love, laughter and lashes...

these are a few of my favorite things. easy going families like this one are my jam. add in an adorable squishy new babe and i'm in heaven. sotterley plantation was our spot for this session and i think the laughter echoed across the entire place. I LOVED IT. dad is a jokester and big sister is following right in his footsteps. to see those two interact just made my day. and mom, cool,calm and collected mom who makes a newborn look so effortless; you ROCK!  it's so nice when families are able to relax and just enjoy moments with the ones they love. i cannot say just how much this session brightened my day. and did i mention those lashes that both girls were blessed with??? stunning! with out any further rambling; here is the proof. oxxo

all the feels...

life has a crazy way of blessing me with some pretty AMAZING people. i often reminisce on my early photography days of working in the studio at target. i remember this handsome baby boy named raice who had soulful brown eyes. his military themed session will always be one that stands out to me.
fast forward to now, years later and through a local cycling group, i met one of the ride leaders named brad. after talking about family, life and all that jazz, he of course mentions his wife, daughter and his son named raice. i had a lightbulb moment. i said, "is this the same raice that got his pictures taken at target when he was just a baby?" To which brad looked kinda suprised but smiled and said "yep". whoa. so hold your horses because raice is now an even more handsome young man. i still have a hard time wrapping my head around just how fast these kiddos grow up. he is the proud big brother to zoey, who is a sweet little diva.
at times, life is crazy hectic chaos. i know. i get it. mom had asked about booking a session a while back. between two working parents, sports and that crazy thing we call life, the time to squeeze in a session was just not there. BUT, finally the stars DID align for us. we got around to planning a session and met at jefferson patterson park in calvert county. which by the way, if you haven't been, you are missing out. that place is a gem.
i was so excited to finally have the opportunity to work with this family. i feel like mom had been wanting these pictures for a while, which makes me anxious to dive in. if you've had a session with me before, sometimes when i'm taking pictures i just get so excited that i have to share. i show off the treasured image on the back of the camera like the winning lotto ticket. because to me, i did hit big. that image is PRICELESS.
so i'm clicking away, having a blast capturing moments for this family and i turn to show the image to mom & dad and their reaction left me speechless. mom said with eyes welling up with tears, "you know when you wait so long for something and you have high expectations, well you have exceeded them. i am just so happy." and add in dad who couldn't say much but he didn't need to- his face said it all. my heart was literally bursting. THIS is why i do what i do. exactly why.
people say that aside from a feeling, love is a commitment, a decision, a choice you make everyday. i agree with that. i also agree that i saw love on this day, and i will always remember that. oxxo

this senior...

was the sweetest soul. she was so humble and a total natural in front of the lens. historic st. mary's city is where we headed to capture some pictures for her yearbook page. this session got me thinking back to my senior year, which seems like yesterday but has actually been TWELVE years; not that i'm counting. in the blink of an eye, aleta will be off to college and it will go by so fast. enjoy every.single.moment. you are going to do BIG things! oxxo

since its cold out...

i'll share these to warm you up. it just so happens that not very long ago (ok, maybe it was a FEW months ago) we had a crazy heat wave. remember?! i do because this incredible little family actually rescheduled the first session because it was supposed to be 103 degrees at 9am! but i'm glad we had a little relief from the heat and were able to capture lily's SECOND birthday. we headed out to solomon's and had fun. lily celebrated in style; feeding the birds, sweet talking the ducks and even finding a puppy to love on. mom & dad are so fun and laid back which always makes for sessions with this family full of laughter; and i LOVE that. oxxo