changes...

I know that it seems like I always have a lot to say. That can be kind of annoying--even or especially for me--since my job is to tell stories without using words. I hope that these pictures of the Menk family will do that. I met them over a year ago to take pictures of their son, David Scott and I have known for awhile that they were on a long and heart-wrenching journey toward bringing their daughter home. I was so thrilled when they asked me to take these pictures during Zoie's first weeks home. It was such a privilege to get to meet her.

brothers...

I had so much fun with these boys. They were the perfect mix of super polite, easy to work with, and the energy and goofiness that only little boys share. I loved seeing their different personalities and yet the way that they love and care for one another. I think the top picture is a good representation of the way I classically see birth order play out in pictures! It makes me laugh every time I look at it! Also, you have to watch the slideshow to see their beautiful mama...it is no surprise where these boys get their good looks.

You couldn't get Will to stop smiling if you tried!

A little sprinkler fun on a hot day...



So serious...but SO cute. I love this one.

on the road again...

*Disclaimer* We are not in Maine with a newborn baby!*

I think making new friends is really hard. I mean real friends--people that you connect with and trust and laugh with in a way that just feels hard to get to with others. About 3 months ago, our good friends, the Williams, came and stayed with us. One of the best things about being with Brave and Jennifer is the pure comfort we have from being with them. This visit was no different.

Corey met Brave and Jennifer when he was working at Student Life back in 2001. I had not moved to town yet but I will never forget Corey telling me about them and insisting that I would love Jennifer and knowing that we would be friends. They had recently moved to Alabama from Maine. From the beginning, we truly have been great friends. They have walked with us through a lot of stuff and there aren't enough words or time on a blog to say how much their friendship has meant to us. A couple of years ago, Brave entered a master's program which meant they had to spend a year in Tuscaloosa and a year in Montgomery. All this time, they have longed to get back home to their family in Maine. This past spring, Brave landed a dream job super close to their home town and they couldn't have been more excited. They have worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get there.

We miss them like crazy but are thankful for God's provision to bring them into our lives for a short time. Now I just have to settle for email to learn from Jennifer's wisdom about what kind of bottles to use and how to make your own baby food. Look for pictures from Maine before long because we WILL be going to visit.

These pictures came from an impromtu photo shoot in our nursery (that was just an empty room at the time) just before we were leaving for church. I'm so glad it happened though. Brave and Jennifer, we love you guys and are thrilled for you. Here's their fun family!

beautiful maggie...

Seriously, do they get any prettier? And I KNOW that I say this all the time but this is truly a girl who has a beautiful heart, too. I only spent a couple of hours with her and in that time, I saw her kindness, patience, and gentle spirit. She is also a budding singer and guitar player! Nashville, get ready for this one!

back on track...

I know it seems like I have dropped off the planet lately! I promise that we are still here and things are just as busy as always in the photography (and in the baby) world. We are having so much fun in this new season of life with a little one. I can't believe it but he has been home with us for a month already! Time is flying. We even ventured out of town for the first time and he did great.

I feel like becoming a mom has changed so much about the way that I approach photography. It's like seeing the world in a whole different way. I have met so many really great families and couples in the last few weeks. I can't wait to share them on the blog! Now that we're settling in around here, I will be posting pretty regularly. Here are some from a sweet session I did several weeks ago. I posted one other shot from this session awhile ago but here is a show that I did that is a little different than the usual. Melissa wanted some pictures of just her and the girls...they are so beautiful that they made my job a breeze!

old friends...

We love photographing weddings. I always say that one of my favorite parts of photographing weddings is the relationships we're able to build with couples and their families. There is nothing like leaving a wedding and feeling like you've known people forever. However, in the case of Amy and Daniel, I realized that it was actually true. Daniel and I have been friends for a long, long time (I think we figured out that it is like 15 years or something). I spent so much time at their house in high school and each member of the Little family holds such an important--and different--place in my heart. When we met Amy earlier this year for their engagement session, I knew that she was the perfect girl for Daniel. She is as sweet as she is beautiful and we are just so happy that they have begun their life as husband and wife.

