beach baby...

and her beautiful momma! miss lilly was just an absolute doll, really! and any three month old that has already had MULTIPLE trips to the beach, quite frankly i think that is pretty sweet. we tried to beat the summer heat with an early morning beach session. and then we enjoyed the sweet relief found inside their home. their home is a little piece of heaven (did i mention within walking distance to the beach, although we opted not to walk because we would have melted on the way!) and momma was EVERY photographer's dream! she had several outfits selected (all of which were too cute!) and then allowed me to pick.  lilly was the first baby that i have ever seen who is able to put herself to sleep, no crying at all. she has the most laid-back personality, just a go with the flow kinda doll. i think it comes from both her parents. although daddy wasn't able to make this session, he was there. Boy, O' Boy was he. she is her daddy all over again. Both are two of the nicest, most humble people that i have ever met, and lilly is nothing less!

...somehow i have a feeling THIS one may end up on daddy's desk!

mowhawks & eskimo kisses?!?

yep! and in this case, go together like the sun & sand. zachary & savanna are always a ton o' fun! i'm lucky enough to have these kiddos as neighbors. savanna is the definition of sweet. she will come find me when i'm outside, and surprise me with a gorgeous flower from her momma's garden, or some delicious fresh picked veggies. (also too from their garden, yep BIG green thumb, and i'm taking pointers) zachary is a non-stop ball of energy (if he could bottle it, i'd be the first in line). they came over for a bit, and we played...and captured some memories in between.

imagine...

hubby, THREE kiddos, 16 hour shifts AND full-time school. seriously. i don't know how this amazing momma does it, really i don't. well i kinda do, because this pappa is pretty supportive. but nonetheless, it's amazing how well she balances it all! shannon has not changed one bit from when i first met her and nathan (who is now the most well rounded 10 year old i've ever met, who ADORES his siblings, like no other) as a tot at the studio at target, well almost 10 years and 2 kiddos later, this momma still maintains her easy going, laid back personality. ...oh and when i was complimenting momma on how well she handles it all, and nathan, without missing a beat, looked and me and then at his momma and said, "Yep, that's why we call her super-mom"<---------and that melted my heart. we had a blast playing at St. Mary's College. kaelyn is a spunky lil' gal, who has her own ideas and won't settle for anything less. did i mention that she's two?!? and jackson, the sweetest, most easy going baby that was full of smiles from the first shot to the last. this was one awesome session, and one amazing family!

...i did say that lil' miss was spunky...and here's the proof!

exactly

WHERE does time go?!? i almost fell over when i opened the door and saw two big kiddos at our front door for their session. and for some reason i have a way of thinking that even though i am getting older, kiddos don't. hmmm i think i need to work on that! but i had an such an amazing time catching up with alexis and cameron, and capturing smiles along the way. these two were so well behaved, i was impressed beyond belief! alexis is wise beyond her years and just has the most delightful personality. her sense of maturity is almost unbelieveable. cameron is the sweetest, most handsome guy that had so many stories to tell of his latest sports adventures. he truly is your all american boy. i had a blast and can't wait for a family session in the fall!

...handful(s)

times THREE. yep, this super momma is pretty remarkable! three kiddos, under 4 years old. can you say WOW?!? i certainly did! she has got to be one of the most patient, loving mommas ever! i spent the better half of a saturday with her and the family. and if odds were in my favor, once daddy left, that left only one set of hands for three kiddos. (which i know is a process that mom has mastered) but guess who got some sweet baby snuggling time in...yep, this gal! if i said it once, i've said it a million times, babies are amazing.

i think the part of our session that melted my heart was when i asked if momma had anything special that she wanted to include in the portraits, she looked around, said "no not really." and then said, "oh yes wait." she reached around her neck and took her necklace off. ok, so if that wasn't sweet enough, the necklace was engraved with words that i know momma holds very close to her heart. ...and it took all i had not to let my tears flow like the river.

...i'm back!

after what felt like a r0LLer CoaSTer, i'm so glad to be feeling almost 100%! without boring you with the details, basically i'm a "medical mystery" and continue with follow ups with the doctor. i have an amazing support system, and there is no doubt in my mind that they got me through!

...better days are on the way,

(i promise)

it would only have come from my best friend, who just so happens to be my sister. she knew i was in a sort of tidal wave and gave me an adorable plaque to remind me sunshine and smooth sailing was ahead.

and it's ironic because sometimes the ones closest to us, that help us out the most don't get the praise that is owed to them, i am guilty of that.

basically, my sister is my hero, always has been and always will be. she and i share a bond that is indescribable.

and the saying, "everything happens for a reason"...yeah it does, and she is my proof. 

so i was so eager give back to someone who has given me so much. i was ready to capture a family portrait, to include their new addition to big pug brother, scooter, english bulldog sunny (aka mr. sunny sun sunshine)

and just how amazing is my sister? after seeking a companion for scooter, countless hours researching decided on an english bulldog. rather than purchasing one, my sister (and her equally wonderful husband) decided to adopt. 

and in comes sunny, 70 pounds of pure lovin', head shakin' drool slinging adorableness.

the adoption wasn't all fields of daises, sunny has some trust issues, through no fault of his own and requires attention, actually make that EXTRA attention. i was completely taken aback by the sheer amount of work both my sister and brother have put into sunny and making him a part of their family. so to be a part of their first family portrait...pure bliss!

we started with the two of them, and i mean really i probably could have closed my eyes and snapped the portrait, yes they are just that photogenic....gorgeous people, inside and out.

and then it came time for the group! and my sister was so anxious to have their first family portrait. scooter sat with his daddy while my sister attempted to wrangle the seventy pound furbaby to sit in the picture. i could only imagine what sunny was thinking, these people are so silly, i'm not going to sit next to them, i'm going to get treats from my auntie (ME). so i realized that bribing him with treats maybe wasn't the best plan of action.

 

<---yep that's sunny, walking right out of the portrait, LOVE it. and then my sister, so excited to have him back (further away from her than she thought) says oh amanda, get it get it...so i did!

 thank goodness she has long arms! haha

  and sunny, the smart brute he is, finally agrees to sit with his family, and refuses to look at me, however 

scooters expression is priceless! 

and then, sunny said i've had enough and decided to get some play time in with his brother, with a little game of tag....

but then, ah ha! we got it! yep! that's it....thanks for bringing sunshine to my world!