chilly willy

It was FREEZING the day that we did this shoot but little Will hung in there! His little nose & cheeks were as red as rudolph's but you would never know it by that bright smile on his face! And those sky blue eyes... ahhh, I could just eat him up! I know he makes his mom & dad so proud! Presenting.. Chilly Willy...:) 

cousins, cousins, cousins...

I LOOOOOVVVVEEEE cousin shoots!!! These kids are the epitomy of cute! My friend, Amanda, started a company called Rik-Rak (http://www.rik-rak.com) so of course they were all dressed alike in rik-rak attire from head to toe. It was so much fun to see these cousins interact & how much they loved each other. They are all so close in age that I am sure they will have so many funny stories to tell of growing up together for years to come:) Chris (my husband) & Matt (father of 3 out of the 4 boys) went to the citadel together so maybe one day these boys will even grow up to be cadets:) - SCARY!!! I hope you enjoy...)

lucky ducky

is what I call this family. These floridian natives are now stationed in Charleston for the next few years. Not shabby, huh? I took them to one of my "hot spots" in Mt. Pleasant for this shoot.. Alhambra Hall. I grew up right down the street from this park & always thought it was so beautiful!  I have wanted to do a shoot here for some time so I was thrilled when they agreed to meet here. It was everything I thought it would be & more.  This family was adorable together! I really don't know which pictures were my favorites.. the ones of little sis with big brothers or the big family huddle.. what do you think????? I know... too hard to choose....:)

smiling faces, beautiful places....

I know.. that is totally cheesy, but is IS the South Carolina motto, isin't it??? That is seriously how I feel about Charleston. These pictures remind me of everything that I love & miss about Charleston. I LOVE the coast & living on the water. I LOVE the people that we left behind there too. This family is no exception. I met Mandy YEARS ago when we were both single & silly. We were Young Life volunteers & we had more fun than you can imagine together. Everything about Mandy completely reminds me of those days... I met Chris at YL so it is all good memories! Anyhow, we did this shoot at Adam's parents house.... talk about a photographers dream come true! Their son, Harrison, was unbelieveable. As I was going through these pictures, I noticed a common theme... his tongue was always out!!! It was histerical! Seriously.. every other picture... to me that is a true sign of happiness! Who wouldn't be the happiest little boy ever if they had parents like this?? The only thing missing in these pictures is a big Chick-fil-A cow in the background. Mandy & Adam, what do you think?? Ha ha!!! I loved meeting Harrison & being with you guys!

they call him little john...

but I call him Lightning. I mean this boy was FAST!!!! We set him down on the ground to take some "natural" shots of him & away he ran.. again & again & again!!! We had to literally strap him into his wagon to take his picture! The best part about Little John is that he belongs to my friend, Caroline. Caroline & I lived together for a while in high school so we knew each other very well & she has been like a sister to me for so many years. I absolutely LOVE that Little John is her son. He is like the total package of having a little boy. He is adorable, sweet, 100% boy, & unbelieveably cute! The best part about Caroline & Big John having LJ is that they have not changed their lifestyles at all. They were such a busy couple before they had him & so I always wondered what life would be like for them post child. As far as I can tell... absolutely the same. Everything they do LJ does too... I LOVE it! Caroline, I miss you dearly & I loved getting to spend time with LJ... he really makes me laugh b/c he reminds me of YOU!!!!

8 little reindeers sitting on the beach...

well, here they are.. this is MY family!!! Yes, I know.... they are ADORABLE!!! I spend so much time taking pictures of other people's families, I thought I would dedicate this post to our family. We took these pictures on the beach when I went home to Charleston last week. It was so much fun for me to be able to capture our lives together & especially the way that all of the cousins interact. By the end of the shoot, all of the kids were rolling around in the mud  - unavoidable with this crew:) They love each other SOO much... it really is sweet!  Six of these reindeer are my sister's (I know... CRAZY!) and two are mine. Let me see if I can remember all of their names.. :) Ellison (16 months), Mary Catherine (12), Grey (3), Matthew (13), Chase (3), Hopie(4), Morgan (13), & Noah (20 months). An early MERRY CHRISTMAS from our family to yours!!!!!

fall fun.

That is the best way to describe the afternoon that I spent with little hughes & his family. He was a busy little bee....playing with birdie (the dog), running around in the backyard, & throwing daddy's golf balls.  The lighting was beautiful, the trees were beautiful, the weather was beautiful, and of course the family was beautiful! They were so much fun to shoot & so laid back that it really made for a fun fall shoot. Little one year old ladies be on the lookout for Hughes.... he is a heartbreaker for sure...:)