeeeeeeese ....



Great! OK, you can relax now.

Oh, phew.



So, what have you been up to lately? Still trying to eat everything and anything?

Ha! That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.



Well, it sure seems like you put a lot of things in your mouth.

Who me?



Yes you.

That lens you've got there looks really tasty...



No Tatey!

Oh mama, just hold me. Pwease?

Majaica

After the wonderful, but somewhat exhausting holiday season, Shane and I slipped off to Jamaica or as Marlie calls it, Majaica. We were celebrating our 10th anniversary. Its really not until August, but who wants to go anywhere hot in August? Jamaica in January sounded much better. As always 99% of our pictures make it look like Shane went on a vacation by himself or no one was there at all. I kinda hate asking people to take our picture.





There was lots of laying on the beach, lots of reading, lots of Shane trying to convince me to snorkel, some hammock swinging, a little too much wind, just enough rum punch, and 5 days of alone time. It was really nice.









Don't get me wrong, we missed our kids. But it was really nice to walk around on warm sand for a while instead of cheerio bits. I wrote our names in the sand because I knew it would embarrass Shane...and it did.





Happy 9 1/2 years Shane. I still really like you.

thank you 2011

This year was full of great things. Tate boy was born, Marlie got even cuter. I took 6 months off of shooting for maternity leave and it was good to step back, concentrate on my kiddos, and refocus on my photography skills. I started back shooting this fall and loved being back behind my camera. However, along with baby #2 came less time to blog. I'm not upset about it, its just the way it is. I had so many great sessions this year that I just didn't get around to blogging. The following shots are some of my favorite shots from the "unblogged" shoots with my dear clients. Thank you all for a great year!

Last year at this time I announced that I was cutting back on work quite a bit. I am still not shooting as frequently as I used to, but I am opening up one additional date a month this year. Check out the schedule page on my website to check for open dates. Spring dates are already booking up so email me if you are interested!

Joy to you

The Christmas season is definitely a fun time of year around here. One of my favorite days of the whole year is the day we get our tree and decorate the house. This year Marlie is at such a fun age for the season. She is giddy with excitement about anything Christmas related. She screams with joy any time we see even the smallest display of lights. Tate boy doesn't know what is going on, but it is fun having his little squishy body to snuggle by the tree and his badly head to rub this year.



I wish you all joy this season. Screaming, giddy joy. And that includes myself. I can't help but wonder that if I really understood the gift we are celebrating if I too wouldn't be bursting with child like joy. I think I've posted this quote in years past, but I love it so I'm doing it again. It really sums up what I believe about Christmas...

This is Christmas, the real meaning of it.
God loving, searching, giving Himself - to us.
Man's needing, receiving, giving himself - to God.
Redemption's glorious exchange of gifts!
Without which we cannot live;
Without which we cannot give to those we love
anything of lasting value.
This is the meaning of Christmas -
the wonder and the glory of it.

- Ruth Bell Graham



Have a Merry Christmas!

Tate boy 8 mos 7 days

My little man. I couldn't pick just one picture for this month because I wanted to remember all of the funny little faces that you make.



Having you around makes this Christmas season even more fun. You aren't crawling yet but you love to roll over and pull off the tree skirt.



You've been giving out lots of slobbery kisses lately and it is adorable.



Happy first Christmas Tate boy. Love, Momma