A Whole Lot'a...

Love...

and a whole lot'a

FUN!

This family was seriously so much fun to photograph.  I love each and everyone of their personalities and how they shone through this brisk February afternoon!
Meet Daniel:

 The oldest of the kids, and so very cool.  And he doesn't just have that whole "I act like a cool guy because a teenager and I think I am" attitude - he just really is cool.  :)

And no, that's not a prop.  That's his hard-earned baby, and he plays it like a rock-star too - for the kids (and adults too sometimes!) at FreedomHouse, in nursing homes at Christmas, and pretty much whenever he gets the chance.  This kid loves to worship with his guitar!

And here's beautiful Eliana

 She's got such a beauty about her - inside and out.

But her fun and spunk are easy to see too - and very entertaining! :)

These are some truly amazing kids... and they're amazing because of these two -

I could totally see their kids through them, and admire them for the way they interact as a family.  There's so much fun, so much love - it's contagious!

Thanks for letting me capture your amazing family Chris & Nickie!  

Lovey-Dovey-Mushyness

This valentine's season I decided to offer up some loveshoot mini sessions to help us get to Tanzania in February and I was super excited when the Martino family signed up.  I met Megan in life group through church, and got to meet her husband the day of the session.  It was freezing cold - literally, it was like 25*.  I'm not making this up.  But they were such troopers - and luckily we had a super heavy handmade quilt as a prop/warmer :)

It was an honor to capture these two for their first-ever photo session, just after their one year anniversary.  You'll be seeing more of them on the blog too - they're expecting a little one this summer and have invited me to capture the birth! I'm super excited to share in such a special time.
But for now - check out all these sweet moments they shared on this brisk morning in the park.

Thanks for letting me capture your sweet moments Meg & Tony!  

Surprising Strength

Sweet little Amelia, at one month new, was being such a sport for her photo session.  She really was.

So we decided to try some tummy-time shots... and she surprised us all:

She just popped her head right up as if she'd been on this Earth doing it for more than say.. four weeks! And look at that little smirk too - like "What guys?"  As we were oooo-ing and ahhhh-ing over her amazing accomplishment.

And I'm pretty sure she's thinking, "Um... why's everyone freaking out? I'm just holding myself up."

After the shock wore off, we continued the session, and she continued to do a stellar job!

Thanks for letting me capture your sweet (and strong) little girl Kristie & Dylan!

Let the Sharing Begin

Little Adri was due for her 18 month Grow With Me Package session right around the time her new little brother appeared on the scene... so she was kind enough to share the spotlight so we could do his newborn session at the same time.  It will be the first of many 'shares' I'm sure. :)
Here are a few favorites from the session!

Big sister was getting a little restless inside, so we headed outside to run around a bit, thankfully it was an unseasonably warm January day!

Ahhhh.... fresh air does wonders! 

Big brother got home from school just as we were wrapping up the session - so he got a turn in front of the lens too!

Thank you Murray family, for letting me grow with Adriana through the past 18 months and for letting me meet your new little man!  I look forward to watching your family grow! 

Wedding Bells and a Ball Drop

I was so excited to hear of my grow-with-me client's engagement - and even more surprised when they asked me to capture their wedding!  I normally don't do weddings, due to many factors but mostly because of how stressful they are, and how much it involves, but since this was a small, intimate wedding, I agreed to the New Years Eve bash.

We started with some portraits in downtown Statesville - it's such a neat area down there!

    

     

After that we headed to the ceremony location to grab a couple shots - they had booked The Depot, a historic train depot that had been renovated and is now used for gatherings, etc.

         

Then it was time for the ceremony to begin - by candlelight!

 

Afterward everyone headed to Cafe 220 in downtown to enjoy some yummy food and continue the celebration.

Thanks so much for letting me capture your special day John & Diana!  Congratulations to you both, and may you have many, many years of blessed marriage ahead!