Thriller, Thrill-er Night!

Gotta love some old school MJ. Alright, so I've been setting aside all of these cute costume pictures that I have taken so I could do a special Halloween post. So here it is!

Our first costume pic was taken way back in the beginning of October. We tried to take these at the Arboretum, but the costume was a little too much for poor Finn, so we had to wait a few days and make do in his grandparent's flower beds. He still wasn't sure about the costume though. So without further adieu,

Finn the Monkey

After that we took some photos of a little guy who was all about his costume. I really think he could be a costume model. Say hello to

Kaden the Lobster

Then just last week we wrapped up costume pics with two of the cutest little babies. Both sets of parents are already planning for this pair's wedding and these pictures will HAVE to be in their rehearsal dinner slideshow. Pleae welcome

Travis the Frog
and Natalia the Bumblebee

Happy Halloween everyone!

Family Session: The P Family

So I think one of the themes for the first photo day was multiples, because we started the day with twins and we ended the day with twins. I've taken pictures of Case and his Mom and Dad before, but as you can see, they added to the bunch with Garrett and Ainsley. We had a great time propping the little twins up against any surface we could find. And Big Brother Case did a great job of trying to coax some smiles out of the little ones.

This picture cracks me up. Case was actually very good with his little brother and sister, but I'm sure it can be overwhelming at times to become a Big Brother to two at the same time. Heck, that is something that I, an only child, could not even begin to fathom.

Family Session: The J Family

Christmas Photo Day #1 continued on a good note when The J Family showed up. We had such a good time with this cute family. Little Miss Rebecca Jane has the sweetest personality. And Will and Grady were the perfect subjects and were up for posing and standing wherever I asked. Well, I take that back. The first shot we did was in the middle of all this ivy. I asked Grady if he would like to go stand in a certain spot and he looked up at Mrs. J and said, "But you always tell us not to walk in the garden." To which she replied, "I think it's okay today." I only hope my kids will be that well-behaved one day.

And I have to add one more shot because of the story behind it. Lately it seems like we've been using a lot of reverse psychology to get kids to smile. Like we'll say things like "Don't you smile" or "I better not see a smile from you". We said this a few times when we took Will's pictures. Then it was Grady's turn. Well, what you don't see in this shot is husband/assistant standing over Grady holding the sun shade. And this is where Grady looked up at husband/assistant and asked, in the cutest voice, "Is this where I don't smile?" That had everyone rolling.

Family Session: The B Family

My first Christmas Photo Day started out exceptionally well as I started out taking pictures of the B Family, including twins Sydney and Molly! I took their Christmas pictures last year and I can't believe how much they have grown. They are little girls now! I had so much fun doing this session because Mrs. B never fails to crack me up. The lady is hilarious! Multiples are so fun and cute to shoot, especially when they are matching.

I also got to take some really fun, non-holiday photos of Miss Molly and Miss Sydney that are too cute. I'm saving them for a separate post and can't wait to show them to you all.

Family Session: The M Family

We recently met up with the M Family at the Arboretum to take some Holiday pictures. Mrs. M was a referral, so it was great to meet her and her husband and their precious little girl Maleah. As much as I love shooting past clients over and over and seeing their families grow, I equally enjoy getting to know new clients. It seems the theme for most sessions involving todlers these days is independence, and Miss Maleah was no exception. So we let her run around plenty and do her own thing at times. We just always made sure she had a smile on her face! I had a great time with this family and can't wait to watch Miss Maleah grow up as well!

Family Session: The B Family

A few years ago Mrs. B called to see if I would mind coming to their house to take pictures because they had this big field behind their house with two ponds. Ummm, hello, you had me at big field with two ponds. So about twice a year we get to go out and run through the fields behind their house and take great outdoor photos of this fun family! Even better, in the Spring the whole field is filled with beautiful bluebonnets. I should really see about renting their field for a photo day!

Well, this shoot was no different. Great family, great background, great weather, great shots. And as an added bonus, husband/assistant learned a new "make-you-smile" trick that he's dying to try out on other kids. Thanks Mrs. B for teaching us all about the fake sneeze!

Aint to Proud to Brag

Y'all, can I brag on my mom for a second?

Some of you might know, some of you might not, but my mom sews most of the custom baby bedding for Be-Dazzled in Plano. She's always been an excellent seamstress and she started doing this on a whim a few years ago. And people? The woman is good. GOOD! And her floor models typically fly off the shelf, or crib as the case may be. Anyway, I recently stopped by the shop and was amazed at the Halloween display in the window right now. Deb and the other Be-Dazzled girls did a phenomenal job, and my mom's bedding is just awesome. Luckily, I had the trusty purse camera with me, so now you too can see this great display.Someone recently told me and husband/assistant that we should not find out the gender of our future children. To which I replied, "Do you know what my mom does? Do you think she's going to let me NOT know?"

Teen Session: Taylor

I was so excited when Taylor's mom scheduled a session with me to take Taylor's senior pictures. I don't get to photograph teens as much as I'd like, so I jumped at the opportunity. Now, as much as I love photographing babies and children, I must say that these teens and their willingness to follow directions make it a little easier. Stand there, look this way, smile, look pensive, laugh, get me a bottled-water! Okay, maybe not that last one. Anyway, we had a great session and I loved getting to pretend to be back in high school life. There was a football game the night before and homecoming was just around the corner. So exciting!

Family Session: The J Family

I've taken the J Family's pictures a few times now and I always have such a good time with them. Mom got wind of the great fall displays at the Arboretum and wanted to get some shots of the kids playing in the pumkins. We got there as soon as the Arboretum opened, and for a good ten or so minutes we had the whole pumpkin patch to ourselves. Little Jacob loved to climb on top of all of the hay stacks, while Miss Hannah tried to lift and roll some of the biggest pumpkins in the place. It's always so fun to watch all these kiddos attempting to lift and roll these pumpkins that are as nearly big as them.