{ andy's senior session }

Today I had the pleasure of taking Andy's senior pictures. Andy is my cousin and I can remember when he was born, so this session was bittersweet for me....makes me feel old :(

{ norfolk botanical garden }

I absolutely love this place. We bought a family membership this year because we go so often. Since Justin is deploying soon, I decided to take family pictures. As you all know, with the exception of Olivia, my family hates to have their pictures taken....so this was a chore! Here are some of my favs....

{ MIA }

So I haven't blogged in a hot minute but I have a good excuse....I'm officially a HOME OWNER!!! I've been busy with house hunting and signing papers for offers and closings and all that good stuff. And SWEET CHRISTMAS the stress that goes along with buying a home is overwhelming!!! But now that we've moved in, I'm back to doing what I love....taking pictures. I apologize for being MIA from my blog and I promise to do a more efficient job at blogging from now on :)

{ new backdrop }

I purchased a new backdrop today and decided to allow Olivia to do some modeling for me so I could try it out. She's always ready to get dressed up and pose for the camera.

{ good weather = great photos }

I actually had THE most amazing day today. I woke up early for once, had my morning cup of coffee and got Mara off to school. I went on a long, peaceful walk. It was so wonderful to get away from the craziness for a moment and just take in the awesome weather.
After the twins woke up, we went to the mall and did a little shopping. I took them to Build A Bear and they LOVED it. They have been dragging those bears around everywhere all day. We came home from the mall and waited for Mara to come home from school...and headed for the beach. After all the high was like 86 today....talk about inconsistent!!!
Anyway, Olivia is always up for a lil bit of modeling so I took advantage of the warm weather and snapped a few shots of her at the beach. Mara and Payton didn't hesitate to tell me "I don't want to take pictures." This is everyone in my family's favorite thing to say, with the exception of Olivia....she's always willing to strike a pose. Here are a few of the pictures from the beach...

Ok, I could add 15 more that I JUST ADORE!!! I can't help it...it's always hard for me to pick favorites. I like them ALLLLLLL.
So after the beach, I came home and cooked dinner then had to rush to Whitney's school for a mandatory meeting for Spring Sports. She's trying out for Track again. She made it last year, but this year (at middle school) there's more competition. I'm optimistic, she's a fast runner...it's in her genes!
After the meeting I went to the gym and totally worked my booty off and then sat in the steam room for about 10 minutes. Nothing feels better!!! Well, gotta hit the hay. Hope tomorrow is half as great as today was!

{ brooks family }

Today I had the pleasure to work with Renee and her beautiful family. We did a photo shoot in her home since it was raining today. Her family was very welcoming and her two little ones were so much fun. Her pictures turned out wonderful. Here is a preview....

And I LOVE this one....really shows Zak's personality

{ anna's angels }

I had a photo session today with Anna and her darling little girls, Samara and Alana. These girls were a dream to work with. My favorite from their session is the picture above. Anna LOVES tradition, so we took some shots of Alana in her Daddy's dress blues and some of Samara in her mommy's wedding dress. Also took some with a rocking chair that was Anna's when she was a little girl!!!! SOOO SWEET.....here's a sneak peak!