{fun!}

I was out at one of my favorite locations with a super sweet and fun family, and it was just one of those times that I was reminded how fun a photo session is when it's relaxed! I loved that the parents were not at all stressed about keeping the kiddos in a certain spot, but, instead just let me capture them as they wandered about. Of course, I made suggestions and had chair out at a random (well lighted!) spots, but some of my favorites occurred in unexpected places. I think that's a huge difference in custom, on location photography versus a Sears portrait type studio. Kids just seem so much more at ease and act like themselves! Of course, there are still tantrums and snack demands, but, overall, I just feel so blessed to capture these kinds of moments.

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{sweet.baby.boys}

I had the utmost privilege of capturing some sweet moments of two brand new baby boys last weekend. They were oh so sweet and precious, and I just loved my time with them. I feel so honored that these brand new moms and dads allowed me to photograph these two tiny ones and have forever memories. The little one in the marine bib gets a special shout out because his precious daddy is still serving our country overseas. Pray for that momma as she has the first few months of this brand new baby to do alone. And can you stand the Texas longhorn hat on the other sweet boy? HOW PRECIOUS!

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{fabulous.frames}

I wanted to feature some oh so fabulous picture frames that I've just discovered! Aren't they so fun? So here's the deal . . . they are a bit pricey, BUT for those of you considering a canvas, I highly recommend that you think about investing in a really amazing frame instead. Then, as your kiddos change (because they do . . . ALL of the time!), you can just switch out the picture rather than having this big ol' canvas that no longer looks like you're kiddo(s). Does that make sense? I'd much rather have a frame that I can keep up forever and paying $15-$20 to replace the print. I've ordered several sample frames in a couple of super fun colors, so if you're interested in looking closer at them, they should be in by the second week in March! I'd love for you to swing by and see them up close and personal! What do you guys think?

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{braden.in.a.bucket}

So I love putting little ones into buckets, baskets, and the like. First of all, they look SO DARN CUTE. And, second of all, they can't escape. :-) However, it's quite fun to see how they TRY to escape. And Braden was quite the escape artist! He figured it out pretty quickly - thank goodness for a fast camera! Isn't he a DOLL?

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{when.i.grow.up}

So the other week, the topic of "what-do-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up" came up between my two little girls. For whatever reason, my girls are fascinated with restaurants. I really have no idea why. Whatever the reason, Delaney declares that she will be a Kobe food worker, playing that part of Jasmine, costume and all. For those of you unfamiliar with Kobe, it is a Japanese style restaurant where they come and cook at your table with lots of fire and fun. We took Willy to Kobe for his birthday, and ever since, Delaney has been fascinated. Obsessed, really. Anyway, I wanted to make sure I understood Delaney, so I said, "So, you want to cook with all of the fire in a Jasmine outfit?" A most assured "yes." For those of you unfamiliar with a Jasmine costume, it requires a good amount of belly showing with basically a bikini top and then parachute pants from the eighties. For those of you unfamiliar with the Powell genetic make up, we are not really the belly showing type. At least, we shouldn't be. And, with fire involved, I'm thinking this may not be the wisest choice of outfit. Of course,

Addy must put in her two cents as well, so she declares that she will be working at an underwater Chic-Fil-A with a water slide, playing the part of Ariel. Now, I must give it to Addy that she might just be onto something. An underwater Chic-Fil-A? I wonder if it's ever been brought up. Of course, there's the minor issues of how do people breathe, how does the food stay dry, how do you even cook the food . . . But, again, minor details. Now, I'm sure most of you are familiar with an above ground Chic-Fil-A. For those of you unfamiliar with Ariel's costume, it also requires a good amount of belly showing and then there's the whole mermaid tale trade for legs. Refer to reason above for why this is not a good idea.

We'll continue to discuss.

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{stunning.seniors}

I have had so much fun photographing senior girls lately! Unlike my tiny clients, these girls listen to every direction and not even once did they throw a fit! As I was photographing these gorgeous girls, I couldn't help but think - holy cow, I never looked like THAT as a senior! No really, I didn't. As in, not.at.all. I would post a picture of me as a high school senior, but it would so pale in comparison to how stunning these girls are! SERIOUSLY?

