Olivia gets giggly {pure adorable}

 Miss Olivia had a great little giggle while I was testing the lighting for some shots of her and her brother, Eli {who I blogged about in my last posting). I just had to share....

Elijah {First Birthday!}

 Those of you who follow me on Facebook saw me gushing about my new "find" the other...this gorgeous vintage chair! How could I resist bringing it home? {and bringing it home meant driving with the top down with this sweet find's legs sticking out of the back seat of my little beetle bug...hey- a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!} Even better than bringing it home was getting to use it in a session so soon after having it...and I
don't think I could have asked for a more perfect session to break it in with.

Mr Elijah turned One, and Mom was excited to capture this milestone in her sweet little guy's life. I was excited to be the one to do it! We met up for our pre-session consultation at my favorite little Coffee Shop in Downtown Fayetteville, and when she walked up with two smiling red heads I just about did a happy dance  right then and there. {My hubby's hair -when it's not in his Army high & tight- has beautiful hints of red in it, so I'm kinda a sucker for that}. I had a great time getting to know Mom, Elijah, and his big sister Olivia, and I knew right from the start that this was going to be one of those sessions that would just have everything "click."

 The morning of the session was calling for rain, but thankfully it (like I knew it would) 'clicked' and Mother Nature cooperated. We had a gorgeous spring morning; warm with a gentle breeze and beautiful soft light filtering in through the trees in the park. Elijah and Olivia arrived looking oh-so-cute, and we dove right in to the fun.

Mr Eli sat so tall & regal in the chair - way too cute...and Big Sis was a GREAT helper in making silly faces. (he's turned towards her laughing in that photo above) And one we put that hat on him it was instant smiles (before promptly tossing it off, in true toddler style)

Miss Olivia joined in the fun for some shots, giving extra big squishy hugs (can't wait for Mom to see that capture...but I'll just tease for now....) and doing a fabulous job of helping her brother walk around in the cool dewy grass (some other sweet moments I can't wait for Mom to see!)

We hit downtown afterwards for a second look for the session, and the "adorable" just kept on coming!

Thanks for an incredibly sweet session, you two! And Mom- bravo on the clothes you chose!! XOXO

Sweet Little "A" turns One! {Birthday Bash mini}

{the image on the bottom right above cracked me up- it's like he was saying "Wow! I can't believe I'm one...where does the time go?"}

Yeah! The uber-adorable and oh-so-sweet mr "A"  is now the big O-N-E...which means I got to enjoy photographing him again in honor of the big occasion! I was thrilled when his Mom asked me to design his
First Birthday party invitations, and honestly very touched as well. This is the third time within a year that I've
been given the honor of capturing this family's treasured moments, and that isn't something I take for granted. What a tremendous compliment they have paid me by allowing me to tell their story through my lens...I am very grateful, and certainly look forward to telling more of their story in the future...

So you've probably noticed that little A is sporting not only a cool little "party animal" alligator on his outfit, but also a big old cast - poor little guy! But in true "I-may-be-beyond-adorable-but-I'm-also-a-tough-guy" fashion, that cast was not stopping him from going about his day. Hey, when you're the big one you've got places to go and people to see ...

For A's session we photographed in his backyard, and for a couple of different "looks" I used some plants and a fence as one backdrop and then made a fabric & ribbon backdrop for the other. Since I had the opportunity to see the outfit A was going to be wearing in advance, I was able to match my fabric choices
perfectly...I really loved how it turned out.{bonus-those colors are what I will be using in my little one's nursery so when we have our "Welcome Home" party to introduce him/her to our friends and family I will definitely get to use that ...I'm thinking backdrop to the food table!} With the way his little hand was in this photo I couldn't help but make a version with him holding a drawn balloon.

 I get to see A and his Mom today as they come to pick up their custom designed invitations and prints - I can't wait for them to see them, and I certainly can't wait to see them and  show them the little surprise 'thank you' I added - coordinating "thank you" cards for A to send out to his party guests!