Lincoln turns one | Central Florida Family Photographer

I can't believe this little munchkin is one already. I literally JUST blogged his birth. No really, I just blogged it today. Opps. I've never been good at keeping up with this blog but today I noticed how many amazing sessions I have not shared on here. So I'm vowing here that I will blog more (ahhh now that I've said it you can hold me accountable)! 

We met up and did a quick mini session for Lincoln's 1st birthday. We took a few family pictures and then sat him in front of his very first cake. He thought it was fun but didn't love it nearly as much as the rest of us did. It worked out well for us because we went out to dinner and then all enjoyed a little slice of cake ourselves. (#not21dayfriendly) 

Seriously though, how sweet is he with his spiky hair and little teeth! Happy, happy birthday sweet boy! I love you. 

To see Lincolns birth go here and to see his newborn session go here.

Alaska Family | Bonita Beach | Southwest Florida Newborn, Children & Family Photographer

I was surprised when I got an email from a vacationing family all the way from Alaska. I instantly thought, "how in the world did a family from Alaska find me?" I am absolutely amazed at how clients find me. I met this family at the beach for a sunrise session. As I waited for them to arrive I couldn't help but notice all of the small raindrops hitting my windshield. I was dreading having to cancel the session because of rain since we would not be able to reschedule while they were in town.

But, as soon as they arrived the rain stopped. The wind, on the other hand, did not. It was freezing! I am so glad I got to meet this family; they were amazing. I loved watching these sisters as they interacted as they were so sweet to each other. I was impressed to watch an older sister lead her younger sister by example time and time again, even when the wind was brutally cold. They are so lucky to have each other and hopefully they will treasure these pictures as they continue to grow up together. I loved watching birds, finding shells and capturing memories with this family.

Natalie + 6 Month Session

     I met this sweet little lady for her six month session. She was as cute & happy as could be. Before we started her session she was all smiles. As soon as we got her in front of the camera she quickly got shy, leaving mom and dad to stand behind me and act a little crazy. But she was one of the happiest little girls. No matter where we put her or had her do, she was happy.

     Her parents were just as sweet, which makes meeting new clients so fun! From the moment Natalie's mom contacted me she was very sweet to say that she loved my work and completely trusted me with the directions for her pictures. I love that mom is already planning on booking Natalie's one year session! Thats absolutely the best compliment a photographer can get!

     These pictures were taken at my favorite field location that is being destroyed in order for them to build what I have been told will be condos. *sigh* More condos? Hoping to get to do at least one more session there... too many unexplored areas to not use!

   

sweet family of three

I love this family, all three of them. This sweet little girl can be very free with her smiles.... or not very free with them :) I spent a lot of the time looking crazy and repeating, "So you think you can dance?" in a really low tone to get Selah to smile. It works when her parents do it! Most of the time she looked at me like I was insane, but I was okay with that because her other faces are pretty priceless. I like her silly faces as much as the smiles. This little peanut was turning six months old, can you believe it? Do you remember her as a newborn? We took a picture of her when she was 4 days old in a wood crate and then again during this session. It really is amazing how much she has changed in 242 days. I cant wait to add another when she turns ONE! I love capturing each new step for this amazing family.

Sweet Gigi {6 Months}

I had a blast with this little cutie! She showed up with the cutest little teeth poking through and her ten little piggies painted red. The sun was perfect through out her entire session, which is a photographers dream. She wasn't too quick to give a smile but she did like to stick her tongue out at me! We did a partially styled session. When Gigi's mom contacted me to book the session she was so sweet to give me creative freedom. I had been wanting to incorporate a tent into some pictures so it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

I have a lot of other uses for this tent (for guys & gals) floating around in my mind. I'm falling more in love with these styled sessions every day. Do you have an idea for a session? Or want me to create something specifically for you? Email me and we can start planning. Enjoy these pictures of sweet Gigi! Do you remember her from her newborn session? Its crazy to see how much she has grown!
  newborn session

My Nephew Aiden {...and a little sprinkler fun}

I have to take a minute and brag about my nephew, Aiden. Our family spent two afternoons and evenings at his house this weekend, which gave him and Greyson a ton of time to play together. He is three {and a half} and Greyson just turned one... which are usually hard ages to share. But watching them play together absolutely melted my heart. Aiden couldn't have been any sweeter to Greyson. He is so young and yet you can already see that he has a kind heart. Greyson wanted to be close to Aiden, playing with the same toy and at times trying to sit on his lap. I'm thankful that Greyson will grow up with a cousin that is close enough in age to be friends with. A lot of my favorite memories as a child involve my cousins. We took the boys outside for a little bit to play with a water toy from Target clearance I picked up this week.... these pictures are priceless to me.

{Kellen} Turns 1!

First birthday sessions are a blast! This one was no different. Kellen recently had an amazing Up themed birthday party. His mom {and grandmothers} did an amazing job! When you walked in you were greeted with hundreds of colorful balloons... I'm not exaggerating at all. The little ones spent the time playing in a kid sized replica of the house from Up. Every table had a fun balloon centerpiece. They put a ton of effort into a delicious lunch, super cute snacks that matched the theme and the cutest birthday cake covered in fondant balloons. His mom decided to do another smash cake so we could capture it all in pictures. Kellen is quite the cake smasher.... or eater! You cant help but fall in love with his sweet face and shockingly blue eyes.

I had a blast shooting this session and caught a ton of candid shots that were hysterical. You will see some in the near future when I post a behind the scene of a children's shoot blog.

{Tennysen} Shabby Chic First Birthday

First birthdays are such big moments for both little ones and parents alike. As a parent, I now understand that the celebration of the first birthday is mainly for us. We appreciate the cute decor and tasty cake and remember the special memories for a lifetime! I was very thankful to celebrate a special little one year old with a mini session and by taking a few pictures at her birthday party.

Tennysen had a blast at her shabby chic first birthday party dressed in a darling tutu and vintage hairpiece. Her mom did an amazing job on the decor, using mason jars filled with flowers and apothecary jars filled with cotton candy. She also made the cutest rose smash cake. I came across this cake on Pinterest and actually fell in love with it. {If you want to learn how to make one as well go to www.iambaker.net for the directions} Tennysen loved this cake. I'm not sure that she ate a single bite but she enjoyed playing in the icing, covering herself and everyone in the 'splash zone.'

Todd and Jenni, I hope that many years from now these pictures are a beautiful reminder of what a wonderful day you put together to celebrate your sweet little girl! I cant believe its been a year since we came to visit you in the hospital. Time flies.

Enjoy a few pictures of the happiest birthday girl I have ever seen.