Worley Family

 

It's hard to believe that this little guy used to be this little baby!  He's growing up fast and he's on the move.  I was so excited to go to my hometown for the weekend to photograph and hang out with Mr. and Mrs. Hokie (and baby Hokie).

Silas had a big day of egg hunts (complete with mini cookies) with both sets of Grandparents, playing with sticks, running around, and even getting to go up in a big boy tractor.  I love spending a day with families in this way because its like getting to open up a door to their house while everyone is sitting down for dinner and they don't know you're there.  Everyone's personalities and love just over-pours and I just drink it up.

We started with Mrs. Hokie's parents.  We had a lot of fun playing around in the back yard with Silas and experience the  beginnings of spring.

I love watching Grandparents just come alive around grandkids.  There's something special about that bond.

Although this day was mainly about Grandparents (and Great Grandparents) we managed to get a couple photos of Silas with his own awesome parents.  Being kissed by Mom and getting to be a man with Dad equals a pretty swell day.

Next it was over to Mr. Hokie's parents for another easter egg hunt and a chance to romp around in the great outdoors.  Grandma's do know the best tickle spots.

And of course, the day wouldn't be complete without getting a chance to sit up on the big tractor with Granddad.  All in all I think you can safely say that Silas is a hit with his grandparents.  His parents think he's alright too.  I hope that these photos helped capture this growing boy at such a fun stage.  Thanks to all the Grandparents and parents for taking me into your home.  I had a blast!

Womble Family

 

I had such a good time photographing this fun family!  We had a perfect spring day (despite the rain the night before) and were able to get some photos in before it turned too hot.

It's really amazing when you can tell how close a family is and how much fun they have together.  I love their color coordinated family groups or "teams!"  I could call out, "Team blue! You're up!" And everyone knew exactly what I was talking about.  In hindsight though, we should have had some games to see which family team came out on top.

Thank you so much to the Womble Family for letting me capture such a wonderful time in your lives and such a fun day!  Check out more photos below in the gallery.

Snapshots

 

As a professional photographer its incredibly important to me not to forget to capture my everyday life.  Don't get me wrong, there is a side of my brain that never stops taking pictures.  I see them EVERYWHERE and try to capture the most I can.  But there are times when I get so focused on work, bookings, editing etc, that I forget to take a breath and look around me.

Like at this little guy, who is just begging to have his picture taken...

Seriously...

He loves the camera.  I was surprised how comfortable both my niece and nephew were with the camera.  I don't get to see them as much as I would like to so I was a little worried they would shy away from it but instead they went right for it.  Which made my heart happy.  I would love to look back years later and have many photographs of these normal moments in their lives along with the great achievements.

I'm sure there will be times when they get tired of their crazy Aunt with the camera but in some way I hope it teaches them to keep doing the things they love, to struggle through the mental blocks and fatigue, and to strive to make their passions happen even in ordinary moments.  So for now, I plan to just keep clicking away.

Meeting Maddox

 

Earlier this week I was so excited and thrilled to get to meet the newest addition to a client and friend's family.  On my way over to The Women's Pavillion I was full of questions.  What is this little man going to be like? Does he look like his Dad?  Does he look like his Mom?  I couldn't wait to meet this new little person.

And the answer to all those questions is, he's perfect.  He is completely himself.  Meet Maddox!  You may remember his big sister from Meeting Macey.  They look so much alike!  Although Maddox favors his Mom's darker hair.

Big Sister Macey is still adjusting to the change.  But she was more than willing to lend her pacifier when Maddox was crying.  Seriously, the sweetest thing ever!

Angela is a stunning Mom!  I have always been impressed with how laid back and calm she is through this entire process.  I love this photo of her and Maddox.

She and Dustin work very well together as a team.  Something I am sure they have perfected with Macey.  I can't get over the look on Grandma's face in the background, so much love!

Congratulations Dustin, Angela, and Macey!  I know you guys have some long weeks ahead as you get to learn this new member of your family but I am so excited to watch and see this little man grow up.

Four Generations

I absolutely love when I hear from a client that I have worked with several times before.  It's so much fun to see their lives change, families grow, and be part of some really big moments in their lives.  So I was thrilled when I heard from Tiffany, asking me if I would do a Four Generations shoot for the women in her family.

We met up at the greatest little coffee shop in Seymour, TN called Brewed Awakenings.  If you are ever out that way I highly recommend it.  Great coffee, friendly atmosphere, and cheese cake that is to die for.

I could tell right off the bat that I was dealing with some pretty tough customers here.  Didn't want to smile, hard to work with, no fun at all......NOT!  These ladies were amazing from the get go.  Our whole session was full of stories and laughter.  I honestly felt like I was having coffee with them at their house and chit chatting the day away.

Mrs. Lille Rose is a hoot.  Her quiet demeanor is just a cover up for a truly amazing, beautiful, and fun loving nature.

Her daughter, Donna, is just the same.  Fun loving, beautiful, and full of spirit. You can tell the traits of a good sense of humor have passed down the generations.

And of course, Tiffany and Avery have a very special place in my heart.  I have enjoyed getting to know Tiffany better as a friend and to watch Avery grow into a beautiful little girl.

A special thanks to everyone at Brewed Awakenings for letting us invade the space and for the delicious cheesecake and coffee.  Thanks to all these ladies for letting me be a part of your day and peep into your lives together.  Love really does last generations and that is something so lovely and so worth passing on.

