In the Spirit of Christmas

 
Our church contacted us about creating some photos for their Christmas Card to give to the First Impressions Volunteers at their appreciation dinner.  They wanted some "funny stuff" - not traditional expressions or ideas.  So when they came in, we all had the best time.  We created some group photos, and then some individual ones (those were the funniest!!!).  We thought we would share a couple of the group photos. 

Even though they look pretty "unconventional" here - these church leaders are such a blessing to us all.  It was a privilege to spend some fun time, some laughs, and to share with them in our studio.

More helpful hints!!

This idea to cook in advance is the greatest!  Also great for baked gifts - so convenient.  Just thaw and package in some cute wrapping.  Everyone loves home baked stuff - think of this for teachers, too.  Just how many "teacher" ornaments can you have??? 

Cook in Advance: To save time and kitchen space on the day of the event, cook what you can ahead of time. Cookies, pies and cakes can be made a week in advance, frozen and thawed out the night before the big meal. Cranberry sauce, casseroles, side dishes and vegetables can all be prepared the day before and refrigerated.

Break Out the 'Ware: Get all cooking utensils, pots and pans ready the night before so you don't have to look for them the next day. Set the dining table.

The Day Of: Place beverages in the refrigerator to chill. Begin preparing the rest of the food, especially large items such as turkey, ham and roasts. Toss salads and bake dinner rolls just before serving. Sit down and enjoy!

Next - tips for holiday travel!

Helpful tips for the holidays

If you are like me, you have yourself going in several different directions about now.  Getting ready for Christmas meals can be really easy, but you have to think ahead!  I will be posting some helpful hints that work for me during the next few days. I hope this helps!


Another benefit - grocery stores have lots of specials now - if you know what you plan to serve you can buy when prices are more affordable.  That means more money for presents!!


1- Plan a cooking schedule for yourself. Take note of dishes that can be made a day or two ahead, those that can be frozen, and those that need to be cooked at the last minute.

2- Go through the refrig­erator and pantry to check what you already have. Then, write down a list of all the ingredients you still need and decide when you need to shop. Purchase frozen turkeys no sooner than a week beforehand and fresh turkeys a day or two prior. Make sure you have all the necessary cooking utensils and equipment.

We are enjoying Christmas already

Are you ready for Christmas?  These children are!

The Christmas season has begun and we are having such a great time - I just love this time of year.  We will be photographing Christmas portraits through December 23.   You can choose our Special Event setting for your children - if you want family portraits, or something different for your children, just call us and we can share other ideas for you to choose from.

One of my favorite Christmas stories.

The Gift Of the Magi is a favorite Christmas story of mine. I saw it in an old movie once that had five short stories. 
"The Gift of the Magi" is a short story written by O. Henry (a pen name for William Sydney Porter), about a young married couple and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been a popular one for adaptation, especially for presentation during the Christmas season.
Young married couple Della and James "Jim" Dillingham Young is very much in love with each other but can barely afford their one-room apartment due to Jim's recent pay cut. For Christmas, Della decides to buy Jim a chain for his prized pocket watch given to him by his father's father. To raise the funds, she has her long, beautiful hair cut off and sold to make a wig. Meanwhile, Jim decides to sell his watch to buy Della a beautiful set of combs made out of tortoise shell and jewels for her lovely, knee-length brown hair. Each is surprised to find the gift they chose rendered useless, yet each is pleased with the gift that they received, because it represents their love for one another.
                                 Here is the whole story if you care to read it. Enjoy!

THE GIFT OF THE MAGI

by O. Henry

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty- seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.

There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.

In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name "Mr. James Dillingham Young."

The "Dillingham" had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, though, they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. But whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called "Jim" and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della. Which is all very good.

Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn't go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling--something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.
There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pier-glass in an $8 flat. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered the art.

Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.

Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair. Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the air shaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.

So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.

On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street.

Where she stopped the sign read: "Mne. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds." One flight up Della ran, and collected herself, panting. Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the "Sofronie."

"Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.

"I buy hair," said Madame. "Take yer hat off and let's have a sight at the looks of it."

