'tis the season

for family and fun. i cannot believe the holidays are quickly approaching. i took a little trip to virginia to capture some christmas portraits for this sweet family. their home was the perfect spot! kudos to mom who did an awesome job decorating with all the christmas swag. these two little guys totally rocked. they were excellent listeners and never really stopped smiling. and their cuteness?!? through the roof! obviously they get it from their momma & papa. and it seems here lately, furbabies have waltzed their way into a shot or two; and of course that just makes my day. thanks again for inviting me into your home; you guys are one incredible little family! oxxo

girl with guns...

and i'm in LOVE! i first met megan when i photographed her sister's senior portraits a couple years ago. i could not believe it when her momma contacted me to schedule for megan's senior session. 2 years, already?!? WHOA. megan is still the charmingly athletic gal i remembered. we savored what seems to be the last bit of fall. megan's awesome momma chauffeured us around and had no problem pulling off on the side of the road when i saw a fun location. megan requested to have some more candid shots rather than posed; so i let her do her thing while i watched from behind the lens. the results were incredible! i knew we were in for a fun time when she asked if she could lay in the middle of the road. i love megan's sense of thrill and adventure. i am blessed to be able to capture such incredible people. megan, you ROCK! oxxo

2015 is shaping up...

to be spectacular! i have worked with some pretty awesome seniors this year. kaitlyn & i spent the morning together between solomons & sotterley.  oh the weather was just incredible. it was one of those oddly warm november days and we savored every last bit. anytime we can hang out on the beach in november, is a plus. i'm not sure which one of us had more fun; we shared a lot of laughs. kaitlyn has such an awesome personality. she was pleasure to capture in front of the lens. this gal has plans of going into the army reserves after graduation. pretty awesome if you ask me. kaitlyn, you were such a joy to hang out with! cheers to your senior year!

fabulous family...

with furbabies. i knew i was not the only person who refers to my dogs as my kiddos. lauren & brandon do as well! this awesome couple along with their ridiculously adorable fur children had a sweet & slobbery session at sotterly.  max & mocha quickly won my heart. they each have such a unique personality. max sometimes thinks he is a lap dog, and although mocha is smaller ((and by smaller, i mean 130lbs instead of 160)) clearly, she runs the show. maximus was their first born, and mocha was a rescue pup. families that rescue will always hold a special place in my heart. mocha is a well adjusted rescue, thanks to the hard work of her momma & daddy.
i was just smitten with this family! they were so easy to relate to; and i felt like i had known them forever. this was my first solely furbaby family session, and they rocked it!

meet my mini-me...

i am pretty sure that if i was 25 years younger, ava and i could pass as twins. i was super excited to finally capture some portraits for this awesome family; who just so happens to now be a part of my family. life has a funny way of working out sometimes! mom & dad are incredible people, so of course no surprise that ava is just as wonderful! i just cannot get enough of ava. she is just hands down adorable and then she has this incredible personality. she acts far beyond her age and will carry on a conversation with you like an adult. she is full of energy; we had an impromptu dance party during our session. she is a little firecracker that i love to be around.
and did i mention that mom found an awesome halloween costume for lil miss ava. although she wanted to be elsa, mom went with a rainbow instead. i don't think that any other costume would have been more perfect! even though she wrinkled her nose, she LOVED it! she rocked the rainbow!
so i will cut to the chase...here is a whole lot of awesome! oxo

smiles & sparkly boots...

and FINALLY the chance to capture some memories for this incredible little family. after trying for a couple months to coordinate a session, we finally did it! the weather was windy & a bit blustery but beautiful; a sure sign of fall. camran is such an incredible little gal. i was beyond excited to work with this family. i have known them for quite some time and they are just awesome people.
so without any further rambling, here are some of my favorites!

devin & peyton...

stole my heart, again. i didn't think it was possible to love these guys even more.  i first met this awesome family right after peyton was born. i immediately fell in love. i was so excited when mom contacted me to do peyton's three month portraits and a school picture or two for devin. 
big brother devin is wise beyond his years. we had some pretty awesome conversation while building cities with blocks about the united states of america and the tri-state area. i mean, really?!? this kiddo just had me in awe. i sometimes joke with the older siblings about keeping the baby, just to see their reaction. when i asked devin if peyton could spend the night he said, "Yes, and of course i will too." he is super protective of his sister and i LOVE it!  did i mention that he loves my furbabies as well? like wanted to come upstairs to play with them during his session kind of love. bella & brodi were happy to have a new friend!
and lil miss peyton, well she was FULL of smiles! i usually do the peek-a-boo game with little ones her age. she was smiling, but not those big gummy cheeses that i just love. and i will never forget what momma said to get her to smile. "Just tell her she is beautiful and gorgeous. She loves to hear that, just like all girls do." i melted, and so did peyton. it worked!
it's times like these when i reflect about how lucky i am to capture these memories for families. i am beyond blessed and treasure each and every moment i get to spend with the kiddos and their awesome parents. these sessions are the highlights of my week! oxo