Jaime and Brock's Wedding

I don't know about you but I LOVE surprises!  Seriously, I think they are the best.  Well, as long as they are good surprises.  The trick about surprises (especially when there are multiple surprises) is pulling them all off without letting the cat out of the bag as they say.  Jaime and Brock's wedding was absolutely full of wonderful surprises.  And I must say, they pulled it off like pros.

Jaime and Brock got married on January 18th at Little River Heartland Wedding Chapel in Townsend, TN.   The couple had originally decided to just get married in the court house.  They just wanted something quiet and small.  However, then Jaime found out that her Dad, Mike, was thinking about renewing his vows with her Mom, Joanna, as a gift for their 46th wedding anniversary.  Enter surprise numero uno.

So they all decided to make the vow renewal a surprise for Joanna.  They would go to the chapel for Jaime and Brock's wedding and then Mike would step up to renew their vows.  How cool is that?

However as I said before, there is a second surprise!  Everyone thought that Jaime was wearing a small cocktail dress when she had in fact picked out a wedding dress the day before.  Exactly in her size!  The only people who knew were Mike and her Best friend.  Now, I'd like to point out that together, Jaime and Brock have five children, so hiding a dress from that many interested parties is no easy feat.  But she pulled it off beautifully and everyone, I think especially Brock, were very surprised.

Congratulations Brock and Jaime!  You had a lovely wedding day and you have an absolutely beautiful family.  It was a pleasure to be a part of all of the surprises and fun!  Also, congratulations to Mike and Joanna for 46 years!  I'm sure it has been a ride and I loved watching you renew your vows.  It was truly beautiful.

Miss Lily is One!

That's right, I know you've seen the party but you don't think we could let this little girl turn the big O-N-E without a proper photo shoot do you?  Get out your awww's and oooo's because this is about to be a whole lot of cute!

First of all a big shout out to The Cup in Bearden for letting us do the first half of the photo shoot there.  It was perfect for Lily's intimate birthday celebration and I can't say enough how awesome the staff was (and the cupcakes!). 

We met early and a very very cold Saturday to do the photo shoot.  I was so glad we were inside and sipping coffee when we got started. As previously stated, we met at The Cup and got out the balloons and party hats.

And what's a birthday without  cake?  Especially a yummy cupcake?

After we had our fill of cupcake and balloons, we headed over to the L&N for a few more shots of the beautiful birthday girl.

Thank you to Freddie and Lindsey for letting me be apart of this exciting time in your family's life.  I have enjoyed getting to know you two better and you beautiful daughter.  I think you would both agree that its been an exciting and wonderful first year for Lily!  Happy birthday Lily!

Lily's 1st Birthday Party

That's right, this little lady just turned one!  Can you believe it?  It's hard to believe that I've been photographing Lily for a year now.  She has grown faster than I could have believed.  It was so much fun to celebrate with this little girl and her family.

Lily's parents threw a Lady Bug themed party and it was ADORABLE.  They had everything from Lady Bug cake to a color coordinated tutu for the birthday girl.

The party was an intimate gathering of family and close friends.  You could just feel the love coming out of that room!  Freddie, Lily's Dad, smoked the pork bbq himself and we had a small feast.  Instead of cards for Lily, they had everyone sign one of her Cat in the Hat books so that as she grows up she will be able to know everyone who was at her first birthday party.  So sweet!  However my favorite moment had to be watching Lily discover her cake.  I say "discover" because she didn't smash it, she just investigated it more and more.

Happy Birthday Lily!  You are a beautiful and sweet little girl.  I can't wait to see you grow more!

Sisters

Many of you know I'm a big fan of The Pioneeer Woman.  This week on Pioneer Woman Photography she is hosting a contest for photos of "Sisters."  Now as she mentions, and we all know, there are many women in your life that can qualify as sisters who may not actually be your blood sisters.  I grew up without sisters, although I love my brothers, I always missed out on having a sister.

So it got me thinking about all the ladies in my life who have meant so much to me.  I've always gotten along with boys a little bit better because I'm a bit of a Tom Boy, but there are some woman that I just couldn't live without.

The more I researched on my computer though, the more I realized I don't have pictures of myself with these women, or even pictures of them at all!  Many of these pictures are buried somewhere in our house and not digital.  Many of them I'm the one holding the camera, or, embarrassingly enough, I just didn't take a picture!!  While researching this I realized that I don't even have pictures of just me with my sister in laws.  Now maybe this is a sneaky conspiracy on their part to avoid my camera (I'm catching on Pockets and Olie).  But this is just sad folks.  Why did I not take the time at a photoshoot, wedding, or get together to turn the camera around and document a time with these ladies I love?  Things are gonna start to change, and I'm warning all you ladies out there...be prepared.

SO here are a few of the ones I could find on my laptop.  NOTE: If you are not in this selection it does NOT mean I don't love you or consider you my sister.  It means I either didn't take a picture with you recently, or it's buried in my basement.  Perhaps I will do a little digging and scanning and find a few of these blasts from the past.  There may be an update to this post comin' your way shortly.  Until then, enjoy these.

If you have a lovely lady that has meant a lot to you in your life, feel free do a shout out in the comments.  I'd love to hear your stories and adventures.

Baby Tuesday

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbke1GHsejQ] Alert! This video will make you want to have babies, lots of babies.  Men, guard your loins.