Down rippled the brown cascade.

"Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the mass with a practiced hand.

"Give it to me quick," said Della.
Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor. She was ransacking the stores for Jim's present.

She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out. It was a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone and not by meretricious ornamentation--as all good things should do. It was even worthy of The Watch. As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim's. It was like him. Quietness and value--the description applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried home with the 87 cents. With that chain on his watch Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain.

When Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to prudence and reason. She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love. Which is always a tremendous task, dear friends--a mammoth task.

Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. She looked at her reflection in the mirror long, carefully, and critically.

"If Jim doesn't kill me," she said to herself, "before he takes a second look at me, he'll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do--oh! what could I do with a dollar and eighty- seven cents?"

At 7 o'clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops.

Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit for saying little silent prayer about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: "Please God, make him think I am still pretty."
The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two--and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.

Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.

Della wriggled off the table and went for him.

"Jim, darling," she cried, "don't look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold because I couldn't have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. It'll grow out again--you won't mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say `Merry Christmas!' Jim, and let's be happy. You don't know what a nice-- what a beautiful, nice gift I've got for you."

"You've cut off your hair?" asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that patent fact yet even after the hardest mental labor.

"Cut it off and sold it," said Della. "Don't you like me just as well, anyhow? I'm me without my hair, ain't I?"

Jim looked about the room curiously.

"You say your hair is gone?" he said, with an air almost of idiocy.

"You needn't look for it," said Della. "It's sold, I tell you--sold and gone, too. It's Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered," she went on with sudden serious sweetness, "but nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?"
Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della. For ten seconds let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the other direction. Eight dollars a week or a million a year--what is the difference? A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong answer. The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark assertion will be illuminated later on.

Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table.

"Don't make any mistake, Dell," he said, "about me. I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But if you'll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going a while at first."

White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.

For there lay The Combs--the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshiped long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jeweled rims--just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.

But she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile and say: "My hair grows so fast, Jim!"

And them Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried, "Oh, oh!"

Jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm. The dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit.

"Isn't it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You'll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it."

Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled.

"Dell," said he, "let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on."

The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi. 

 

Bella is ready for Christmas

Bella is so excited about Christmas - she asked me to take her picture in my Christmas QuickTake setting.  Isn't she sweet?  She always likes to be photographed.  One year, we even photographed her with our fishing scene - at the end of the dock checking out the goldfish.  Too funny!
Bella is a rescue doggy - we got her from a rescue organization in Wilmington.  All three of our dogs are rescues - that is why we do fundraisers for some of our local groups.

Bella says, if you would like your children to come see us for Christmas portraits, we are scheduling now through December 15 in both studios.  We know it's hard to schedule school age kids, so we are making it convenient for you.  Call either studio now so we can get you on board!

What "bug" is going around??

Here in New Bern, I suddenly have "holes" in this Saturday's (November 19) schedule!   I would like to fill these appointments, so here is the deal:
1/2 price off everything (except jewelry).  This means, for you, 50% off your session fee, 50% off portraits purchased, and 50% off any frames!  Just for helping me fill the holes for this Saturday.
Call now and leave me a message if I can't get your call immediately.
The sessions will need to be pre-paid - so have your debit/credit card ready.
My misfortune (and other's illnesses) are your benefit.
Remember, this is for the New Bern studio only.

Capturing smiles

This little guy is the latest generation of some wonderful families I have been photographing in Goldsboro for years!  While his mom was in the studio with us, we came up with a cute slogan for me - "chasing children with a camera for generations"!   We had a good laugh.  His images are all so cute and classic.  I just loved this little close up!  Thank you, Adrienne for the privilege of photographing your little man.  He is a joy!

Our 11-11-11 Specials ONE DAY ONLY!

Their second little blessing!

When that first child is born - most parents make sure to have portraits to commerate every stage of life.  Those stages are newborn, then 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months.  Some families like to capture 18 months as well - and then on to two years, three years, and so on.

When baby number 2 comes - sometimes they get short-changed.  Not on purpose, of course - but life is so much more busy when you are caring for multiple children.  This baby is one of the fortunate ones - his mother is making sure that he is not going to go without those important "first year" of portraits. We were blessed to have photogaphed his big sister, and now are looking forward to watching him grow up as well.

