paying it forward

See this little cutie? He is my cousin's son and I had the honor of watching him for a couple weeks in early December. He's the sweetest little guy - but the poor kiddo has acid reflux and he's in pain 90% of the time. Unfortunately, he cries...a lot. My cousin told me she doesn't have any pictures of him at all yet because 1) he's her third kiddo (as a third kid myself, I know how that goes) and 2) he's always so sad and in pain.

Well, I just couldn't imagine not grabbing some shots of him while he was sleeping. These were just taken in my dining room using the light from the window and a soft blanket. I LOVE how calm he looks! I'm heading out to a dinner party tonight where I plan on surprising my cousin with these pics. Can't wait for her reaction!

The Challenge...

Amy is one of my "mommy" friends and I simply adore her, her hubby, and her family. We have a blast whenever we get together and I love how laid back and casual I can be with her. The day before Amy's photoshoot she told me about a photo session she had just had with a different photographer and how frustrated she was with the results and the crazy dough she had to lay down just to get one 8x10. From that moment on I made it my mission to capture the best darn pictures of her kids that she could hope for. I told her that I was determined to prove how silly she was for even buying one print from "that other guy."

Well...as luck and (a bit of) talent has it - we got some GREAT shots! In fact, when I showed these to her and her husband last night they just kept saying, "Oh man... you were supposed to screw it up! You weren't supposed to do this GOOD! Ugh...do you know how much this is gonna cost us now? We LOVE them!"

I just laughed (and gloated a bit inside).

Told you so, Amy. :)

Tyler

They don't make many 8 month olds that are cuter than this one, do they? Tyler hadn't had any professional pics taken yet, so we were a little nervous as to how he would react. Little did we know that we would actually POSE for us! This guy was adorable and we had a blast. Check out some of my favorites:

a couple more

Look at this little man! How could I not include a few of just him?

Ethan is just so cute I want to squeeze him. During the first shoot I did with this bunch he just kept cracking jokes and stealing the show. It makes me giggle just thinking about what a little ham he was.

For any of you who may have met my husband...don't you think this little guy looks like a young Kurt? Even in personality - they are two peas in a pod. Oh too funny!

outdoors...one last time

Believe it or not I was able to squeeze one last outdoor session in before the snow hit! I was so thrilled that we hit good weather because Kim (aka - Super Mom to these 4 lovelies) SO wanted an outside portrait. I was happy to oblige and I love the results.

Looking at these pictures makes me smile because they were all taken at the old farm where my dad grew up. There's just so much history at that place. I can vividly imagine him expoloring some of these same nooks and crannies as a little boy (with his 13...yes, I said 13...brothers and sisters). No doubt they had lots of love and laughter on that farm.

Anyway, there's just something about old barns and sheds that make for such beautiful pictures. Don't you think?