the hollis family!

When I meet a new family on the day we've scheduled a photo shoot, I never know quite what to expect or even what the images will look like. If little ones are involved, I often worry that when they see me they might think "who is that weird lady, and what is that scary contraption she keeps putting in front of her face and aiming at us?". If I were them, I'd probably run screaming. Then again, I was afraid of everything as a child: flying monkeys, the game Perfection, my grandma's dentures, and handlebar moustaches to name a few.

So, you can imagine how happy I was when I met the Hollis family, and they were all so sweet and ready to have some fun photo time. Their extremely cute little girls were all smiles right away, and I knew it would be a great shoot.

We started snapping some shots at their lovely home, and then went to a nearby neighborhood park for some serious playtime. A fine way to spend an afternoon...whether you're 4 or 84! If I ever stop enjoying a good swing set, something is horribly wrong.

Thanks so much to the super-friendly Hollis family! I'm so glad we got a chance to meet!

Here are Courtney and Jim, demonstrating that kids aren't the only ones who can be cute!

Mary was so adorable with her favorite bunny that she likes to smell. That's how I am with pancakes.

I adore this shot of sweetie-pie Anna.

Hoffa! Such a good pup.

This next real family moment, I will call "so, WHY are we not on the slide right now?".

Yay, Hollis family! You all did such a great job!

the bair family!

Last month, when I posted Cassi and David's incredible wedding at Fernbank, I mentioned that missing bridesmaid Amber was absent due to the fact that she had just given birth to her first child. Well, I'm happy to say that I got to meet little Adalyne, and she is simply gorgeous.

The Bair family is special to me since I know them all through my sweet friend Carribeth. Adalyne's daddy, Brennan, is one of Carribeth's brothers. It was so great to spend some moments with these adorable new parents. Adalyne is a lucky gal to have been born into such a loving family.

So, without further ado.....here's cutie-pie Adelyne and her proud parents!

They have the most awesome pups!! We had to get some shots of them.

Our little model kept zonking out. I have that effect on adults too.

There's just something about a dad and his daughter...

Isn't Amber a stunning mommy?

Well, hello there!

She has the coolest nursery!

Here's a big internet hug for the Bair family....squeeze! Thanks so much for allowing me to photograph your charming family!

the international language

This video makes me happier than I care to describe in words.

the collins family!

I know Thanksgiving was yesterday, but I have yet another thing to be thankful for. I got to spend a little time with one of my favorite families. This is now the fourth time I've taken photos of the wonderful Collins family. They are such kind people, and their sweet girls get more adorable every time I see them.

There's such a comfort when photographing people I click with, especially when we've worked together before. The nerves disappear and I know the smiles will just happen and translate effortlessly into images.

As usual, the whole family was playful, patient, and natural. It was such a pleasant reminder of why I love what I do. I hope they enjoy their photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.

The girls are growing up so fast!

Keira was cracking me up. In the middle pic below, she was carefully explaining to me that parts of the play area were "absolutely dangerous" (at least for adults).

Kirsty recently started walking, and was a bit shy until they started playing with the leaves. Then she was all giggles!

Keira makes the BEST faces!

So many thanks to the beautiful Collins family!

from the biggest turkey ever

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Here's a little self-portrait for you on this fine turkey day. We used to make these hand drawings when I was little. However, I'm now embracing a more minimalistic style versus the feathered creatures produced by my six-year-old hand which were so fraught with glue, glitter, and construction paper, they were nearly unrecognizable as birds.

I have so much to be thankful for. In fact, when I was just taking a shower, I was thinking about how incredible it is that we have access to clean water at any temperature at any time. That may seem like an odd thing to appreciate in this country, but I hardly drink anything but water, and I love a scalding hot shower in November. It's such a simple thing to us, but a lot of folks could only imagine it.

I'm also entirely grateful for my family, friends, my health, the fantastic people I've met this year, being able to follow a dream, and the hope of a brighter future. That's the condensed list. Believe me, you don't want the extended dance remix list that includes being thankful for things like socks with lycra, drivers who aren't scumbags, a line-free ladies room, and days where I don't have to pull a giant hair from my chin.

Now, at the brilliant suggestion of my friend Tommy, I have to go figure out how to make turkey pancakes. Have a splendid holiday, everybody!