A few wedding details. The bridesmaids' bouquets were unbelievable.


Some getting ready fun...
Amy was truly a princess in her dress and fabulous wedding shoes.
This is my dear dear friend, Sara. She also happens to be the sister of the groom and one of my favorite people in the whole entire world. For those of you who have seen my Facebook picture, you have now seen the flipside of the moment.
I love how Corey captured Daniel's expression as Amy walked down the aisle. It is actually really hard to capture that moment in most weddings from the back of the church where we usually are during the ceremony. Married!

The reception was super fun and filled with a ton of laughter and emotions. There is no way I can post all of the fun dancing and toasting pictures but I really love how they all turned out. Amy and Daniel, thanks again for asking us to photograph your special day! We are so, so grateful to have been there to celebrate with you.

good fortune

So, I'm perfecting the art of working with a sleeping baby on my lap. I keep thinking I should put him down but then I keep hearing the words of EVERY person these days telling me how quickly these days are going to pass. I don't know how to hang on to to them any more than I am.

Tonight I was working on the pictures from one of our recent weddings. We're working hard to dig out of the pile that accumulated when the surprise of our life arrived. I found this picture and loved it. For one, I love it for Janna and Michael--an awesome couple who were wonderful to photograph. But I also love it because it's true for us in this season, too. In a fun, fortune cookie kind of way.

Back in the swing of things... Senior Session

Well, it's been quite a week. Were it not for an amazing baby, incredible family members, and too many friends to count, I would not be able to make this post right now. We have been loved and supported so much through this that it seems like it might just be possible to keep things moving right along.

Corey and I had our first wedding since the baby came. Outside of the few times we both thought we were going to fall over with exhaustion and the one argument we had over when our baby should be put down for the night, we were pleasantly surprised at how well everyone did in our first full day away. More from that later.

In the meantime, I have a pile of shoots that just haven't made it to the blog yet. Hopefully I can get those up this week. This one is of Katelyn. She's soon to be a senior. Corey & I had a lot fun with her and her mom. She really was such a natural and I think it really came through in her pictures.

the whole world

Here are a few more pictures of our sweet boy. I know they kind of all look the same but he is just so cute and sweet in each of them. He continues to be more wonderful than we ever imagined having a baby could be.

I cannot believe that it has already been one week that he came into our lives.

In some ways, it feels like he has been here forever and in others, it feels like this has been one long day.

In every way, I cannot imagine our world without him.


We have been truly humbled by how many people have been there for us during this past crazy week. We are so grateful and honestly just overwhelmed by the way our friends and families have shown up in these past few days. There have been borrowed cribs and bouncy seats, incredible meals, a gazillion phone calls and emails, friends who have come from near and far, really fun presents, and my personal favorite: blog comments! And all for a precious little boy who has no idea.

I can't believe how much I love him. I told Corey that it is like realizing a whole dimension of love that you never knew existed. I have thought for a long time that I at least had a little bit of a grasp of how God loves us. I know that there is no way that I'll ever really understand that. But what I do know is that if THIS is anywhere close to how God loves us, I really had no idea before now.



Also, I feel like I should say that we are still working in the midst of all of this. Though we were completely surprised by little one's sudden arrival last week, we have known for awhile that a baby would eventually be coming and we have worked hard to structure our work situation accordingly. Please feel free to still call and email us to set up sessions! More than ever, we are thankful for the gift of what we do!

Everyone keeps saying that he is going to be the most photographed baby in the world...we have been hearing this for months. I have been terrified that it would be the classic case of the cobbler's children having no shoes. So, at least for now, I have been trying to capture him every chance I get. I have to give some major credit to my mom for helping me out even when I know she really thinks laying a naked baby down on a hard surface is super mean. He looks really unhappy, huh? I will post more from our time later.

We are having so much fun and really just cherishing every second. Every expression and sweet sound. Even waking up in the middle of the night feels like a gift.