I think my favorite thing as a photographer is when I get to see kids grow and change through my camera from one session to the next.  It means the world when people trust me to document their child’s special milestones enough that they come back again and again.  This is my 3rd session with Trace and it’s so fun to see the changes in him.  He recently celebrated his first birthday with a wonderful party full of family and friends.  I was honored to be asked to document the day.  Thanks Robyn and Archie for once again letting me share in such an important time in your family’s life!

And here comes Mr. Personality

Then we moved inside for the party.

Bring on the cake!

My favorite shot of the day

And one more for Robyn.

Kids are so fun to photograph!  With kids you rarely have to put them at ease or try to get them to relax in front of the camera because they just do.  Kids are natural.  They don’t try to pose and worry about whether they are going to look good in that shot or if their hair is right.  They just run and play and do what they do and I just keep shooting and in the end what we get it as real as it gets.  With every session my goal is for you, internet, to be able to see who the people in front of my camera are and not just what they look like.  Meet Taylor.  Taylor is everything little girls ought to be.  Beautiful bright eyes and bouncing curls.  But what I also hope you see is that she is sassy, playful, mischievous at times, and her moods change like the weather.  She’s inquisitive, occasionally stubborn, always full of energy, loves to laugh, and is the apple of her mama and daddy’s eyes.  By the time our session was finished these are the things that were so easy to see in Taylor.  My hope is that when you look at photos from her session that’s what you see as well.  Taylor, you are precious and I had the best time playing with you!

I think my favorite part of doing what I do is when I photograph a child or a family and then they return from time to time for an update.  It’s so amazing to see how they’ve grown and changed and I always go back to look at past sessions and am even more amazed to compare the two.  I first photographed Trace when he was only a few hours old.  I posted about it here.  Since then he’s been growing like crazy and making his mama and daddy fall more in love with him every day.  He is the happiest baby I’ve ever seen.  He’s always smiling and when he laughs he gets so tickled he almost cackles.  Recently I had the opportunity to spend some time with this little cutie to celebrate half a year of smiles, laughter, and milestones.

For his 6 month session we had hoped to get outside in the sunshine but the weather didn’t want to cooperate and instead we had cold and rain to contend with.  We decided to try some shots at home instead and we had a lot of fun looking for crooks and crannies that gave us some good light.  Hopefully soon the weather will warm up and we have plans to try again!  I’m definitely looking forward to that!  Here’s Trace, 6 month edition.

And finally…corny as it may be I have to say it.  I can’t help myself.  This kid ROCKS!

Miss Macey is such a girlie girl!  Among the things she loves most are pink, baby dolls, Fancy Nancy books, shopping, cell phones and dress up.  So when it came time to decide what kind of birthday party she’d like to have she knew exactly what she wanted.  For all of 4 years old this sassy girl knows what she likes!  When I was asked to design an invitation for her party I knew there was going to be a lot of fun ahead!  Here is her invitation.

Party day finally arrived last Saturday and Miss Macey was more than ready!  Those sweet girls had an amazing time and the decoration and details were just perfect.  Special shout out to the fabulous Lacey Hobbs for this amazing “fancy” cake.  Not only was it absolutely gorgeous, it was absolutely delicious as well!  If you need something special for your next occasion, she’s the one to call!

A few details…

And the birthday girl…

Doing a little primping

The girls decorated hats-

And then had fun showing them off

Some birthday cake and presents

And is there anything sweeter than hand made cards?

As the party wound down Macey was just getting started.  If you know Macey you know this is the classic “Macey face”

And my favorite shot of the day

Thank you Macey and family for once again allowing me to share your lives and document your celebrations!  It is a joy to be your friend.