Babies are some of the most fun sessions I have. I know, I know…some photographers really gripe and complain about having to deal with babies crying and not wanting to cooperate. But let me tell you, capturing the spark in a baby’s eye (or a even the trembling lip during a temper tantrum) is one of the best feelings ever. Baby C did not disappoint. I had the pleasure of photographing him when he was just 9 days old 7 months ago. He was adorable then and even more adorable now. He was so much fun to play with, I didn’t want the session to end. He gave us smiles, tears, drool, giggles…how can I not love my job?! Here are a few of my favorites from Little C’s session. I had a really hard time choosing the ones I was going to post. He looks so cute in all of them!

When brainstorming on a good location to take the H Family’s portraits, I immediately thought of this farm that I know so well. Boys always look great in a farm setting and there is lots of fun to be had. There is nothing better than happy boys for me to take pictures of. We had such a good time and these boys are super cute. I believe they might have been born to be on the cover of magazines. Just look at them!! Here are a few of my favorites from the session. Thanks so much H Family for letting me spend the morning having fun with you guys!

This newborn session was an extra special treat because Miss Chloe is Daniel’s first great niece. I’ve been waiting to get my hands on her and I just couldn’t stop loving on her. She’s such a cutie pie and a GREAT baby. She pretty much slept through the entire session and even smiled a few times for me. I can’t wait for Chloe to get a little older so we can babysit. The wonderful thing about having babies in the family is we get to love them and spoil them rotten and send them back to their parents. I can’t wait!!! Sorry Courtney….

While my sister was visiting, we took a few minutes and had a mini-session with my nieces. They are so incredibly beautiful!! I wish we would’ve had more time but the weather was not cooperating. The girls are growing up so fast. It’s really hard to only get to see them once a year. They change so much in that span of time.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far. I really did not want to get back to reality after the great weekend we had at the beach. I decided before we left that I was going to concentrate on having a great time with Daniel and the kids (well, one kid…Gage decided he would rather work at the farm than come with us to the beach) and not stress about anything. And my plan really did work. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves just kicking back and relaxing. I brought my camera but declared that I wasn’t going to try to get all arty on my family like I usually do and just take the normal snapshots that grace every family’s photo albums. Here are just a few…

Lauren and Lindsay at the Beach

I couldn't help but take this picture.

Lindsay playing in the waves

Watch those waves girls!!

Yummy shrimp!!

Lauren, Lindsay and Grant playing cards after a hard day

Lauren and Lindsay at the water park...the bestest friends

Lindsay playing putt putt. Golf is definitely not her game.

Lindsay coming down a water slide at the water park. I actually got on this one and I screamed the entire way down!

Things around here have been so incredibly crazy that I haven’t had a chance to sit back and post about nothing. And I’m not complaining!! It has been completely wonderful!! So, we have decided to just take off for the weekend and relax a little and Myrtle Beach seemed like the perfect place to do it. Wiggling my toes in the sand is one of my favorite things…watching my beautiful kids build sand castles….watching the sun rise over the water. Boy, it doesn’t get any better than that! I’ll be sure to share some images of our mini-vacation next week. Hope everyone has a wonderful (and safe) weekend!

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the civil war), it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action.

Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. local time. Another tradition is to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each gravesite at National Cemeteries.

Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars take donations for poppies in the days leading up to Memorial Day; the poppy’s significance to Memorial Day is the result of the John McCrae poem “In Flanders Field.”

In addition to remembrance, Memorial Day is also used as a time for picnics, barbecues, family gatherings, and sporting events. One of the longest-standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500, which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911.

The National Memorial Day Concert takes place on the west lawn of the United States Capitol. The concert is broadcast on PBS and NPR. Music is performed, and respect is paid to the men and women who gave their lives for their country.

Some Americans view Memorial Day as the unofficial beginning of summer and Labor Day as the unofficial end of the season.

Memorial Day formerly was observed on May 30. The Veterans of Foreign Affairs (VFW) and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW)advocate returning to this fixed date, although the significance of the date is tenuous. The VFW stated in a 2002 Memorial Day Address:

Since 1987, Hawaii’s Senator Daniel Inoye, a World War II veteran, has repeatedly introduced measures to return Memorial Day to its traditional date.

In addition to national observances, many individual communities hold memorial observance for fallen soldiers who were from that town by having a ceremony in a church or town memorial park. It is common for fire and police departments to remember and honor members lost in the line of duty. Towns often hold a Memorial Day parade in honor of such residents. Participation in such a parade is by community organizations such as members of the local emergeny services and their vehicles, Rotary Clubs, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of the USA, and bands from the local high school or church groups.

So, however you decide to celebrate this Memorial Day, just remember what the significance of this day really is. There are men and women serving our country and fighting for the freedoms that you and I take for granted every day. Let’s do something special for them today, even if it’s just saying a prayer or lifting a glass to toast to their bravery and courage. Have a wonderful holiday and please BE SAFE!!

I hope all of you enjoyed the snow yesterday as much as I did. It’s something we don’t get to see around here very often. I’m not complaining because I’m not a big fan of the cold weather. But it was so beautiful. We had a wonderful time having snowball fights (even though I caught a couple in the face!!). Here are a few images from our Snow Day.

I wanted to share a few pictures of my daughter in her Halloween costume. We had a great time this year. We went with one of Lindsay’s friends, Lauren and they had a ball in their costumes. Lindsay was The Corpse Bride and Lauren was a Bunny.