Beach Time

Well, I've made some progress on my 101 list recently. One of the things I have crossed off was taking photographs of my Mom and daughter and then giving them to my Mom. My family lives near Destin, Florida, so Jordan and I had a short visit earlier this month and we spent a late afternoon out at the beach taking photos. I really wanted my niece to be in these as well so I could give my Mom pictures of the three of them, but she was very sick that day so just Jordan, Grandma and I went. But all is well because maybe Jordan was less distracted anyway and I know Grandma treasures them all the same...

Grandma's favorite

My favorite.

Off she goes. My little miss independent these days.

The Wolf Family

It's been a busy week! I've had several shoots this past week as well as a great wedding on Saturday (more on that soon...), but here are a few recent shots.

So the Wolf's are dear dear friends of mine (we went to college together 10+ years ago -- wow, did I just date myself). They have been married for almost 10 years and have two beautiful daughters, my adopted neices Sydney and Delaney. We try and do family pictures once a year, but it can be hard with schedules, toddlers and life... but last week we managed to have night out with the adults AND take some family photos beforehand. So here are a few of my favorites...

It started off well and good with some nice posed pictures of the whole clan... though I must say it is hard to get a 2 year old and 4 year old smiling at the exact same time that both parents are also looking at the camera :-)




Then we moved on to the fun stuff... the kids piling on for a family sandwich!




And then it was time for a full-out-assult on Daddy!





Mom dancing with her girls




Some more Mommy and Daddy time...



The girls, though by now, they just wanna go play...




...So we let them, and got some shots of Tom and Marie, who rarely get any pictures of just them these days.

(Thank you to my husband for whatever he said to generate this total Marie face! For anyone who knows her, this is her in a nutshell.)

The Princess Project

I have a trememendous amount of compassion for kids who come from extrememly difficult backgrounds (I know, who doesn't?), but ever since I became a mom 2 years ago, I really did start wearing my heart around on the outside of my chest. So when one of my babysitters Sarah told me about a great organization where she is a volunteer, I didn't hesitate to send a note expressing my interested to get involved. (More on this later...) This is my year to "offically do something" instead of just "feel something" about these types of things.

• I'm sharing this with you in the hopes that you may know someone, (or maybe you are that someone) who has some items below.
• The Princess Project provides teenage girls who live in foster care, and often move from one family to another, with a night of pampering and postive memories by hosting a formal ball. The girls who attend receive a formal dress, shoes, make-up, jewerly, gift bags and tiara and are made to feel like true princesses for the night. They are pampered by professional makeup artists and hair stylists while volunteers, more importantly, work to promote their self confidence, give them positive experiences, attention and compassion (Sarah). After the big dinner and ball, the girls receive professional photographs from the night in personalized photo albums.
  
  The Princess Project currently needs the following donated:
  
  New, or like new formal dresses
  Shoes
  New make-up
  Jewelry
  Party purses
  Hair accessories
  
  If you know of anyone willing to donate these items (since Prom season is in full swing, now is a great time!), please contact Kelli Freeman at 602.740.1722 or email princess.project@hotmail.com.

Tigran and Briana

Tigran and Briana were married last month at Ashley Manor in Chandler. Briana's 3 year old son was so funny and cute dancing into the wee hours at the reception and it was very clear how much Tigran loves his new family -- and vice versa! They definitely share a deep love for one another. Here are a few pictures from their big day.


Let me just start with my favorite from the night. I love the moment caught in this shot... the feeling...



I'm getting very into movement shots lately - love the way they capture the whole picture... and then my favorite shot of Briana from the day.



They had some touching moments during the ceremony - lots of little guestures shared between them.









I asked if they wouldn't mind stepping out of their reception for a moment to capture the last remaining light of the evening.


Waiting for their grand introduction, and sharing a little moment.




Tigran and Tristan having their moment too. Tristan melted my heart. I asked while they were all getting ready if he if he was excited for this big day, and he replied very seriously, "Yes. This is a very big day."


Tigran and Briana's father Tom



They shared some intense moments dancing.

And finally, Briana sharing a dance with her father.

New Website!

After 5 months of work, I'm proud to say my brand new website is now live! Yeah!

It's actually two sites in one. View it here.

Gracie

My friend's daughter is turning one next week, so she asked me to come take some photos of her beautiful daughter Grace. Isn't she a little mush-ball?! (Translation: simply adorable)














I think she looks like the Gerber baby here















I think this might be my favorite! What a look!