This is the time of year that I usually tell my clients that they’ll hear from me when they’re session is ready, and not for the Blog Post Peek (BPP), as I’m busier than normal and also don’t want to ruin any Christmas gift surprises.

Well, I’m throwing my own rules out the window with this one, and I just don’t care who’s Christmas surprise I ruin!

(Totally kidding… that’d be terrible. What am I, the grinch?! The real gift is expected for the New Year anyway.)

I just had to share some of these images….

 You may recognize these two.

They’ve definitely hung out on the Blog a couple of times, here & here.

I’m so glad they’re here again, this time to document another beautiful milestone in their journey together!

LOVEloveLOVE!

I just can’t wait to meet the newest little Jesse baby!!! ♥

That’s all folks!

It’s that time of year…
The air is fresh and crisp, the leaves are changing, and it is just B.U.tiful outside!!

Perfect for a stroll with a family and a camera… if I do say so myself!

(luckily, I don’t… and lots of you seem to agree; otherwise I’d be chasing down strangers on walks? Creeeepy! No thanks.)

So, while at first glance this image may not have pleaded my case well…

These were not random children I followed along with a camera!

Mom & Dad came along, and they even brought along Bear & Marlie, the family dogs!  After all, if you’re getting family pictures done, why leave half the family at home?

We had a fun little stroll, exploring the area for nooks and crannies & unique places to pose by, goofing around with the kids, and watching our step verrrrry carefully, as, not only was it a little muddy, but also a popular dog walking area, so… y’know.

We managed to find quite a few sweet spots, and I was IN LOVE with so many images before i even got home!

In fact, it’s taken quite a bit of willpower to share just those sneak peek’s with you!!

♥

This little boy totally stole my heart!!

He’ll steal yours too!

♥

With his funny little personality, smirky grins, and just all around adorable-ness you won’t be able to resist!!

I’m not even joking – just LOOK at these funny little expressions!!
Mom & Dad are in trouble when the girls catch sight of this one! ;)

Plus, he’s a party animal!

For now though, the only girl on his mind is mom, and his favorite party pal is definitely Dad.

♥

Happy Birthday little man!

I just can’t get enough of this Fall sunshine!

On yet another beautiful Fall day, I met Tim & Zach beachside.

With the tide out, we had plenty of squishy-ness to walk through and puddles to hop over – my favorite!!

Though brothers, twins even, Tim and Zach certainly have their differences.

Tim made me work for a smile…

One on one time with the camera? I could tell he just wasn’t a fan. (Honestly, neither am I! Yet another reason why I chose a career behind the camera!) So we joked and laughed and tried to make it as painless and fun as possible. I even had to admit, though working for the laughs and comfortable, genuine smiles, he could pull off one killer serious look!

Zach was a different story. He liked that camera time.

He didn’t come right out and say it, but the smiles, smirks and readiness to turn, move and basically do anything I asked…. well that said it for him!

All in all. we were able to get some great shots with some great personality showing through for both Tim and Zach.

Especially when they were out of earshot ;)

Brian and Jodi celebrated their wedding day on October 12, 2002.

I didn’t know them then. We met shortly after the birth of their first born, and seemed to see a whole lot of each other since then!

Not only does Jodi like to get pictures of her children often, she also has all these great ideas, props, and sometimes even costumes to incorporate.  Brian is always such a good sport about it all, (just don’t make him get dirty!), and all three of the kids have been at it since birth. It’s like second nature to them!

When we met this day, Jodi had the car filled with props and wardrobe changes, and was showing me all these ideas she’d ‘Pinned’.  Brian had that ‘here we go’ grin, and the kids were ready to just hit the beach running!

The phrase of the day was “Only you Jodi!”

From there on, there was posing, swinging, running, monkey bar climbing, running in the water, jumping off picnic tables, a whole lot of laughter, and most importantly….

…a love that’s stemmed even further back than the 10 years they’ll soon be celebrating!

Happy Anniversary Brian & Jodi!!

I recently had the pleasure of getting to hang out at the beach with the Galligan family.