Sweet Gabriella

Check out this portrait session - this little baby was my ideal newborn - some images awake, and some asleep.  The best type of newborn session.
I am so glad her mom said we could share!

http://video214.com/play/cHg3vaGW3xKBalY9frsEOw/s/dark

A great surprise!

These children are the grandchildren of my good friend, Louise.  She had me photograph them as a birthday surprise to her daughter.  We had such fun that day, and thankfully Charlie, the oldest did not "spill the beans" and tell his mom that we did the session!  Remarkable!  I just love being part of a surprise!

8 days old

When I think about a newborn baby, I imagine that she will do a lot of sleeping during the session.  That we will be fortunate to get some images of her awake.......but not Lylah!  Check out this wide-awake little lady.

She did not want to miss a thing!  Alert and checking out her surroundings the entire time.
                                                                   

Fall Scene Fun!

Saturday in Goldsboro we had our Fall Scene QuickTake - and some of our moms were able to place their order right after the session.  Here are just a few of our participants - sooo cute! You can join in the fun this Saturday, October 15th in New Bern.  We still have some afternooon times available.  Call me at 252-633-5558.

Kidz n Pets

We are so excited about our Kidz n Pets month - this October!  Here are some images to show some of the fun we are having - we even had a couple of cats come in.  Cats can be a little tricky, though- they like to hide behind the backgrounds and underneath furniture.  When you get them in front of the camera they are really cute.

I love the tint effect on this one

 

 

 

 

 Now to share some kids with their dogs - I love how their mother coordinated the shirts for the children with the color of the dogs!

Remember this is a fundraiser for two rescue organizations - your "session fee" is a large bag of dog or cat food.  We can let you know what brands the groups prefer when you call to book.  This is only during the month of October so call today!

Tiny little sports fan

Aiden is the happiest little guy - and his parents and I are working on creating a very unique Baby's First Year plan collection.  His parents have brought in a sports theme for each of his sessions so far. 
How cute will that be?  A different team and sport each time!  This is the latest one - the Atlanta Braves.  I am enjoying this so much - not to mention that Aiden is such a sweet baby. 

Kannyn

Just wanted to share a little portrait show of a sweet little baby. What a cutie-pie!  Click on her name to enjoy.
Kannyn

Kids and Pets

We are testing the waters for our Kids and Pets QuickTake that we will be having soon.  Adding the furry family member makes for a lively session!  Here are just a couple of our Little Models (yes, we did have an older brother participate!!)  I chose these two examples to show "small" and the "large" furry family members.
I will post our QuickTake dates soon for this.

Kenzie and "Cozey"

Kyle, Cameron, and "Jackson"

The first day of autumn

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
~Albert Camus

September 23rd is the first day of autumn. Celebrate with your little ones with these adorable crafts and treats.

Pumpkin Seed Mosaic Art
http://naturenest.wordpress.com/2008...ll-kids-craft/

Fall Leaf Mobile
Create fall leaf cutouts from construction paper, fine cardboard or felt. Tape the leaves to thin ribbons, string or twine. Attach each string to a small branch and hang it where it can spin freely for all to enjoy!

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Sprinkle with nutmeg, and voila!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/harvest...es/detail.aspx

Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies

Enjoy with a glass of apple cider.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/oatmeal...es/detail.aspx

Happy Autumn from Terry and Wayne at Precious Portraits!

And be on the lookout for information about our Barnyard Buddies Quicktake coming up in October! 

September is National Children’s Good Manners Month!

September is National Children’s Good Manners Month!

Sit down with your little ones and enjoy these excellent etiquette reads.

