{oodles.of.fun}

I live in such a gorgeous place, and sometimes I forget how blessed I am! The other day, I jetted out to my favorite beach to capture three beautiful, fun kids, and I was reminded once again of how much I LOVE what God has allowed me to do! Photography has allowed me the opportunity and privilege to stay home with my girls, participate in all kinds of ministry, help others with a flexible schedule . . . I am so grateful. I never would have imagined my life looking like it does, but God is SO creative, isn't He? And aren't these kids GORGEOUS?

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{i.heart.faces.dramatic.black.and.white}

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE black and white! I think it is such a GORGEOUS finish and, while I know some pictures look better than others in black and white, I can't help myself because I do everything in color and black and white. I think it's timeless and, given the right subject, it has such a beautiful effect. I had the privilege of photographing this beauty a few days ago, and as soon as I saw it, I just knew that black and white would do it justice. Enjoy! And, head over to http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com for more dramatic black and white pictures! The talent is extraordinary!!

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{happy.birthday.to.my.delaney}

I cannot believe I have a five year old. FIVE. It just seems so . . . grown up. And I'm realizing, with tears in my eyes, that in just a few short months, I'll have to let my little blondish haired, bluish eyed girl go into the big world of school and all that goes with that. I can honestly say that I've been on my knees, praying for just the right kindergarten teacher and assistant that will appreciate Delaney. For, if you know her at all, you know that she is never in a hurry . . . for anything. And, if appreciated, this can teach you much about patience and taking your time. (Alas, there are many times that her "gift" goes unappreciated by me. For, I tend to want to speed things up, sometimes missing out.) Anyway, these are the things we love about Delaney: *Her amazing smile. It can truly light up a room. She loves to smile and brings such joy to others, especially me. *Her hard work ethic. The girls loves to learn, and is a nerd like her momma (and her daddy, if truth be told). She is a math whiz, and I know she's going to just love kindergarten. *Her free spirit. She is definitely in her own world a lot of the time, dreaming about who knows what. She dances when there's absolutely no music and sings in the grocery store at the top of her lungs. I love that. *Her girliness. I don't know if that's a word, but God has created her to be especially girly. She loves dresses and jewelry and high heels and lip gloss. She loves the color pink and pretends she's a princess a lot. *Her sweet spirit. Deep down, she loves people and wants to show them. (Maybe not her sister sometimes, but you get the idea.) She loves to help people, hug people, and serve people. God has big plans for her. And, being her mom, of course I could go on. I am so honored to be Delaney's mom. As soon as she came into this world, my life has never been the same. And I'm so grateful for that.

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{too.good.to.be.true.twins}

So for the first time ever, I had the amazing privilege of photographing twin newborns! And they could not have been more precious and sweet. I had SO much fun just putting them in all kinds of fun stuff, especially two BEAUTIFUL pink and blue hats that my sweet and gorgeous friend, Miss Jen, made especially for this photo shoot. And, everything else that I used was made my Miss Jen as well! She has some amazing talent, and I've warned her that a knitting business will be blossoming before too long! Can you stand how unbelievably PRECIOUS these twins are? These twins have been joyfully welcomed by an amazing dad and mom, as well as two precious brothers and a sweet sister! Thank you, D family for letting me capture a few precious moments through my lens.

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{sweet.j.family}

I had the privilege of photographing this beautiful family the other day at their gorgeous home, full of grand oak trees. Despite the gloomy weather, we did mange some precious shots, but I look forward to returning for "take two" when the weather is prettier! I love to shoot in cloudy weather, but the impending thunderstorm put a darker tint on things! Thanks for going with it anyway, J family!

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{beauties}

Aren't these girls so beautiful? I just loved following them around in a gorgeous area on Hilton Head, while they played and enjoyed being girls. I find it so fascinating how two girls from the very same parents can be so very different . . . and I speak from experience! (Delaney and Addy may look alike, but they act SO very different!) Girls, thanks for letting me tag along!

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{genuine}

I love to photograph a family that is truly genuine and real. It makes the pictures so much fun and really so beautiful. I had such a fantastic time with this family in a GORGEOUS area. And, despite this precious, sweet, beautiful mom fully believing that nothing we had taken was going to be "useable," I'm thinking we got at least a few. :-) I had a blast with her kiddos, and you can just tell how much love they have for each other . . . most of the time. B family, thanks for making my job SO much fun and for being genuine, precious people that shine through these photographs.

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{i.heart.faces.angles}

It's always SO much fun to get a different angle on a person, especially kids as their expressions are so beautiful and unposed. I am usually sweating like a pig after a photo session with kiddos, which is, I know, so lovely. But, if you never move and always settle for the straight on shot, you miss so much. So, for all of you moms out there, roll in the dirt, stand on a chair, hide behind a tree . . . and you'll get something so unexpected but so gorgeous. Try it! And head on over to http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ to see lots of ideas on angles!

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{a.boy's.paradise}

I had the opportunity to head out to a real, live farm for a photo shoot the other evening. Amongst the roosters, cows, horses, dogs, and so on was a boy's paradise of tractors, mud, zillions of sticks, trees to climb, and water to play in. It was gorgeous, and I wished I could bring more clients out to this stunning place. Their mom worked super hard to get us out to the edge of the property, literally opening and closing gigantic gates in the nasty mud, but I think the end result was totally worth it. Despite battling with super strong sun, one tired boy (the baby fell asleep at the end . . . guess I'm not that exciting after all), and one very typical two year old, I so enjoyed these boys! I look forward to our next adventure!

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