It’s been about 3 years since the last time we got together for some pictures, so I was more than happy to be able to get together again and see how much the kids have grown!
And boy had they grown!

 We moved along the beach pretty quickly, trying to keep each pose more like a ‘new adventure’ for little sister.

I couldn’t have done it without big brother and sister to help me out every step of the way!

One “adventure” was, well, maybe not completely thought out…. and may have fallen apart in slow motion….

You see it, i know you do…. step, step….SPLAT!

Oops!

What’s a little mud between family?! Right?

We rallied, cheered, and encouraged…. again, with the help of big brother & sister…

 …and when all was said and done, everyone was still smiling!

I recently had the pleasure of getting together with Joshua for his senior session.

I actually remember the day Joshua was born, and have had the pleasure to watch him grow into the amazing young man he is today.

 He’s my youngest brother.

We had a lot of laughs, walking through Ellisville State Park and looking for little nooks and areas to photograph in.

I’m sure Josh is still laughing at the “cool looking trees” I wanted him to stand by….   “Amy, that’s Poison Oak…”

Oops.

These were some well groomed poison oak  trees!

All in all, it was just a great time, hanging out and being goofy….

Definitely another great memory made.

♥

Of course, I wouldn’t being doing my job as his big sister if I didn’t add a funny little blooper.

I’ll spare you all, and just choose one of the many!

We’re just a goofy kind of family! ;)

Love you Josh!

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Joy, and her son Marcus for a Senior photo session.

Since he lives right by the ocean and the dunes, we didn’t have to go far to find his first favorite location. As in, we crossed the street.  What a view from your front door!!  LOVEloveLOVE!!

We did, however, trek up and over and through the sand dunes looking around at different areas and angles, and -OH MY!- I felt like I’d signed up for a beach boot camp!!  Marcus was amazingly able to put on the best, most genuine smile in between the huffing and puffing we were both doing from our workout.  Amazing, really!

We did manage to find areas to rest, and talk, and smile, and even a shady spot to feel the breeze for a little bit.

When we left I had my very only ankle weights – about a pound of sand in each pant cuff, and my feet were totally exfoliated!

Oh, how I love multitasking!!

♥

Our next location was the Veteran’s Memorial Park; a little easier terrain and nice and shady.

We did share the small area with another photographer in a senior session, but since they were sort of ‘frolicking’ and that wasn’t exactly on our agenda, we managed to share the area well, while getting all that we needed! ;)

We timed ourselves perfectly too, as the lighting was just amazing for us at the park!

I had a great time! Boot camp and all! ;) Just wait until you see the rest!

Stay tuned!

For all those who know me, even just a little bit, you know how much I loooooove getting my baby fixes in!
I just can’t get enough of those tiny little hands & feet and all the wrinkled up skin…. even those little seagull cries… Gahhh! I just love em!

Good thing other people keep having them! ;)

I was lucky enough to get to meet this little guy over the weekend.  He totally met all my expectations with his tiny little hands and feet and little man wrinkles… Oh, and the cry! I could listen to it all day! (Is that weird? Maybe a little…)

He was the perfect little Mr!

He did cry, as babies do, but only in short spurts and was easy to calm.

He gave me such a variety of expressions too! This little man’s got personality bursting from that 4 week old body! He wanted to give me a big ol toothy grin, I could tell, but he was a little self conscious, i think, that he didn’t have any teeth to fill the grin…. ;)

That’s ok, next time buddy.

{I’m a little behind on the blogging, but this rain is forcing a catch-up! Hooray!}

I was super excited to be able to get together with one of my favorite families to catch some shots for Dad, as a gift for Father’s Day! We met at their favorite beach, and planned to just catch them having fun!

This proved to be a little more difficult than I’d first imagined… my little buddies were a little less interested in laughing and playing with me, and more interested in running in the water & rock jumping – all while looking in whatever direction I was NOT! Haha!

 I did mange to squeeze out some giggles, and glances though, and catching them being themselves was perfect!

In the end, while I was worried we might have ended up with less than a hand full of usable shots, I ended up with plenty of images that just melted my heart!!

 Oh, & I guess Dad ended up with a pretty nice Father’s Day gift as well! ;)