The Scallywags
by David Melling
http://www.amazon.com/Scallywags-Dav...f=cm_lmf_tit_3

Emily’s Everyday Manners
by Cindy Post Senning and Peggy Post
http://www.amazon.com/Emilys-Everyda...=cm_lmf_tit_11

The Golden Rule
by Ilene Cooper
http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Rule-Il...=cm_lmf_tit_15

Thingumajig Book of Manners
by Irene Keller
http://www.amazon.com/Thingumajig-Bo...=cm_lmf_tit_19

Please is a Good Word to Say
by Barbara Joosse
http://www.amazon.com/Please-Good-Wo...=cm_lmf_tit_21

Happy Reading!

Aspyn

Thanks for letting me share this super Senior session!! Click here to view the video-Aspyn

Sleepy little newborn

 This little man is so perfect - he let me pose him anyway I wanted.  Who says you can't have fun with a sleeping newborn?

I call this one "Baseball Dreams"

Black and white really brings out his little features.

Sleep well, little man!

New maternity images

I wanted to share some new maternity images.  Our model was finally able to come and view them herself - was busy with her new little man.  She has a young daughter, also, so she has her hands full!  I think she looked so awesome while expecting - you would never know this was baby number 2.
Enjoy!

 

Irene is here

I woke up this morning to the sound of driving winds and falling debris.  As I walked through the house and realized we still had power, I was so thankful.  I know that so many of our friends do not have that luxury today.  Wayne and I have been through many hurricanes together, and know what it is like to be with out what we consider the necessities of life.  When faced with an event like this, we realized that what is necessary is the people in our lives.  I say a little prayer.
I am thinking about the people that have to function during this event and pray for them.  Law enforcement doesn't stop.  Doctors and nurses and hospital staff still have to go to work.  So many others don't have the ablility to stay inside their homes and wait for Irene to pass by.
When the hurricane is gone, we will all start the clean up and assess damages.  Let's don't forget to be thankful, and be helpful to one another.   

August is Panini Month

August is National Panini Month. But who needs an excuse to enjoy this delicious creation? I’ve tried many different Panini recipes, and while I hate to pick favorites, this one is the best. Use leftovers from a rotisserie style chicken to add a flavorful kick.

Chicken Pesto Paninis
1 loaf focaccia bread
½ cup basil pesto
1 cup diced chicken – pre cooked and seasoned to taste
½ cup diced red bell pepper
¼ cup diced red onion
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Preheat a skillet or panini grill to medium heat.
Slice focaccia bread into quarter segments and then slice each quarter in half horizontally.
Layer top half with pesto and the bottom with cheese, chicken and veggies.
Grill for about five minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Enjoy with a nice glass of iced tea.

Enjoy!!

Friends in the garden



I am so glad, that even with the dry conditions we've had this summer that my flowers continue to bloom.This weekend gave me time to relax and enjoy some down time. So, I went into my yard to photograph some of my flowers.  

When I'm not photographing children, I love creating portraits of my plants and flowers.  They are all unique - I even have an inventory of the different species I have growing.

Sometimes, I get surprised by little visitors - this time, a small butterfly.

Then, later on, a buzy bee doing it's job on one of my Rose of Sharon flowers.








I love this passage -
Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

Don't be too busy to count your blessings and enjoy the beauty around you.  It is good for your soul!

Special images

Sometimes people ask me, "What does Wayne do?" Well, he is my right hand - I couldn't make Precious Portraits happen with out him. Not only is he my greatest advisor - he is a wonderful artist. We have some examples of his handiwork in our studios, of course. But just to give a little taste of some of the things he can do I will share:





Love this antique effect!

Great for Canvas Wraps

These are just a couple of the ways your portraits can be even more unique. I can plan ahead so we can design a one-of-a kind art piece of someone you love.

New ideas

Yesterday, we had an unexpected gap in our schedule, so we decided to make the best of it and take a long lunch.  Wayne and I purchased some great new fabrics for some new ideas we had come up with for babies.  We are so excited!  Next step is to locate the accessories we have in mind, and some props.  I can't wait to put this together in the camera room with sweet babies. 
I have wanted some new stuff to play with and am almost there.  Looks like I'll be painting and sewing in my spare time.  It's too hot to work in my garden anyway! 

