Sophie Sweet Sophie...

This is Sophie....

Sophie is the pride and joy of Erin and Scott...

I went out last week to meet these guys are their house as it was far too cold to shoot outside. Sometimes it's nice to take a break and shoot some relaxed photos at home and with little people like this sometimes outside just doesn't work. We had a visit from both Grandma's and Sophie's Grandpa so we managed to get a few of them together with her as well. As I was posting these photos I thought of a poem I had written about my baby girl Abby as Sophie kind of reminds me of her when she was little.... Erin this is what you have to look forward to as she gets a little bigger.....

Ham Sandwiches

She dances and sings
And my heart melts away
She’s princess, she’s queen
Something new everyday

She pretends that she’s mommy
And she talks like she’s grown
As she laughs and makes plans
With her friends on the phone

She feeds me ham sandwich
She made all by herself
From the pretend bread and butter
She found on the shelf

“Is it good?” she asks sweetly
And I smile and say “yes”
When it comes to ham sandwiches
Yours are the best

She’s happy then knowing
That I’ll play along
So she sits down beside me
And breaks into song

She sings of her sunshine
And of kissing in trees
Then she grins at me gently
And I go weak in the knees

I want to gather her up
And push time away
“leave this one alone”
She’s three... let her stay

But time knows no end
And I know four will come
Then before I know it
She’ll turn twenty-one

So instead I give hugs
And finish my “snack”
And think to myself
I can always look back

To days when the sun
Was a song in my world
And I shared a ham sandwich
With my baby girl.

-Reide

Thank you for choosing me to be your family photographer!

Here is your preview.......

 

Shannon

This is Shannon....

I've known Shannon since he was only a notion in his mother's five year old head. His mom Jackie and I have been friends since the first day of Kindergarten, when she brought me home with her like a lost puppy and said "Please mom, can I keep her?"

Jackie and I would play house in her parent's unfinished basement and we would pretend to have children and feed them mud cakes and fill their heads with all our own dreams knowing that the old cabbage patch kids had not a soul to tell or no way of making us feel silly! I knew in my heart that one day we would both have real children and without a doubt we would always be part of each other's lives. 

Jackie said to me a few weeks back... "I don't have any good pictures of Shannon, he just doesn't know what to do in front of the camera" .... well that's all I needed to hear to make it my mission to give my old mud baking friend some great photographs of her cabbage patch kid! ;)

I've known Shannon since he was little, so convincing him to smile and to just be himself was easy for me. We have this thing that we share... we know all his mother's little quirks and we both love her anyway! We brought a few different shirts for him to change into (one that his mother insisted she really didn't like) so about half way through I said "Put on that white shirt now Shannon for a few".  Shannon smirks and says "Mom doesn't like this shirt" we both look at each other and he says "that's why I bought it" the exact same time I am saying "that's why I brought it" !!! :)

One of the nice things about a good friend is you get to get on their nerves sometimes and they forgive you for it. So forgive me for breaking out the "awful t-shirt" Jackie, but I think your son looks terrific in it! As for you Shannon.... you rock the camera and I had a blast with you!

Thanks for allowing me to be your family photographer!

Love you both... Shannon here is your preview......

Nathan and his Family

This is the Fry family......

Meet Chris, Nicole, & Nathan .... the definition of a happy family!

They knock your sense of self off its foundation
Offer you no explanation
No answers of why they rule your heart
Only that they do
With tiny fingers they hold you
With simple smiles they mold you
Changing how you see the world
Changing how the world sees you
Changing you.... through to your very core
They teach you the importance of patience
The promise of dreams
And a capacity to love
Beyond any place you’ve ever been
They fill you with courage
The strength to fight a thousand battles for them
And to keep fighting
They fill you with hope
That you can be all they need you to be
And more
They fill you with contentment
And excitement
Happiness and pride
Teaching you to appreciate...
Not just life.... but every moment therein
They give the whole of their heart
And they do it without thought
....Without reason....
Without condition...

... That is what I know of children.

-Reide 

Nathan is all those things to Chris and Nicole and I see such forever love just in the way they look at each other. Thank you for allowing me to be your family photographer.

Chasing Chayse....

This is Chayse....

You may remember Chayse from one of my post from a year or so ago, but you may not remember Chayse being so grown up! When Terry and Melinda took the little guy out of the car, I was like whow.... he's not so little anymore! This is what I love about being a family photographer.... I get to see these children grow and it never ceases to amaze me how quickly it happens. 

I was so pleased when Melinda suggested outside photos for this session, while I love window light, nothing compares to the freedom and possibility that outside photos give you. It gives families a chance to explore and to be themselves because I can stand back and give them the space they need to relax. Once again, this family knows how to just be themselves. It always takes a few minutes for it to happen but that's the other nice part of repeat sessions, the awkwardness of first meetings is out of the way and taking great candid photos becomes easier. 

Terry and Melinda have to be two of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. I have known Terry since he was not much bigger than Chayse is now and he's always been that way, so it didn't surprise me when he married someone equally beautiful... and when you put all that sweetness, beauty, and love together... you get a little person as amazing as Chayse!

I had such a terrific time with you guys and I can't wait to do it all again soon. Thank you so much for choosing me to be your family photographer!

Here is your preview.......