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{not.what.i.expected}

Have you ever imagined something one way and then it's something totally different? And not a good different? This is one of those times.

My sweet husband and I embarked on a precious two night getaway to Awendaw, South Carolina this past Thursday. Willy (my husband) loves to research on the Internet and had found us a "cabin" (I will use that term loosely) for us to stay in and just enjoy being together and alone, as in free from children. Hallelujah. (I really do love my little girls. But every now and then I get the urge to run away. I don't run away. But I think about it.)

Anyway, we turn onto the muddy road our "cabin" is on, follow the directions and . . . there it is. It is not what I had in mind. But, praying for a good attitude and positive perspective (don't pray for those . . . God will test you. Like immediately), I hop out of the car and hope we're at the wrong place. We are not. The "cabin" is in the backyard of the owners' home. As in, I could spit on their front porch from where the "cabin" was located. As we enter the outdoor kitchen, I look to the right and realize that our living area is also outdoor, complete with two well loved couches. Did I mention it's 40 degrees and raining? As we head inside, it's quite tiny, which is not a problem, but I begin fervently searching for a shower. The shower is located in a different area outside of the cabin. DID I MENTION IT'S FORTY DEGREES AND RAINING? AND, I don't camp. Ever. This feels much like camping. I begin to become visibly unhappy. My sweet husband suggests we take a walk.

The walk only confirms my desire to go home. Without trying to be dramatic, we go through the, "Do YOU want to leave." "Well, do YOU want to leave?" "Do YOU want to leave." You get the idea. I want to leave, of course, but I want this to be my sweet husband's idea. To my relief, he decides to leave. Being two non confrontational people, neither of us wants to go to the owners' house and tell them of our decision to get the heck out of there. To my sweet husband's relief, they're not home. So we throw everything in the car as fast as possible (this will pose a problem later) and high tail it out of there, never to return.

Or so we think. Gratefully, Willy gets in touch with an inn in Charleston (he refuses to go home -we have free babysitting, after all!) and gets us set up with a room. At this point ANYTHING will look lovely. We check in, have a great dinner, etc., etc. All is well that ends well, right?

Wrong.

The next morning, I go in search of the library books that we had checked out, as I was so excited about reading IN PEACE. I ask Willy if he's seen the library books. Nope. He trudges to the car, only to find out that WE FORGOT THEM AT THE "CABIN." ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Willy decides to call the library and do a hypothetical, "If we lost these three books, what's the cost?" Turns out to be $90.00. SERIOUSLY? FOR THREE BOOKS? We must return to the "cabin." NOOOOOOOO. We finally get a hold of the owner and have to confront the situation. Gratefully, there's really no hard feelings. (This HAD to have happened before, right?) She even offers us a baby goat. WHAT? Um, no thanks. We're not really goat people.

So, we return to the cabin. I run in, grab the books, and my van squeals out of there. Never to return.

And this time we don't. We enjoy the rest of our time in Charleston, only having a few minor bumps in the road, like being forgotten at Starbucks and the Apple Store. We never go to Starbucks, since we're not coffee drinkers, but I had a gift card, so we decided to stop for hot chocolate. Twenty minutes later, we still don't have our drink. We decide it must be a very special drink. Clearly, Starbucks would be out of business if people had to wait 20 minutes for a drink. We don't think of this. Once we've read EVERYTHING in Starbucks (I can tell you all of the artsy events coming to Charleston for the next month or so), Willy finally meanders back up to the Starbucks person (remember, we're non confrontational) to check on the status of our drink. They had forgotten about us. This kind of thing happened again at the Apple store, as punks walked in, got help and walked out, while I sit with my poor Iphone, awaiting a new screen because, apparently, the screen shatters pretty easily when you drop it in the parking lot. Who knew? Gratefully, after looking pitiful for a half hour, we are helped and in 10 minutes, my phone is fixed . . . for a small fee, of course. We get to read those pricey library books in peace, have a lovely dinner without anyone crying or asking how many more bites, etc. etc. and the rest is fairly normal.

And thus concludes our adventure. For now. Not what you expected, right?

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