Babies

This morning, I reflected on my son's birthday being tomorrow.  I remembered, as a first time mom, how surprised I was when my water broke.  I was glad it did, because I KNEW that was labor starting.  Hadn't had any contractions prior to that, so I was a bit surprised.  I remembered how sweet it was to hold him for the first time.  How small and fragile he seemed.
Then, today the tiniest little baby girl came in with her mom, dad and grandmother for her newborn session.  I fell in love, of course.  She was all sleepy and squirmy - those little ones don't seem to stop moving.  That is, till they are sound asleep.  Then you can pose them any way you like.
Was wonderful to hold and snuggle with a newborn again.  That was just what I needed.  Sometimes in life, the timing is just perfect.

August Newsletter is out!

View the Precious News for fun information and upcoming specials.  Enjoy and share with your friends.

Jaime's Kids

I am really enjoying this new blog - and Jaime has been good enough to let me share the DVD of our session with all 3 of her children.  They did a great job.  The boys are so good to their baby sister. 

Special Senior!

Watching children grow up is amazing - and I have watched this sweet girl grow up since she was only 3 months old!  Makes me feel like part of the family.  It is hard to believe that this year she will be a Senior! 

We did a cute portrait of her in this pose when she was small - just had to do it again to show off those awesome shoes!!

Lots to learn

This afternoon, Wayne will teach me how to import images to our new website.  I have this blog figured out, and am looking forward to learning about the website.
So, before I get into the "work mode" we will enjoy our morning.  First we will take our little doggies for a walk.  Pleasure before business today.

Here are twins

Aren't these babies adorable?  These are the 11 week old twins I mentioned in an earlier post.  We wore them out!!  I just love this image. I can't wait to show their mother the ones of them awake - but I have to save something as a surprise for her.

Sophie and Zoey

Look at these beautiful little girls!  I just love this image - their expressions are so sweet. 

Adorable boys

Today was "boy day" at the studio.  Not planned that way, just happened.  My first session was twin baby boys - 11 weeks old.  We "tag teamed" them for the session between feedings and sleepings.  Was a wonderful time.  They are so sweet - I will post some images later.
Afternoon, a one-year-old baby boy came in - I call him "Awesome Dawson" - he has the happiest expressions.  Such a cutie. 
Julie helped another family pick out portraits for their one year old, Will.  Great Grandmother, Grandmother and Mom came in.  The coolest part is I photographed his mother, Katie when she was a baby.  What a privilege!
I love being a part of this circle of life - some day these children will show their children their Precious Portraits.  My gift to generations to come.

A day to relax

This morning, we worked, and later had a wonderful day relaxing with friends on their sailboat.  Had great weather - not too hot and a nice breeze.  Burgers, cole slaw and pasta salad at the dock at sunset.  What a beautiful sky God painted for us to enjoy.  The simple pleasures of life!!

Aaron

Aaron is all smiles, doesn't he look like he is up to something!!  Sharon, we will have fun with all the images from your session.  I just thought I'd share one before we get together.  Hope it is soon!

Welcoming Claire

Look at this sweet baby girl.......so beautiful, and her brothers are so proud!  This was a special session with Claire only a few weeks old.  I could not believe how gentle and loving her brothers were. And aren't they handsome!?! You can get lost in those eyes......... I just had to share a couple of these images.  Thank you Megan for this privilege. 

Celebrating a special birthday

Last weekend, we went to celebrate our friend, Charlie's 60th birthday.  Had a wonderful time and saw lots of friends we had not seen for years!  It was great to see Charlies's daughters - we have known them since they were small.  In fact, the first time we met them, Charlie's wife, Elaine presented Charlie with a Christmas present - a portrait of him with his girls.  Well, Elaine arranaged for an "encore" portrait session for them while the girls were in town.  Had the best time cutting up and remembering past times.  Wayne and I thought it would be nice to post a couple of the images for everyone to enjoy before we show them all to Charlie and Elaine. 

Fun morning in the portrait garden



Bright and early this morning, our little friend, Cole came to play in our garden. 









 Of course, we had our cameras ready to capture the fun.  I'm sharing a few of our favorites here.  He is so full of spunk - and so interested in everything, especially our water fountain.

His expression says it all!! Fun!!