Marlie - 5 years old

Marlie, it absolutely cannot be true that you are 5 years old. Its just too big. For five years you've been making me laugh and keeping me on my toes.



You are full of energy all of the time. Like bouncing off the walls energy that makes me smile and also makes me long for a nap :).



You LOVE school. I'm sure that you will be ready for kindergarten in the fall. You love to dance. You love anything pink and sparkly. You love to be outside. You love your little brother. You love people. Half of the time you are the one introducing me to a new friend at the park.



This was a big year for you. You went from being our one and only, to one of two and its been a little rough. Pretty soon there will be a third and I worry a little bit about how you will do, but we'll work out the kinks together. You will always be my first kiddo. I love you to pieces.

Marlie and Tate share the big news

Yep, kiddo #3 is coming sometime in mid-October. Yes, it was on purpose. Yes, are excited! And slightly terrified. Its going to be a little crazy around here,
but life is crazy.

I'm almost through my first trimester already. That was quick! With Marlie and Tate it felt like it lasted forever. I felt so sick that I just wanted to crawl under the covers and never come out. This time around I've felt pretty darn good. Tired, but I can't complain. What a huge blessing!

Welp, that's it. Just wanted to pop in and share the news!

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!