siblings.

It's funny how predictable certain things are. In that good way. In that "give your sister a hug" kinda way that results in a headlock, or that "give me your best silly face" challenge that ends in giggles and shenanigans.







These guys were no exception and I had a blast playing with them at the beach. Camilla is part Pippi Longstocking, part Anne of Green Gables, with a twist of humor and an insatiably infectious laugh. Miles is the deep thinker, part Harry Potter, part Percy Jackson, with a twist of thoughtful scientific hypothesis. They are brother and sister. And it shows. In that good way.

I can't wait until my boys get big enough for memories like these...

emily.

I've known Emily since she was 3 years old. She's been with me full time since she was...hmmm...7, I think? Watching her grow and go through all the kid stages has been an eye-opening experience on a variety of levels, an experiment and lesson in my own personal limits, self-control and depth of my love. She's my daughter, and there aren't the right words or the time to really explain what that has meant and continues to mean as she grows up.

Thankfully, we've moved out of the "sweatpants, I hate showering or doing laundry" phase and into the "this is my personal style" phase, which comes with its own bevvy of interesting moments, and in that typical pre-teen fashion, the word "moody" doesn't even begin to describe her dynamic right now, but all in all, she's a fabulous kiddo, a tremendous sister and when the mood strikes her, she's hilariously funny. And she just graduated from 5th grade and is heading into middle school. (insert screams of horror and terrifying music here)

To celebrate, we took to the beach for her own personal one-on-one portrait session. She agonized over her outfit, actually asked me to help her do her hair (Which, thank you very much, is suddenly very similar to my own style which for years, she dubbed as "the mo-hawk and why would I want a bump in the front of my hair?" Karma and a tiny victory for me in this admission of mimicking my style? But of course.), and had all sorts of pop and lock movements to show her sass. But mainly, she was just Emily. And I realized she is really growing up and becoming a beautiful girl. Sometimes we forget in the chaos of life to really slow down and marvel at what's going on around us. I need to make more time for that.

The Chosen Few: Christina & Kyle

Christina & Kyle are one of my 2013 The Chosen Few couples (We are 50% booked for next year, so if you're interested, let me know right away!). They braved the ridiculous July heat wave and a whole bout of angry nature (think mama spiders with millions of babies, red ant bites and crazy kamikaze wasps) to celebrate their engagement (which actually occurred quite awhile ago, but we were staved off by April's torrential monsoon rainy season...so, who wants to move to Hampton Roads? Ha!).

Christina started off with "Kyle hates taking pictures," just like so many of my other brides. And just like so many of my other grooms, he came to the show...and ROCKED IT. And after talking about tattoos, the shipyard, our dogs and some other "unmentionables," I came away from the session even more excited about their wedding next year. They're a perfect fit for each other, know how to laugh and are just good people. Really good people. And their dog, Khloe, is pretty darn sweet.





We shot their session at Windsor Castle Park in Smithfield, which is one of my favorite places to go, especially since I am only out there once in a blue moon and it always seems fresh and new to my creative eyes. Plus, I'll take old barns, faded paint, rusty hinges and abandoned buildings any day of the week. And there is no shortage of all this awesomeness and much more for the taking. If only we weren't being slowly roasted by the blazing inferno sun, we probably would have played even more (much to Kyle's chagrin).



















You'll be seeing a lot more of Christina & Kyle over the course of the next year. We've got lots of neat things in the works and I can't wait for their big day. And just for fun...be sure to stop in here and see their very own custom website! Compliments of yours truly.

Happy Birthday, Little Men!

Now, I'm nothing if not motivated. And it's purely due to timing that I didn't have my house plastered in tiny blue whales with a giant wave pool out front to perfectly execute my little whale spout theme for the boys' first birthday; complete with ocean-themed food choices, a giant mascot and some real fish. Maybe even a real baby whale. A tiny one.

So, in lieu of this baby whale mecca time crunch, I threw a giant BBQ instead. And I called in a pro (see HERE if you want to be reminded why calling in a pro when necessary is VITAL to your survival). And of course, she didn't disappoint. (And neither did my husband's burgers and my friend, Jen's, amazing strawberry shortcake salad. Which, is of course naturally healthy because it is called salad, right?)

Kelly of Trendy Baby took my vision, ran away with it, and came promptly back with awesomeness. Seriously, after a quick bout of Pinterest, she took my idea and made magic.

Welcome signs, cupcake sticks, thank you tags, onesies and a giant banner were all wows! oooohs! and ahhhhs! on the big day. And thanks to the talented and supremely sweet Somer at Somer Anne Photography (There it is again! Call the pros!), I was awarded the great comfort of sitting back, enjoying the boys' party with friends and family, knowing that every little beautiful memory was being captured and I didn't have to worry one bit. Praise Jesus.

It was a perfect day. They are one. Holy cow. Oh...and they like cake! Well, cupcakes at least. They inhaled them. And then about 5 minutes later would randomly scream happily. Hello sugar rush!

Here is the family picture we took while they both yelled "Ahhhhhh!" (just like they were saying "Cheese!!!!!") the whole time. Photographer's kids, huh?

Kelly is on the up and up with personalized items for your baby showers, birthday parties and general cuteness collection. She never disappoints and puts great effort into quality and detail, right down to her perfect packaging. And in another gesture of her super coolness, if you mention this blog post when you start dreaming up your own personalized items, she'll give you 10% off on any new orders between now and August 31, 2012! How's that for great news! Jake says "Yay!!"